In September 2011, the research vessel Searcher sailed for Laysan Island from the Hawaiian island of Nihoa. It carried eight biologists from American Bird Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - and 24 Millerbirds. Laysan was once home to Millerbirds, but they disappeared long…

On the north shore of Kaua'i, endangered seabirds called Newell's Shearwaters nest in the mountains. After sunset, shearwaters fly out from the highlands to the ocean, using the moon's reflection on the sea to guide them. But some mistakenly fly toward streetlights, lighted resorts, and…

Once abundant on Bermuda, Bermuda Petrels - also known as Cahows - were drastically reduced by human harvesting and introduced predators. From the early 1960s and for the next 40 years, David Wingate dedicated his life to helping the Cahow regain a solid foothold. He ran the conservation…

The Kaua'i O'o, a small forest bird, was once found on the Hawaiian Island of Kaua'i. Sadly, the O'o's song was heard for the last time in 1987. The native birds of the Hawaiian Islands have been hit hard by changes brought about by humans. Habitat destruction, introduction of non-native…

A bird known as Titanis walleri made its home in Florida just a few million years ago. Titanis, as its name suggests, was titanic indeed - a flightless predator, ten feet tall, with a massive hooked bill. Titanis and other birds related to it belong to a group some paleontologists call the…

What is the connection between the blood-curdling roar of a Tyrannosaurus rex and the gentle song of a robin? A recent bonanza of fossils has intensified debate over how contemporary birds are linked to the extinct dinosaurs. The evidence and theories are complex. Many experts now believe…

A California landscape - rolling hills dotted with oak trees. One year-round resident is the Oak Titmouse. In 1985, a pathogen called Sudden Oak Death began attacking California oaks. As the oaks die, they're cut down in an effort to stop the spread of the pathogen. But Oak Titmice require…

Scores, perhaps hundreds, of Chimney Swifts whirl in a flock, then form a funnel-shaped cloud above a chimney. Now they begin to descend, first one - and finally hundreds - swirling down into the chimney. Each bird drops inside and catches onto the rough interior, where it will hang until…

On the grassy edge of one of the ponds at Hanalei Wildlife Refuge, we find a Nene -- or Hawaiian Goose -- a small goose found nowhere else but Hawaii. The Nene is the only state bird that is also an endangered species. Once common in the Hawaiian Islands before the first humans landed here…

In January 2011, a pair of Short-tailed Albatrosses produced their first chick on Midway Atoll. Never before had this endangered bird bred outside of Japan. But in March, while the parents were foraging at sea, the tsunami that struck Japan also reached Midway, washing the chick off its…