As the sun set on Key West, Florida, Dr. Kristen Markovich spotted a mixed flock of Black Skimmers and gulls. Using the remaining light, she photographed the birds, zooming in to take a closer look. A green band attached to the bright orange leg of one of the skimmers caught her eye: “0B.”

Through this simple marker researchers made a discovery: the skimmer was less than a year old, but had made it all the way to Key West from its nest along Indian Rocks Beach, 230 miles away.

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