Tag Archive | "ornithology"

Video: Common birds in Washington, D.C. are helping Smithsonian scientists track intensity of the West Nile Virus

Video: Common birds in Washington, D.C. are helping Smithsonian scientists track intensity of the West Nile Virus

Scientists from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center at the National Zoo have taken blood samples from thousands of birds and mosquitoes in an effort to track the progress of the West Nile Virus in the eastern United States. Come along in this video as Smithsonian scientists net birds living in downtown Washington, D.C., extract small amounts of blood, and then release them back into the "wild." [...more]

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DNA evidence is rearranging the branches of the avian family tree

DNA evidence is rearranging the branches of the avian family tree

When songwriter Oscar Hammerstein penned the lyrics “fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly,” he clearly did not have the ratites in mind. Large flightless birds, the ratites include ostriches, emus, rheas and cassowaries, along with kiwis and several extinct species. [...more]

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Scientists Determine Geese Involved in Hudson River Plane Crash Were Migratory

Scientists Determine Geese Involved in Hudson River Plane Crash Were Migratory

Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution examined the feather remains from the Jan. 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 bird strike to determine not only the species, but also that the Canada geese involved were from a migratory, rather than resident, population. This knowledge is essential for wildlife professionals to develop policies and techniques that will reduce the risk of future collisions. The team’s findings were published in the journal “Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment” in June. [...more]

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Meet our Scientists—Videos!

Caught on camera!

This short video of an ocelot was taken by Smithsonian scientists during a recent camera-trap survey of these animals in the Peruvian Amazon. [...more]
(Courtesy of Joseph Kolowski)

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