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Welcome, kingfishers: The National Aviary helps to preserve a species

Welcome, kingfishers: The National Aviary helps to preserve a species

Congratulations to the National Aviary on two new arrivals, which help to perpetuate a vanishing species of bird.

The May 22 birth of a Guam kingfisher at the North Side habitat for birds was followed there by the birth of a second, from other parents, on July 10. They are among only about 150 Guam kingfishers known to exist worldwide, the bird having been devastated by the inadvertent introduction of a predator, the brown tree snake, into Guam decades ago. In the 1980s, alarmed by the dwindling numbers, officials in Guam sent 29 birds to the U.S. for breeding purposes.

The aviary and its winged tenants are doing their part, in more ways than one. Kurt Hundgen, an aviary official, helps to lead the overall species survival plan. The aviary also has hatched 75 Guam rails, another bird threatened by the brown tree snake, and has helped to evacuate threatened birds from Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands. All of which underscores an important point: Pittsburghers who find it pleasant to visit the aviary and observe the birds there should member that the facility’s conservation work, often out of view, serves a globally important purpose. 

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Species protection is a long-term job. The milestones are certainly worth chirping about.

Meet the Editorial Board.

First Published: August 29, 2016, 4:00 a.m.

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