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A painting by Jon Fjeldsa depicts H. zusii with its close relatives. (Clockwise from top left: Aglaiocercus kingi, Aglaiocercus coelestis, H. Zusii and Taphrolesbia griseiventris)

Scientists, including the Smithsonian’s Gary Graves, recently used nearly microscopic fragments of tissue to identify a presumably extinct hummingbird. Even more amazing, the specimen from which the tissue was taken is 100 years old.

The Heliangelus zusii hummingbird specimen was originally purchased by Brother Nicéforo María in Bogotá, Columbia in 1909. Nearly four decades later, in 1947, he sold the specimen to Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP). Meyer de Schauensee couldn’t identify the bird and enlisted help from experts worldwide including the Smithsonian’s Secretary at the time, and renowned ornithologist, Alexander Wetmore who wrote, “I have never seen a bird like it.” No conclusion was ever reached.

In 1993, Graves analyzed the feathers and compared the bird to every hummingbird specimen found in the ANSP and the Natural Museum of Natural History. He concluded that the specimen represented the only-known example of a unique hummingbird species, and he named it after Richard L. Zusi, an expert on hummingbirds and the curator of birds at the Natural History Museum. But the experts were still skeptical.

Scientists used this 100-year-old hummingbird specimen to confirm that Heliangelus zusii is a unique species.

In 2009, Graves, Jeremy Kirchman of New York State Museum, Albany, Christopher Witt from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque and Jimmy McGuire at the University of California, Berkeley analyzed data from fragments of mitochondrial genes to confirm that H. zusii is in fact a unique species. Unfortunately, the tiny bird has never been seen in the wild and is presumed extinct. But, the tiny creature will go down in the history books as a species in his own right. However, the more important discovery here is that scientists can use nearly microscopic tissue samples to classify previously unknown species, no matter how old they might be, and quite possibly discover the taxonomy of dozens of other birds that are known only by the single specimens housed in museum or research collections.

Google has been busily snapping street-view photographs all across the country to add to Google Maps. As a result, many landmarks are just a click away. You can now take a virtual drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and spin around in Times Square.

But just imagine if Google were to go off-roading. That’s just what Daniel Ratner, a Senior Mechanical Engineers on the Street View team, did in his 20 percent time, the one day a week Google encourages their employees to work on something not necessarily in their job descriptions. He built a tricycle with a street-view camera mounted on it and took to California’s bike routes and pedestrian paths, to start. So far, Google Maps has documented LEGOLAND California, Arastradero Open Preserve, San Diego State University, the Monterey coastal bike path and the Santa Monica Pier.

Now, Google is polling the public. Where should the Street View Trike go next? They’ve invited people to nominate places in six categories: trails, university campuses (think: prospective students could take tours!), theme parks and zoos, pedestrian malls (ie: oudoor shopping areas, boardwalks), landmarks and sports venues.

Will you join us in nominating the National Mall? After all, it is America’s backyard! It would be great to see the trike circle the four-mile path from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and back.

Nominations will be open until tomorrow, October 28, and can be submitted at www.google.com/trike. (To make our campaign more successful, it might be smart if we all enter the National Mall in the landmarks category.) Google will then decide on a short-list of locations to vote on in mid-November.

A Colombian accordion player featured in Smithsonian Network's " The Accordion Kings" focuses intently. Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Networks.

As part of the Latin American Film Showcase, “The Accordion Kings: The Story of Colombian Vallenato Music,” a Smithsonian Networks film, will be shown at the Georgetown Business School – Lohrfink Auditorium tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. The film captures an annual festival of accordion music that takes place in the Colombian coastal town of Valledupar.

In 2008, Smithsonian magazine’s Kenny Fletcher wrote about the making of the film. The documentary focuses on the competition among accordion masters to be crowned the “vallenato king” at the festival. Vallenato is similar to country music in the United States, relating the everyday stories of love and love lost. “Wearing straw cowboy hats and jeans,” Fletcher wrote, “the hopefuls are covered in sweat, eyes closed, bodies rocking, fingers blurring as they fly across the accordion’s keys. The competition’s nationally televised finale has the drama and fanfare of “American Idol.”

As the genre becomes mainstream, festival organizers say the competition, which promotes the traditional form of vallenato, preserves their musical heritage. “It’s a way of linking you to the land, to your ancestors, your traditions,” says Gabriela Febres-Cordero, the honorary president of the 40-year-old festival.”

Vallenato is an essential part of Colombian culture. The rhythm of vallenato was first documented in the late 1800s. Gabriel García Márquez is said to have described his novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, as a 400-page vallenato.

The Latin American Film Showcase this year features more than 30 films from from almost 20 countries. The offerings include contemporary classics as well as films released just this year.

Michael Kirby, from Baltimore, painted a sidewalk image in honor of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery's new exhibit "Falnama: The Book of Omens." Photo by Ryan Reed.

Michael Kirby’s stained fingers pull out pastel chalk from a multicolor box. He crawls along the sidewalk, measuring and drawing lines in bright colors. He wears his father’s old mechanic jumpsuit that is splotched with paint from previous projects. His tattered gloves are missing fingers, and the pastel chalk leaves them stained. But his focus is unbreakable. He isn’t distracted by the live feed that streams his every move onto the internet or the passersby that take interest.

Kirby, a 34-year-old muralist from Baltimore, spent last week painstakingly recreating a 3-D image from a work of art that is on view in the exhibition, “Falnama: The Book of Omens,” at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. The process of drawing the lines is the hardest, he says. “I’m kind of the only person right now that knows what this is,” he jokes and he looks at the maze of lines and shapes in front of him. The lines are to establish a viewpoint, so that the final image, once the paint and details are applied, will appear in 3-D if the viewer is standing in the right spot.

Kirby, one of the first street muralists to work in 3-D, started as a teenager in Italy. He needed a job, and saw others painting on the street. He gave it a try and hasn’t looked back since. Originally from Baltimore, he has painted sidewalk murals in London, Berlin, New York, Mexico City, San Francisco and Caracas among others. Kirby founded the Murals of Baltimore studio in Baltimore, Maryland.

When he finished the painting on Friday, Kirby stood on a ladder to fully capture the 3-D effect. The sun image seemed to jump from the pavement, and the careful lettering rose above the book’s pages. The mural won’t last forever, and that is the point of street murals, also known as ephermeral murals. “Eventually, the rain, weather and foot traffic will wear it away.” When asked if he actually expects people to walk over it, he says “Yeah, they’ll walk on it. It’s pavement.”

Celebrate Halloween at the Smithsonian! Insignia, VMF-531 Grey Ghosts, United States Marine Corps. Image courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum

Sorry kids, no special events happening at the Smithsonian today. But be sure to check out this site for a listing of regularly-scheduled happenings around the Institution.

Tuesday, October 27: American Art Museum Architectural Tour

They don’t build ‘em like they used to—which is why touring buildings like the former Patent Office Building (home to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery) can be so charming. But it’s oh so easy to pay more attention to the art on the walls than the building itself. That said, come gain an appreciation for the building that houses these world-class works of art in this architectural tour led by Deputy director emeritus Charles Robertson. Free. American Art Museum, 5:45

Wednesday, October 28: Ask an Expert: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

In this lunchtime lecture, come listen to Tom Watters discuss the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter —a spacecraft launched earlier this year to scout out potential places on the Moon’s surface that would best accommodate an outpost and extend mankind’s presence in the solar system—and the early results of this mission. Free. Air and Space Museum, 12:00 PM

Thursday, October 29: The “Not So Spooky” Halloween Show

Halloween is so frequently celebrated with sights and sounds meant to send chills down your spine—so much so that the youngest members of your family may feel a little left out of the fun for fear of being, well, scared. So, for the littlest tricksters, here’s a treat from the Discovery Theater. Come out in your costumes and listen to two stories: the first, “Why the Bat Flies at Night” is a creation story from Africa that will be told with puppets, and the second, “The Ghosties’ Happy Day,” invites the audience to help tell the tale. Ideal for persons aged 2-7. Tickets are required. Rates are: $6 general admission, $5 for children, $4 for members, $4 for children of members, and children under the age of 2 are free, but please reserve a (free) ticket for those persons. S. Dillon Ripley Center, 10:15 AM. This event repeats on Saturday, October 31 at noon and will include a face painting activity.

Friday, October 30: A Salute to Judy Garland and Friends

It’s unfortunate to think that Judy Garland may now be best remembered for the tragic circumstances that filled her life and one of the ultimate camp icons as opposed to being remembered as a darn good entertainer. (Her crowning achievement may very well have been her 1961 performances at Carnegie Hall, memorialized on vinyl—and later CD—and acknowledged by the Library of Congress as an aesthetically and culturally significant recording.) Forty years after her death (and 70 years after she appeared in The Wizard of Oz), pianist Richard Glazier is presenting a tribute show featuring a host of songs that Garland made world-famous: “The Boy Next Door,” “The Trolley Song,” “The Man That Got Away” and, of course, “Over the Rainbow.” Tickets are required. Rates are: $25 general admission, $20 for Resident Associate members. Tickets may be purchased online. American History Museum, 7:30 PM

For more information on events and exhibitions at the Smithsonian museums, check our companion website, goSmithsonian.com, the official visitor’s guide to the Smithsonian.