RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Researchers say the breeding population of bald eagles along the James River has hit a new milestone.

The Center for Conservation Biology announced Wednesday that this...

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers had a so-so breeding year in Virginia.

The Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary that the state's population fledged 22 woodpeckers. The center said the reproductive rate was lower than the past three years.

Red-cockaded woodpeckers have made a recent comeback in Virginia, recording their highest population numbers last year since the early 1980s.

FRONT ROYAL, Va. (AP) — One of the most endangered bird species on the plants has hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology institute in Virginia.

WTOP-FM reports the female Guam kingfisher bird hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology institute in Front Royal on May 17. There are about 140 Guam kingfishers in the world and they all live in human care.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A western lowland gorilla was born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C.

News outlets report Moke (Mo-KEY) was born Sunday. Zoo officials say his name means "little one" or "junior" in Lingala, which is a Bantu language.

Moke's parents, Calaya and Baraka, were bred following a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers are making a comeback in Virginia.

The Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary said surveys last year found 96 individual birds. That's the highest level since the early 1980s.

Red-cockaded woodpeckers require old growth pine savannas maintained by fire and their population levels have declined because of a loss of habitat. The bird was listed as endangered in 1970.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia's population of cliff swallows is booming.

The Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary recently surveyed the small bird's population in coastal Virginia and found it had increased nearly seven-fold since 1995.

The birds spend the winters in South America and come north in the spring to breed. Some of Virginia's bridges have provided an ideal spot for the nests needed by breeding cliff swallows, which are made of mud and look like gourds.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) — A popular bald eagle hatched at Virginia's Norfolk Botanical Gardens had to be euthanized after being shot.

The Virginian-Pilot reports (http://bit.ly/2qlXRo4) the 7-year-old male eagle named Camellia was shot Saturday in Chesapeake. Officials say the eagle had over 20 pieces of buckshot in its body and wouldn't survive its injuries.

FRONT ROYAL, Va. (AP) — The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia says it has welcomed two litters of cheetah cubs.

The institute said in a statement that two large litters were born over the course of a week. The institute says one cheetah named Happy gave birth to five cubs on March 23 and another cheetah named Miti gave birth to seven cubs March 28. Two cubs from the second litter later died.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Amateur photographers are helping scientists keep better data on the Chesapeake Bay's resurgent bald eagle population.

The Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary says photographers are helping keep better track of eagles thanks to easier-to-read bands put around a bird's leg.

The CCB said it started using easier-to-read bands in 2007, which have a large letter and number combination and can be read using scopes or long-lens cameras.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Bridges in coastal Virginia have played a key role in helping boost the breeding population of large birds.

The Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary says peregrine falcons have consistently nested on the Robert O. Norris bridge, which spans the Rappahannock River, for 21 years.

The center said bridges have supported more than 30 percent of the known breeding population in the state for peregrine falcons since 1993.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — As a species, the eastern black rail tops the list for avid bird-lovers the world over who are eager to catch a glimpse of this reclusive, secretive little creature.

That's because most birders have never actually seen one in the flesh.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia supported 31 breeding pairs of peregrine falcons during the 2016 breeding season, a record high.

The birds were largely concentrated along the coast, according to a new report from the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary.

Virginia's population of breeding peregrine falcons dropped because of the use of pesticides and had a pre-DDT population of 25 breeding pairs. Reintroduction efforts began in the late 1970s.