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National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

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

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

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

Raising One of the World's Rarest Birds

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

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

Winging It: A Parenting Test for Guam Kingfishers

One of the common species Bird House keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo are working to better understand is the wood thrush — the official bird of Washington, D.C.

Continuing the Legacy of Bird Conservation

Head of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center Scott Sillett.

Birds Connect Our World

Female Guam kingfisher Giha at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Guam kingfishers are extinct in the wild, but scientists are working to change that by breeding the species for release in the near future.

Some Egg-citing News and a Few Love Bites

A female Guam kingfisher at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in 2012.

Guam Kingfishers: A Truly Rare Breed

Guam rail bird with stocky body, striped chest feathers and stripes on its head walks through grass

Conserving the Last of Guam’s Avifauna: The Recovery of the Guam Rail

A Savannah sparrow stands on a patch of melting snow in a warm-season grass field in Virginia. (Amy Johnson, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute)

Not All Birds Fly South for the Winter

Forty years ago, the distinctive call of the bobwhite quail could be heard throughout Virginia’s grasslands. Today, their calls are fading.

Answering the Call for Bobwhite Quail

Long-billed curlews are the largest shorebirds in North America, but they are only found along coasts during the winter. They spend their summers breeding in the grasslands of Montana.

Hiding in Plain Sight: Tracking the Long-billed Curlew

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