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Center for Species Survival News

Red panda Xena holds up her left paw.
Jul. 01, 2022
Meet The New Red Pandas
They’re sweet, outgoing and always in the mood for food. Meet Scarlet, Xena and Taizong, the new red pandas at our Front Royal, Virginia, campus!
A newly hatched brown kiwi stands next to its egg.
Jun. 03, 2022
Welcome, Kiwi Chicks
In March and April, keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, celebrated the arrival of two male kiwi chicks! Get to know them in this update from the bird...
Zebra running through a field
Apr. 28, 2022
Like Father, Like Son: A Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra Update
Young animals learn what it means to be an animal—what to eat, how to behave and more—from their parents. For Yipes, our 1-year-old male Hartmann’s mountain zebra, those lessons most recently came...
A male Guam kingfisher wears a replica transmitter while sitting on a keeper's hand.
Feb. 04, 2022
Test Flight: Which Harness Will Help Siheks Soar?
The countdown to the Guam kingfisher’s reintroduction to the wild has begun. Before these birds, also called siheks, can soar over the Palmyra Atoll, scientists need to determine which harness...
Two scimitar-horned oryx calves.
Dec. 03, 2021
Favorite Fall Moments With Onagers and Oryx
Have you herd . . . our Persian onager filly and scimitar-horned oryx calves are exploring their surroundings! Get the latest update on their adventures from Tara Buk, Smithsonian Conservation...
Cardiac ultrasound being performed on a Guam rail.
Nov. 02, 2021
The Heart of the Matter: Cardiac Conditions in Guam Rails
Guam rails are small, speedy ground birds who can only fly three to 10 feet at a time. They are also only the second bird in history – after the California condor – to recover from being extinct in...
A purple martin bird perched on the edge of a bird house with its mouth open in a call
Aug. 27, 2021
Purple Martin ‘Landlords’ Manage a Different Kind of Tenant
In the eastern part of North America, purple martins nest in groups of plastic gourds hung by bird enthusiasts. Each year, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's bird team prepares nest...
An aerial shot of a curving shoreline in Curacao with clear blue water and a grassy and sandy landscape
Jun. 07, 2021
Connecting Ocean Conservation from Sea to Sky
From the deepest trenches to the shallowest shores and across five basins, water circulates in one interconnected system: the world ocean. This World Ocean Day, discover how seemingly different...
Two adult tree swallows with bright blue feathers perched on a sign. One has its mouth open in a call.
Jun. 03, 2021
Protecting our Nesting Neighbors
The spring and summer months are a chorus of songbird calls and songs at SCBI. As the breeding season begins, staff prepare artificial nest boxes for birds that will find mates, compete for real...
A small, flightless bird called a Guam rail with long legs and toes, and brown and silver fur walks through a mulchy habitat at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Nov. 20, 2020
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...
A black-footed ferret mom and her six kits rest together in a small den on a bed of chipped paper
Oct. 05, 2020
Farewell, Black-Footed Ferret Kits!
We hope that you have enjoyed watching black-footed ferret Potpie and her kits on the Black-footed Ferret Cam! Join us in celebrating the next chapter in their lives, contributing to their species’...
Zebra colt in a field at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.
Oct. 02, 2020
Catching Up with the Zebra Colt
Our playful 3-month-old Hartmann's mountain zebra colt is a bundle of energy! Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute ungulate keeper Tara Buk shares how the colt spent his summer in her latest...
A 28-day-old female Guam kingfisher chick with colorful feathers and a large head and bill rests on a blue cloth.
Sep. 11, 2020
The Triumphs and Challenges of 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...
maned wolf running across snowy field
Sep. 04, 2020
A Heart to Heart with Maned Wolves
Spindly legs and thick, red fur have earned them the nickname “foxes on stilts,” but maned wolves are neither fox nor wolf. Today, researchers are monitoring maned wolves' heart rates to learn more...
A 41-day-old female Guam kingfisher chick perched on a branch. She is small with a wide, flattened beak, orange and blue feathers, and a "mask" of dark feathers around her eyes
Aug. 21, 2020
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.
Cheetah cub at SCBI July 24, 2020
Jul. 31, 2020
Cheetah Cubdate #10: Weights and Water
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute carnivore keeper Adri Kopp and intern Shannon Richard share the latest news on Echo's cheetah cubs, from weigh-ins to water play. 
A black-footed ferret mom and her six kits rest together in a small den on a bed of chipped paper
Jul. 02, 2020
Featured Creature: Black-Footed Ferrets
Celebrate the Fourth of July with one of America's most precious national treasures: the black-footed ferret! SCBI carnivore keeper Vicki Lake shares the story of mom Potpie and her six kits as they...
Four photos of individual young cheetah cubs held by animal keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Jun. 05, 2020
Catching Up with the Cheetah Cubs
In May, the cheetah cubs born April 8 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute experienced many exciting “firsts”—from passing their veterinary exam, to receiving their names, to taking a...
A small, 23-day-old Guam kingfisher chick with spiky feathers, round eyes and a large bill rests on a gray cloth placed in a small, round bowl
Jun. 04, 2020
Winging It: A Parenting Test for Guam Kingfishers
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.
Cheetah cubs Hasani, Amabla, Erindi and Jabari at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.
May. 28, 2020
Cheetah Cubdate #7: The Cubs Receive Their Names
Meet Amabala, Jabari, Hasani and Erindi! Now that the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s cheetah cubs have names (thanks to your votes) keepers have bestowed them upon the cubs.
Animal care staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute welcomed six black-footed ferret kits to 2-year-old mother Potpie May 10, 2020.
May. 14, 2020
Six Newborn Black-Footed Ferret Kits Can Be Viewed on New Webcam
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...
American bison Ten Bears (left) and Kicking Bird (right) at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia.
May. 14, 2020
Two Elderly American Bison Die at Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
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...
This kiwi chick hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute April 28, 2020.
May. 11, 2020
And Kiwi Makes Four: A Bird Baby Boom at SCBI
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...
A Guam kingfisher named Giha at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. It is a small, colorful bird, with a stripe that runs from its eye to the back of its head and wide, flattened bill
Apr. 20, 2020
Some Egg-citing News and a Few Love Bites
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.
A white-naped crane chick hatched April 2, 2020. She is pictured with her mother, Brenda.
Apr. 13, 2020
White-Naped Crane Hatches at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
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...