News Archive

Echo's four cheetah cubs have really taken to their new diet. Watch a video of  the cubs chowing down as if they were cheetah pros. 

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

What does the world outside the cheetah cubs’ den look like? Keeper Amber Dedrick offers a look at the world beyond the webcam's view. 

Mother’s Day was extra special for carnivore keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia, who welcomed the year’s first litter of black-footed ferret kits Sunday. Two-year-old female Potpie gave birth throughout the morning May 10 to six kits. Staff are...

The cubs are back on the webcam, but bigger and with a bite! Read on for more.

Ungulate keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are mourning the loss of two elderly American Bison, a male named Ten Bears and a female named Kicking Bird, who were humanely euthanized May 14. They were both 22 years old. 

Hot on the tailfeathers of a white-naped crane chick and two Guam kingfisher chicks, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s bird team celebrated the arrival of yet another rare resident—a brown kiwi! 

This World Migratory Bird Day, May 9, I hope we see record engagement in birdwatching.

Migratory birds are now flooding across the continent as they return to their nesting grounds this spring. World Migratory Bird Day is on May 9, 2020, as people around the globe welcome birds back—and lend them a helping hand.

Bird keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are celebrating the arrival of two Guam kingfisher chicks that hatched April 21 and 23. They are the first offspring for 11-month-old father Animu and 2-year-old mother Giha.

From the arrival of adorable chicks to award-winning excellence in animal care, much is brewing behind the scenes at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. 

New research from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and Shenandoah National Park finds that invasive species of forest insects and pathogens contributed to about a quarter of the tree deaths in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountain forests in the past three decades.

In this week’s #cubdate, we take you behind the scenes at a cub weighing! 

Landscape ecologist Hila Shamon lives and works in Montana, where she studies the prairie and its wildlife. Over the last year and a half, she has been working with Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and other collaborators to develop a swift fox reintroduction program.

It was a busy week for Echo’s cheetah cubs! Not only did Echo move them to a new den, but keepers were able to weigh the cubs and determine their sex.

Join the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center online this World Migratory Bird Day, May 9, in a digital celebration of birds and simple actions you can take from home to help save them.

There are only 135 Guam kingfishers in the world, but scientists around the world are working to change that by breeding the species for release in the near future.

Today was a big day for keepers and cheetah cubs alike. For the first time, keepers were able to approach the four cubs born April 8. Learn more in this Q&A with cheetah biologist Adrienne Crosier.

Bird keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia, are celebrating the arrival of a female white-naped crane chick that hatched April 2. She is the fourth chick for parents Brenda and Eddie and is the 46th to hatch at SCBI. 

A brief #cubdate on cheetah Echo and her four newborn cubs. Watch them live on the Cheetah Cub Cam.

Researchers with the Smithsonian’s Global Health Program have discovered six new coronaviruses in bats in Myanmar — the first time these viruses have been detected anywhere in the world. Future studies will evaluate the potential for transmission across species to better understand the risks to...

Carnivore keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, are about to welcome a litter of chirping cheetah cubs. Five-year-old female Echo is having contractions and birthed one cub already shortly after 11 a.m., which can be viewed via the Cheetah Cam. 

As an animal keeper at SCBI, some of my favorite birds to work with are small but sassy. Guam kingfishers certainly fall into this category. We have three pairs to introduce during this year's breeding season, so we have our work cut out for us.

Here at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, the carnivore team is gearing up for a very special arrival: cheetah cubs! As one of 10 facilities in the Cheetah Breeding Center Coalition, we study the behavior, biology, health and reproduction of these rare cats.

A special delivery of cheetah milk recently arrived at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's milk bank (the largest milk repository in the world). Find out what researchers hope to learn from this unique milk sample.