National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

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Why Do Shorebirds Stand on One Leg?

It's a question visitors ask staff all the time at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Bird House. The answer may surprise you!

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The Love Lives of Ducks Make for Great Drama

Breeding season at the National Zoo's Bird House can create some spectacular behavior

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How Do Birds Handle the Heat?

From scorching deserts to freezing oceans, birds around the world have developed incredible methods for regulating their body temperatures.

Horned lark chicks camouflaged in their nest on the ground in the Northern Great Plains

A Rare Look Inside the Nests of Declining Prairie Songbirds

It can take hours to find the well-hidden nests of migratory birds on the Northern Great Plains

Long-billed curlew in flight

GPS Tracking Technology Allows Scientists to Fly With Curlews on Their Epic Migrations

Researchers are unraveling the mystery of how migratory birds achieve their amazing flights

In the eastern part of North America, purple martins rarely use natural nest cavities. Instead, they rely on artificial “condominiums” and groups of plastic gourds hung by bird enthusiasts.

Purple Martin ‘Landlords’ Manage a Different Kind of Tenant

Every year, bird enthusiasts hang groups of plastic gourds for purple martins to nest in

Bald eagles are native to the United States, but caring for them is a unique and rare opportunity. Every bald eagle in human care, including Annie pictured here, is a rescue.

Meet Rescued Bald Eagles Tioga and Annie

Every bald eagle in human care is a rescue

Caribbean flamingos

10 Things You Didn't Know About Flamingos

Flamingos are unusual in more ways than one

In late April, scientists and the public noticed a surprising number of birds in the mid-Atlantic region were exhibiting strange symptoms, often sick or dying. Smithsonian scientists need your help to figure out why.

Mysterious Bird Deaths in the Mid-Atlantic Region

A call for citizen scientists to help figure out the cause of mysterious bird deaths in the mid-Atlantic region

The coast on the island of Curaçao

Connecting Ocean Conservation from Sea to Sky

From deep trenches to shallow shores, water circulates in one world ocean

A 17-year Brood X cicada.

Will 17-year Cicadas Be a Buffet or Big Disturbance for Birds?

Brood X is here. Will birds get a bug buffet or struggle to sing over the chorus of cicadas?

Common yellowthroats, like the one pictured here, spend their winters in coffee growing regions in Latin America.

Birders Want You to Rethink Your Morning Roast

Your coffee is stronger than you think

A female ruby-throated hummingbird sips nectar from a flower.

How Do You Weigh a Hummingbird?

See Spot. He's a small ruby-throated hummingbird with a big personality. He's also super smart and has mastered scale training.

A sanderling, Aldrin, is one of the shorebirds being cared for by the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Bird House team.

Is the Secret to Saving Migratory Birds in the Meal Prep?

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo has many beaks to feed, including 23 species of migratory birds. Find out how keepers and nutritionists help individual animals stay physically fit and healthy, even as their physiology changes naturally with the seasons.

Tasi is a 4-year-old Guam rail and a marvel, considering that just a few decades ago his species nearly disappeared.

Meet Tasi, a Little Bird with a Big Purpose

We care for many rare and endangered species here at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, including a little brown bird named Tasi. Tasi is a 4-year-old Guam rail and a marvel, considering that just a few decades ago his species nearly disappeared.

The Peruvian tern's desert camouflage makes it almost impossible to track, but that’s exactly what our research team set out to do. It would take us four months to survey more than 1,851 acres for the bird, battling sandstorms, stifling heat and impossible landscapes inside Paracas National Reserve — terrain that the tern has mastered.

Searching for the Invisible, Invincible Peruvian Tern

The Peruvian tern's desert camouflage makes it almost impossible to track, but that’s exactly what our research team set out to do. It would take us four months to survey more than 1,851 acres for the bird, battling sandstorms, stifling heat and impossible landscapes inside Paracas National Reserve — terrain that the tern has mastered.

A 28-day-old female Guam kingfisher chick at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

Raising One of the World's Rarest Birds

Guam kingfishers are incredibly rare and difficult to breed, so we are thrilled to be closing out the breeding season with four new chicks. This has been our biggest year to date, and one of our busiest!

A 41-day-old Guam kingfisher chick at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. With fewer than 140 Guam kingfishers left in the world, all living in human care, every chick is precious.

Growing Up Guam Kingfisher

Breeding season is the most demanding time of year for the bird team at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, but it can also be the most rewarding. With fewer than 140 Guam kingfishers left in the world, every egg laid and chick hatched is a step closer to saving this species.

Animu and Giha’s male Guam kingfisher chick at 23 days old.

Winging It: A Parenting Test for Guam Kingfishers

In April, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute celebrated the birth of two extinct-in-the-wild Guam kingfisher chicks. Find out more about the new chicks in this update from animal keeper Erica Royer.

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