Bird News
Red-shouldered Hawks Nest at the Zoo
April 11, 2013
A pair of wild red-shouldered hawks have built their nest by the Bird House.
Recent News
Black-crowned Night-Herons Are Back!
March 12, 2013
Wild black-crowned night-herons have returned to their nesting colony around the Bird House.
Scientists Find That Rain May Not Always Be a Welcome Thing to Waterbirds
June 11, 2012
Scientists from the Smithsonian and colleagues have found that waterbird communities can be the "canary in the coal mine" when it comes to detecting the health of urban estuary ecosystems.
Human-Modified Habitats Shape Bird Mating Patterns
April 13, 2012
A new study suggests that changes by people in suburban environments can affect the number of breeding pairs, their selection of a mate and even shape how a species evolves.
March 28, 2012
Every spring millions and millions of migratory birds fly non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico and make land fall at places like the TNC's Mad Island Preserve in Texas. Thanks to support from SCBI champion Helen DuBois and the Trull Foundation, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) is there to greet these tired travelers back to the United States.
March 15, 2012
Because of its size and proximity to the United States, Cuba is a critically important island for overwintering migratory birds. That means that establishing collaborations with Cuban scientists is vital to protecting our shared neotropical birds.
Rare Guam Rails Hatch at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
March 15, 2012
Two Guam rail (Gallirallus owstoni) chicks hatched March 3 and 4; they join six others in the Zoo’s collection—three of which live at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va.
Bird Friendly Coffee Surpasses 10 Million Pounds
March 9, 2012
As of March, 2012, certified Bird Friendly® (BF) coffee has hit and passed the 10 million pound mark. While this amounts to a relatively small fraction of the world’s ocean of coffee, it represents a milestone for the BF program.
New Zealand Ambassador Names National Zoo Kiwi Chick
February 23, 2012
The third female brown kiwi that hatched at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo Dec. 11 has a new moniker: Omana (pronounced “oh-MAH-nah”).
