Endangered bird to leave National Aviary for trip to Guam

An endangered flightless bird hatched at the National Aviary near Pittsburgh will leave its nest Thursday bound for Guam, where it will help repopulate its species, aviary officials said.
The Guam rail, a reclusive brown, gray and black bird, was hatched at the North Side bird park on March 24, 2006, and has been living in the Tropical Forest. It will be sent to San Diego for shipment to a protected area of Guam, aviary officials said Tuesday.

The Guam rail population was nearly annihilated by the accidental introduction of the brown tree snake after World War II. The snakes ate the ground-dwelling birds, which had nowhere to hide. The birds’ numbers have grown to a few hundred through species survival efforts.

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Updated: February 17, 2012 — 7:38 pm

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