About the Guam Rail
The Guam rail, known locally and in Chamorro as ko'ko', is a small, terrestrial bird endemic to Guam in the Rallidae family. They are one of the island's few remaining endemic bird species. The species became extinct in the wild in the early 1980s when biologists captured the remaining wild population to establish a breeding program. They have since been successfully introduced to the nearby Rota and Cocos islands. In 2019, they became the second bird species to be reclassified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature from Extinct in the Wild to Critically Endangered.
Source: Wikipedia
Taxonomy & Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Gruiformes |
| Family | Rails, Gallinules, and Coots (Rallidae) |
| Species | Gallirallus owstoni |
| Species Codes | guarai1, GURA |
Frequently Asked Questions
What family does the Guam Rail belong to?
The Guam Rail (Gallirallus owstoni) belongs to the Rails, Gallinules, and Coots family (Rallidae), in the order Gruiformes.
How can I identify the Guam Rail?
The Guam rail, known locally and in Chamorro as ko'ko', is a small, terrestrial bird endemic to Guam in the Rallidae family. They are one of the island's few remaining endemic bird species. The species became extinct in the wild in the early 1980s when biologists captured the remaining wild populati...
Where can I report a Guam Rail sighting?
You can log sightings of Guam Rail on eBird (ebird.org) using species code guarai1, or on iNaturalist.