A family of Red-Tailed Hawks has lost their nest after a decade of residing on a 12th-floor ledge of a co-op apartment building overlooking Central Park. The building's engineer advised that it be removed, citing health and safety violations. The male, known as Pale Male because of his plumage, has resided there since 1993 and has fathered about two dozen chicks.

For the past nine years, people have gathered to watch Pale Male and his mates. The hawks gained fame through the book "Red-Tails in Love: A Wildlife Drama in Central Park" as well as numerous documentaries such as NPR's "The Birdman of Central Park" and the award-winning "Pale Male" narrated by Joanne Woodward.

December 23, 2004: After lots of controversy and protests by Pale Male's and Lola's fans (including Mary Tyler Moore), the National Audubon Society successfully convinced building management to reinstate the hawk's nesting structure.

December 29, 2004: It seems Pale Male and Lola have been checking out the new structure and may be considering moving back in.

Scientists led by the Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis have cracked the genetic code of the chicken. The first bird to be deciphered, it is discovered that there are an estimated 20 to 23 thousand genes, sharing about 60 percent of them with humans as well as a common ancestor that lived over 310 million years ago.

This is great news, as it may provide answers to curing some human diseases. It also means Humpty Dumpty will finally be put together again.

Despite recovery efforts, one of the most endangered birds, Hawaii's Po'ouli is feared extinct. One of the last three known birds has died of avian malaria less than three months after its capture.

After capturing the male in a last ditch effort, scientists had hoped to capture one of the two remaining females in hopes of breeding them. In 1998, NPR had a Radio Expedition(Real Audio) reporting on the efforts to save this rare species.