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Beauty and the Beak
Winner of Two National STEM Children’s Book Awards!
Also written by the authors of Beauty and the Beak: Swoop and Soar: How Science Rescued Two Osprey Orphans and Found Them a New Family in the Wild
![12-JV HIGH RES CARRYING BEAUTY before[3412]_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/928d51_e472099b58444e5bb2b53f5982f593d4~mv2_d_1959_2832_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_447,h_646,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/12-JV%20HIGH%20RES%20CARRYING%20BEAUTY%20before%5B3412%5D_edited.jpg)
Beauty and the Beak:
How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle
The true Story of Beauty the first Bald Eagle to Receive a 3D-Printed Prosthetic Beak, Persnickety Press 2017.
DOWNLOAD the Beauty and the Beak Guide NOW
Beauty and the Beak is a award-winning, nonfiction children's book and free downloadable STEM educational guide written by BOPNW director and raptor biologist Janie Veltkamp and award-winning children’s author Deborah Lee Rose. Beauty and the Beak is a Junior Library Guild title, a Eureka! Gold Award Winner of the California Reading Association, a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Kids Book, and a CALIFORNIA READS recommended title of the California Teachers Association, 2017 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for children's science picture books and a 2018 Cook Prize winner from Bank Street College for best STEM picture book..
Beauty the Bald Eagle was shot, rescued and received a pioneering, 3D-printed prosthetic beak. She has been featured on Nat Geo WILD around the world and in news stories worldwide. Beauty and the Beak follows Beauty close-up from the moment she uses her baby beak to emerge from her egg, through her hunt when she uses her powerful adult beak to feed herself, to the day her beak is shot off by a poacher leaving her helpless. This true, heart lifting story continues through her rescue, into months of engineering her prosthetic beak and intense hours of surgery, to the moment she takes the first drink of water by herself with her new beak.
New 5 Star Book Review
Beauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle by Rose & Veltkamp
In: 2017, 5 Stars, Animals, Animals, Middle Grade, Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, STEM, STEM and STEAM Books
Tagged: 3D-Printing, Eagles, Educational, Technology
The Story Unfolds
The Bald Eagle Beauty's beak was shot off in Alaska leaving her unable to feed herself. Birds of Prey NW has fitted her with a prosthetic beak. She cannot be released into the wild but will serve as an educational bird showing that human compassion can undo human cruelty.
The Idaho STEM Action Center in partnership with Birds of Prey Northwest is providing the 3D print file (.stl) of Beauty's prosthetic beak, as a free download, to Idaho educational organizations. In addition, we have aligned the Educational Guide to Idaho Standards and provided some great extension activities to enhance the content.
Thank you to Sonia Galaviz for her expertise in customizing the guide for Idaho educators!
You can also visit: https://stem.idaho.gov/beautysbeak
to download the guide and beak file.
Download the 3D file!
Please complete the following information, and you will be able to download the file to 3D print for educational purposes. You must be with a publicly funded organization in order to download and use this form.
If you are not affiliated with an education program in Idaho or are not publicly funded, We do have items for sale on the Education Page linked here.
Beauty Images
UPDATE
Birds of Prey Northwest
June 11, 2024
It is with heavy hearts that we at Birds of Prey Northwest (BOPNW) share the news of the passing of our beloved educational ambassador Beauty the Bald Eagle. Beauty gained international attention when she received a 3D-printed prosthetic beak, after her real beak was shot by a poacher in Alaska. Beauty was brought to Idaho by founding Director Janie Veltkamp, under special USFWS Permit. A raptor biologist and former nurse, Veltkamp led the multi-specialty team that engineered Beauty’s 3-D printed beak, and she provided Beauty’s care for nearly 20 years.
Beauty was at the heart of our mission as a nonprofit that conserves birds of prey in two ways - by providing medical care to wild injured eagles, hawks, owls, falcons, and ospreys, and educating with live birds of prey. Beauty met both criteria, receiving medical treatment and educating many. “Beauty was a treasure to all of us here at Birds of Prey and she will be missed immensely. She represented both the cruelty and humanity that humans exhibit.” Beauty inspired people of all ages who followed her extraordinary journey, which was broadcast around the world on NatGeo Wild. Her story is told in the award-winning children’s STEM book Beauty and the Beak, coauthored by Janie Veltkamp and Deborah Lee Rose (WunderMill Books). The book has been read by millions of children and adults worldwide, and many schools have made 3D-printed copies of Beauty’s prosthetic beak.
While at BOPNW, Beauty was an educational display bird at their federally permitted raptor facility, and when on tour folks would find Beauty to be the first bird they met. Every morning, she would call to her handlers and vocalize in Bald Eagle tones. This special eagle reminded people of one sad fact - that people shooting eagles illegally is a leading cause of mortality to this species and could be prevented through education.
Though she is gone, she will never be forgotten here in north Idaho! Anyone who wants to share about how Beauty touched their lives is invited to leave a comment and/or make a donation in her memory at: www.birdsofpreynorthwest.org. Beauty and the Beak is available on the website for purchase, as is the special file required to 3D-print her beak.
A read-aloud of Beauty’s book by Janie Veltkamp can be found online at: https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKvp8Wl1lxY .
Letters and donations mailed by Postal Service can be sent to:
BOPNW
PO Box 3507
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83816