A Capital Bird

Historical marker location:

3001 Connecticut Avenue Northwest, Smithsonian National Zoo, District of Columbia

( Marker can be reached from Connecticut Avenue Northwest south of Cathedral Avenue Northwest, on the right when traveling north.)

The city was built on a swamp: The area that is now Washington, D.C. was originally a swampy, marshy region along the Potomac River. The construction of the city involved extensive drainage and landfill projects to make the land suitable for building.