Images

A prairie wetland at Ordway Prairie near Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Dr. Hiroyoshi Higuchi (left), Mr. Ken-ichi Tokita (right), and other cooperators from the University of Tokyo, work with USGS scientists to attach a satellite transmitter to the backs of northern pintail ducks on wintering areas of Northern Honshu, Japan.

A northern pintail duck wearing a transmitter.

A colorful clay-colored sparrow nest. These sparrows live in brushy grasslands and prairie habitats.

Elk congregate on the Camp Creek Feed Ground in northwestern Wyoming.

Elk congregate on the Camp Creek Feed Ground in northwestern Wyoming.

USGS microbiologist Maren Tuttle counts hatched northern pike fry.

An adult piping plover. The piping plover is a small migratory shorebird listed as endangered in Canada and the U.S. Great Lakes, and threatened throughout the remainder of its U.S. breeding and winter range. Recent surveys indicate that there are only about 8,000 adults in existence.

A male northern pintail duck.

A male northern pintail duck in Japan.

Little blue heron siblings.

Chicks and eggs of piping plovers. The piping plover is a small migratory shorebird listed as endangered in Canada and the U.S. Great Lakes, and threatened throughout the remainder of its U.S. breeding and winter range.

Shallow coral reefs in the U.S. Virgin Islands are in jeopardy due to climate warming and ocean acidification.

This large Burmese python, weighing 162 pounds and more than 15 feet long at the time of its capture in 2009, was caught alive in the Everglades and was found to have eaten an American alligator that measured about 6 feet in length.

The Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) is the largest North American shorebird and is characterized by its long and decurved bill.

Silver carp are a large a troublesome invasive species from Asia found in the great rivers of the central United States. Silver carp have been observed to jump in response to rocks thrown in the water, passing trains, geese taking off from the water, or just when they unexpectedly find themselves in a tight place.

Bighead carp are a large and troublesome invasive species from Asia found in the great rivers of the central United States.

Silver carp are a large a troublesome invasive species from Asia found in the great rivers of the central United States. Silver carp have been observed to jump in response to rocks thrown in the water, passing trains, geese taking off from the water, or just when they unexpectedly find themselves in a tight place.

Bighead carp are a large and troublesome invasive species from Asia found in the great rivers of the central United States.

Bighead carp are a large and troublesome invasive species from Asia found in the great rivers of the central United States.

Curlew Chicks hatch in late June and are almost immediately ready to leave the nest. The coloring and pattern of the downy chicks provides camouflage to protect them from avian and mammalian predators. Chicks follow their parents on long hikes to feeding areas. Curlews also migrate long distances each year.