Brown Pelican Banding on Adam Island

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 animals — sessil coral and soaring seabirds — are connected to each other, to a changing climate and to...

From a litter of chirping cheetahs and the birth of a lovable giant panda cub to groundbreaking coral reef research and new strides in animal care, there were many milestones to celebrate this year.

Brown pelicans are a favorite of visitors to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s American Trail exhibit. Yet, many zoogoers may not realize that these marine birds call the Chesapeake Bay home. Last summer, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center research ecologist Autumn-Lynn Harrison placed GPS tags on the...