With its vivid plumage and sweet trill, the goldfinch has long been revered in Algeria, but the national obsession has also driven illegal hunting, prompting calls to protect the songbird.

Ted Kooser, of Garland, Neb., served two terms as U.S. Poet Laureate, 2004-2006, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2005.

Contemplating that possibility, Cook envisions his collection inspiring empathy for the bird’s continued prosperity. That’s why he was in Wabasha. Minnesota has the largest nesting population of Bald ...