Guam rail

The endangered Guam rail once flourished on Guam but is extinct there due to the introduction of the brown tree snake. A small number of birds from an experimental breeding program live on Rota, an island just south of Guam.

Extinct in the wild. Once present in the hundreds of thousands, the Guam rail was wiped out on its native island by the introduction of the brown tree snake.

South Pacific island grasslands

The Guam rail hunts snails, insects and lizards. The species is territorial and will aggressively defend its home range against other birds.

Guam rails build their nests on the ground, shaping plant stems and dried grasses into a cup-shaped structure. Chicks are cared for by both parents and leave the nest within a month of hatching.

Guam Rails Back from the Brink and Into the Wild Vice President of Animal Care Megan Ross helps release Guam rails on Cocos Island—part of an effort to conserve the species, which is extinct in the wild.

Planning a Return from Extinction How do you bring a species back from the brink of extinction? If you’re Vice President of Animal Care Megan Ross, you head to Guam to help plan the future for endangered Guam rails.

Return to the Wild Vice President of Animal Care Megan Ross, Ph.D., shares a trip to release Guam rails on the island of Rota. The species is officially extinct in the wild, but zoo expertise is contributing to its recovery.

Goodbye to Guam Vice President of Animal Care Megan Ross wrapped up her conservation trip to Guam by looking at future release sites for Guam rails, which are extinct in the wild.