The Sihek (Guam kingfisher) was extinct in the wild for 40 years. Now, the rare birds are being reintroduced into the tropical forests of Palmyra Atoll thanks to the Sihek Recovery Program.

Global conservation partnership releases the first captive-bred population of Guam kingfishers into the rainforests on Palmyra Atoll.

The Guam kingfisher was deemed extinct in the wild in 1988. Twenty-nine of them were rescued and taken to zoos across the United States in the hope of preserving the species. Now, 127 of these “ palm-sized birds ” exist today, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.

British zookeepers have helped to raise chicks for release into nature after the species went extinct in the wild in the 1980s. Six sihek, or Guam kingfishers, were released on Cooper Island in the Pacific Ocean after keepers from ZSL Whipsnade and London zoos assisted in hand-rearing them.

Michael Fitzsimmons/Shutterstock A bird species that hasn't existed in the wild for nearly 40 years has finally returned to its natural habitat. It's the first time since the 1980s that the bird species existed outside of captivity.