Swoop and Soar: How Science Rescued Two Osprey Orphans and Found Them a New Family in the Wild

In Swoop and Soar's inspiring true story, children (and adults) will discover how science gave two real young ospreys a second chance for life in the wild. Through fascinating wild bird photos and STEM-rich text, readers can see closeup how the chicks grow and survive in the nest. How do their parents provide food for them and protect them from hungry predators like owls? How do Swoop and Soar take their first flights? How do they dive and crash underwater to catch fish, their only food?

In fact-filled backmatter, readers will learn how ospreys (found on every continent except Antarctica), use extraordinary adaptations like razor sharp beaks and talons, reversible toes, and protective eye membranes, to help them dive into the shallow water "strike zone" to catch their prey and feed themselves and their ever-hungry families. The book also teaches how the osprey was once an endangered species because of the insect-killing chemical DDT, and how scientists reintroduced and brought ospreys back from near extinction in parts of the US and other countries.

SWOOP AND SOAR, by the Authors of BEAUTY AND THE BEAK, reminds us that ospreys in the wild face modern-day challenges of extreme weather, loss of habitat, and impact from human activity. But, human efforts to protect all birds of prey species and the environment offer hope for ospreys' future.