Historically the kingfisher was commonly found in southern Guam. The kingfisher does not live in wetlands or savanna habitats. In the process of making a nest, the two genders alternate thrusts of the beak at the chosen site of the nest. These birds can't hold on to trees vertically like woodpeckers. Instead, they dive at a point in the tree with their beaks making a nest.
Incubation periods are unknown, but both male and female incubate the eggs and feed for the young.
It was last reported from southern Guam in the 1970's. In 1981 the total population remaining in northern Guam was 3,023. In 1984 it was reported that there were less then 50 kingfishers in the wild. Today the only remaining Guam Micronesian kingfishers are kept in captivity, as they are extinct from the wild. The objective of the recovery plan for the Guam Micronesian kingfisher is to establish a wild population of about 1,500 birds.