The Ko’ko’ or Guam Rail is endemic to Guam, meaning that originally it could only be found in Guam and nowhere else in the world. It is also the national bird for the island.

The Ko’ko’ are flightless, but run quickly on the ground. They prefer to live in the limestone jungle or the tall grass, since they are very shy. The Ko’ko’ like to eat seeds, leaves, lizards and insects. They make a nest out of leaves and grass, which isn’t very tall. The Ko’ko’ has a loud whistling sound for a call. The loss of their habitat and the dangers of the Brown Tree Snake has led to the Ko’ko’ largely becoming extinct in the wild.

In recent decades, many Ko’ko’ have been taken out of the Marianas, so that they breed safely in captivity. Over time those birds have been brought back to the islands and live in protected areas. Today you can find more than 70 birds on Dåno (Cocos Island) and 150 birds on Rota.

CHamorus tell a legend about how the Ko’ko’ got its distinctive feather pattern. They say long ago the Ko’ko’ made a deal with the Hilitai (monitor lizard) to paint each other. But the Hilitai became gago’ (lazy) and didn’t want to finish the job after only painting a few spots. The Ko’ko’ punished him by pecking his tongue into a fork, so it could no longer sing.