[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 221 (Friday, November 14, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67541-67542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-27088]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R1-ES-2008-N0115; 10120-1113-0000-C2]


Revised Recovery Plan for Sihek or Guam Micronesian Kingfisher 
(Halcyon cinnamomina cinnamomina)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability 
of the Revised Recovery Plan for the Sihek or Guam Micronesian 
Kingfisher (Halcyon cinnamomina cinnamomina). This subspecies, which 
was found only on the island of Guam, was federally listed as 
endangered in 1984.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the recovery plan are available by request from 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife 
Office, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, 
Hawaii 96850 (phone: 808-792-9400). An electronic copy of the recovery 
plan is also available at http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans. Printed copies of the recovery plan will be available 
for distribution in 4 to 6 weeks.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fred Amidon, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, at the above 
address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants is a 
primary goal of the Endangered Species Act (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.) and our endangered species program. Recovery means improvement of 
the status of listed species to the point at which listing is no longer 
required under the criteria in section 4(a)(1) of the Act. Recovery 
plans describe actions considered necessary for the conservation of the 
species, establish criteria for downlisting or delisting listed 
species, and estimate time and cost for implementing the measures 
needed for recovery.
    The Act requires the development of recovery plans for endangered 
or threatened species unless such a plan would not promote the 
conservation of the species. Recovery plans help guide the recovery 
effort by describing actions considered necessary for the conservation 
of the species, and estimating time and cost for implementing the 
measures needed for recovery.
    Section 4(f) of the Act requires that public notice and an 
opportunity for public review and comment be provided during recovery 
plan development. In fulfillment of this requirement, the Draft Revised 
Recovery Plan for the Sihek or Guam Micronesian Kingfisher (Halcyon 
cinnamomina cinnamomina) was made available for public comment from 
April 28 to June 28, 2004 (69 FR 23210). Information provided during 
the public comment period was considered in our preparation of this 
revised recovery plan, and is summarized in an appendix to the plan.
    The sihek, or Guam Micronesian kingfisher, is federally listed as 
endangered and is also listed as endangered by the Territory of Guam. 
Sihek are endemic to the island of Guam in the Mariana archipelago. 
Sihek were last observed in the wild on Guam in 1988 and are now 
believed to be extirpated from the wild. Currently, sihek are 
represented by a captive population of 100 individuals in 17 captive 
propagation facilities in the mainland United States and Guam. Sihek 
utilized a wide variety of habitats including limestone forest, strand 
forest, ravine forest, agricultural forest, secondary forest, and 
forest openings. However, mature forests with appropriate nest sites 
may be an important component of sihek reproductive activities.
    Habitat degradation and loss, human persecution, contaminants, and 
introduced species such as disease organisms, cats (Felis catus), rats 
(Rattus spp.), black drongos (Dicrurus macrocercus), monitor lizards 
(Varanus indicus), and brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) have all 
been suggested as factors in the population decline of this subspecies. 
However, predation by the brown tree snake is believed to be the 
overriding factor in the extirpation of sihek. Factors that continue to 
prevent the recovery of the sihek include poor reproductive success and 
high mortality in the captive population and the continued presence of 
brown tree snakes on Guam. Recovery actions in this revised plan are 
designed to address threats to the sihek to achieve the recovery 
objectives of downlisting to threatened status and then eventually 
delisting (removing from the list of endangered and threatened 
species).
    To prevent the extinction of the sihek, the highest priority 
recovery tasks are to increase the size of the captive population, 
control brown tree snakes on Guam, and reestablish sihek in the wild on 
Guam. Increasing the captive population is to be accomplished by 
expanding the captive propagation program for the subspecies on Guam, 
genetic management, increasing reproductive success of the captive 
population, and decreasing juvenile and adult mortality in the captive 
population. Ideally, reestablishing sihek in the wild on Guam will 
occur after the captive population has increased further and optimal 
numbers of sihek are available for release to keep the captive 
population viable. However, if efforts to either increase the captive 
population or control brown tree snakes are not successful, it may be 
necessary to reevaluate the recovery strategy for the sihek. 
Reintroduction to Guam will

[[Page 67542]]

require a thorough reintroduction program and extensive predator 
control efforts, especially brown tree snake control. Once sihek have 
been reestablished in the wild, expanding predator control efforts to 
additional areas, habitat protection and restoration, and monitoring 
for additional threats to the subspecies would receive increased focus. 
Additionally, throughout the recovery program, efforts should be made 
to increase public awareness of sihek recovery needs and to coordinate 
and monitor recovery efforts.
    The sihek may be downlisted from endangered to threatened when the 
following criteria are met: (1) Sihek occur in 2 subpopulations (one in 
northern Guam and one in southern Guam) of at least 500 adults each; 
(2) both subpopulations are either stable or increasing based on 
quantitative surveys or demographic monitoring that demonstrate an 
average intrinsic population growth rate (lambda) of greater than 1.0 
over a period of at least 5 consecutive years; (3) sufficient sihek 
habitat, based on quantitative estimates of territory and home range 
size, is protected and managed to achieve criteria 1 and 2 above; and 
(4) brown tree snakes and other introduced predators are controlled 
over 5 consecutive years at a level sufficient to achieve criteria 1 
and 2 above.
    The sihek may be removed from the Federal list of endangered and 
threatened species when the following criteria are met: (1) Sihek occur 
in 2 subpopulations (one in northern Guam and one in southern Guam) of 
at least 1,000 adults each; (2) both subpopulations are either stable 
or increasing based on quantitative surveys or demographic monitoring 
that demonstrate an average intrinsic population growth rate (lambda) 
of greater than 1.0 over a period of at least 10 consecutive years; (3) 
sufficient sihek habitat, based on quantitative estimates of territory 
and home range size, is protected and managed to achieve criteria 1 and 
2 above; and (4) brown tree snakes and other introduced predators are 
controlled over 10 consecutive years at a level sufficient to achieve 
criteria 1 and 2 above.

    Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the 
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).

    Dated: October 3, 2008.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
 [FR Doc. E8-27088 Filed 11-13-08; 8:45 am]
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