Common tern father with chick, Nickerson Beach, Long Island, New York

© Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography/Getty Image

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day may appear to go hand in hand with Mother's Day, but this wasn't always the case. It was proposed by Sonora Smart Dodd, who believed fathers should have their own celebration, perhaps motivated by the inaugural Mother's Day of 1908. Father's Day was first celebrated in 1910 and was recognized by President Woodrow Wilson six years later. It fell out of popular practice in the 1920s but eventually regained popularity—partly due to marketing—and was set as a permanent national observance by President Richard Nixon in 1972. Our homepage image today shows a common tern papa, doing his bit for the family—with this species, both parents build the nest and incubate the eggs.