Good news and bad news in the world of seabirds. Let's start with the bad: the Texas-sized patch of garbage in the Pacific Ocean that's been in the news lately is killing the majestic and poetically important, but also terribly endangered, albatross. A depressing video art piece at Scientific American shows the rotting carcasses of albatross chick after albatross chick who have died with bellies full of colorful plastic that their parents collected and fed them, thinking it was food. The wandering albatross' wingspan of 11 feet is the largest of any bird: The things can soar for thousand of miles without touching down. But apparently not with a Bic lighter and six Diet Coke caps in their guts.

On the bright side, the brown pelican has been removed from the endangered species list. Always a cause for celebration these days. As the A.P.'s Dina Cappiello reports: "The bird now prevalent across Florida, the Gulf and Pacific coasts and the Caribbean was declared an endangered species in 1970, after its population was devastated by the use of the pesticide DDT. The pelican's recovery is largely due to a 1972 ban on the chemical, coupled with efforts by states and conservation groups to protect its nesting sites and monitor its population." Brown pelicans are also big, formidable birds, and it is great fun to watch them dive-bomb into the water for fish.