Guam kingfisher re-introduction

My main concern here would be, if the apparently undescribed Lepidodactylus gecko that's endemic to the atoll has evolved without a lizard-specialist Todiramphus kingfisher feeding on it, surely ecological naivety to such predators would be a very real possibility?
Anyone know if there's any evidence Palmyra Atoll once had native kingfishers at all?

Second, unrelated note; this planned release will almost certainly not change the species' IUCN red list status of Extinct in the Wild, as there will still be no wild birds within its historical range, until such a time as a reintroduction on Guam is possible.
 
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Swampy said:
My main concern here would be, if the apparently undescribed Lepidodactylus gecko that's endemic to the atoll has evolved without a lizard-specialist Todiramphus kingfisher feeding on it, surely ecological naivety to such predators would be a very real possibility?
Anyone know if there's any evidence Palmyra Atoll once had native kingfishers at all?
Click to expand...
There's no evidence of a kingfisher native to Palmyra. But I'm sure this not a planned permanent population. At the moments, it's been decades since any Guam Kingfishers have been in the wild - we're not even completely sure how they behaved in the wild or even if the current population is even capable of doing so. Palmyra Atoll is an extremely remote and heavily monitored location that makes a good experimental site for kingfisher reintroduction. After the trials, I'm sure the birds would be removed if it was determined they would cause any harm to either of the native lizard species.
 
Swampy said:
My main concern here would be, if the apparently undescribed Lepidodactylus gecko that's endemic to the atoll has evolved without a lizard-specialist Todiramphus kingfisher feeding on it, surely ecological naivety to such predators would be a very real possibility?
Anyone know if there's any evidence Palmyra Atoll once had native kingfishers at all?
Click to expand...
The FWS info page says that the population would be experimental and non-permanent: Sihek Conservation Introduction to Palmyra Atoll | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

However, the question "What sort of impact could this have on the species living on Palmyra Atoll?" is answered with no reference to non-bird species (!) - "We expect the sihek to have minimal impact on the native species living at Palmyra Atoll. There are no forest bird species at Palmyra that sihek would compete with or be or to impacted by predation."
 
Extinct in the wild birds head to new home ahead of wild release

Nine extinct in the wild sihek – also known as Guam kingfishers - have made an historic flight to their new island home in the Pacific Ocean, ahead of a planned release where they will become the first sihek in the wild since the 1980s.


The bird species currently only exists in human care, and the Sihek Recovery Program – a project bringing together world-leading conservation experts from across the globe, including from international conservation charity ZSL – was formed to establish and nurture a healthy population of the birds for wild reintroduction.

The arrival of this precious cargo to Palmyra Atoll earlier this week brings the Program one step closer to their goal of establishing a wild population of these rare sapphire and cinnamon feathered birds.

Extinct in the wild birds head to new home ahead of wild release | The Zoological Society of London
 
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