A Wing and a Prayer

The Race to Save Our Vanishing Birds

By: Anders Gyllenhaal, Beverly Gyllenhaal

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Stephen Graybill

A captivating drama from the frontlines of the race to save birds set against the devastating loss of one third of the avian population.

Three years ago, headlines delivered shocking news: nearly three billion birds in North America have vanished over the past fifty years. No species has been spared, from the most delicate jeweled hummingbirds to scrappy black crows, from a rainbow of warblers to common birds such as owls and sparrows.

In a desperate race against time, scientists, conservationists, birders, wildlife officers, and philanthropists are scrambling to halt the collapse of species with bold, experimental, and sometimes risky rescue missions. High in the mountains of Hawaii, biologists are about to release clouds of laboratory-bred mosquitos in a last-ditch attempt to save Hawaii’s remaining native forest birds. In Central Florida, researchers have found a way to hatch Florida Grasshopper Sparrows in captivity to rebuild a species down to its last two dozen birds. In the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a team is using artificial intelligence to save the California Spotted Owl. In North Carolina, a scientist is experimenting with genomics borrowed from human medicine to bring the long-extinct Passenger Pigeon back to life.

For the past year, veteran journalists Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal traveled more than 25,000 miles across the Americas, chronicling costly experiments, contentious politics, and new technologies to save our beloved birds from the brink of extinction. Through this compelling drama, A Wing and a Prayer offers hope and an urgent call to action: Birds are dying at an unprecedented pace. But there are encouraging breakthroughs across the hemisphere and still time to change course, if we act quickly.

Critic reviews

"This audiobook provides the information listeners need to begin conservation on any level."

Great Birder Book

I am, at best, a very amateur Birder. I am blessed to live in an area with a multitude of birds. And I have a multitude of birds that readily come to my birdfeeder and deck. Several years ago I was ecstatic to find out there was a bald eagle nest on my property. Two years ago I found out there was a golden eagle nest not far from the corner of my property.. This book was delightful, it was easy to tell that the authors share my love of wildlife and the outdoors and specifically birds. All of that came through.

Everyone should listen/read this book

Outstanding piece of non-fiction! Even tho I live in Raleigh (surrounded by birds) and backpack extensively, I probably would not have taken this up were it not for my book club. So very pleased it was suggested and I plan to gift and/or recommend it to others. 5 stars!

Awesome

This is an entertaining and informative book on birds. If you want to become a birder, this is it.

A Silent Spring for this generation.

Just as Silent Spring awakened our consciousness to the dangers of insecticides and other biological pollutants, A Wing and A Prayer strives to open our minds to the loss of biodiversity through the lens of our lost birds. Through climate change, habitat loss, and polluted and degraded resources, we have been losing our birds at an astounding rate. Our avian companions are deeply interlinked with the rest of nature, and as we lose them, we lessen our own chances for survival.

Very Surprising Information About BIRDS in the USA

I didn't know what to expect when I began this book, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the content.

The authors are obviously experts in knowledge of birds in America, and they have done a masterful job of compiling their knowledge into a book EVERYONE NEEDS TO HEAR/READ!

The content itself, while very well written, is at times uplifting, at times depressing, and at times inspiring in that it will get under your skin and make you want to shout, "What can I DO about this?"

I liked this book so much, I bought a hardback version of it as a gift for a family friend who is a "birder."

This book is not nearly as extensive (or as depressing) as Farley Mowat's "Sea of Slaughter" (which you should read if you have not yet done so), but it is in the same vein, comparing the population of birds today with decades ago, and giving us a very frightening look into the future if we don't do something.