A WING AND A PRAYER

Book from veteran journalists and avid birders Anders Gyllenhaal and Beverly Gyllenhaal about the race to save birds, set against the loss of a third of the avian population in recent decades.

The authors report on how a collection of scientists, conservationists, naturalists, birders, hunters, lobbyists and philanthropists are at work trying to save birds from extinction. The story of their efforts is rich in characters and conflicts, a race against time and tides, filled with costly experiments, new-found technologies and contentious politics. Much more is at stake than most people realize.

Birds are among the oldest species on Earth, having weathered the extreme swings of nature since the dinosaur age. But if these rescue missions don't succeed, a National Audubon Society research project on climate change predicts billions more birds won't survive even the current century.