Consider the Birds: Who they are and what they do - Hardcover

Tudge, Colin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1846140978 ISBN 13: 9781846140976

Publisher: Allen Lane, 2008

Synopsis

All animals are equal - but some, as George Orwell said, are more equal than others, and birds, most people would surely agree, are in the very first rank. They can do almost everything that mammals can do - and more besides. By mastering flight, they have a way of living that encompasses the whole world.

In Consider The Birds Colin Tudge explores the life of birds, all around the globe. From the secrets of migration to their complicated family lives, their differing habitats and survival techniques to the secrets of flight, this is a fascinating account of how birds live, why they matter, and whether they really are dinosaurs. Featuring birds who navigate using star-maps, tool-making crows and the great co-operation of the penguins, Colin Tudge shows how birds - who are like us in the general sense but very different in the particulars - live and think. For birds have minds: they feel, they are aware, they work things out. And so, by considering the birds, asking how and why it is possible for them to be so different, we gain insight into ourselves.

Birds are beautiful, lively, intriguing - and all around us. This rich and endlessly absorbing book opens up their lives to everyone.

About this title

Review:

An author whose own deep relish for the extraordinary lives of birds seems only marginally less pleasurable to him than sharing that wonder with others. -- BBC Wildlife Magazine

Simply fizzing with ideas -- Literary Review

Some of the conclusions are truly surprising, and it's that sense of discovery that makes it such a pleasure to read. -- Bird Watching Magazine

Tudge's writing is always clear and frequently embellished with wry humour. Occasionally, it is inspired ... There are not many books that clearly explain the science behind the extravagant diversity of birds and how they live. -- Richard Fortey, Sunday Telegraph

Review:

Some of the conclusions are truly surprising, and it's that sense of discovery that makes it such a pleasure to read.

About this edition

• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1846140978
• ISBN 13: 9781846140976
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 512