The Bird: A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They Live
As Tudge remarks in the preface to this excellent exploration of birds, he became obsessed with nature as a child but discovered that he didn’t want to be a scientist—he just liked being around creatures and wanted to write books about them. Following on the heels of his book about one of his great indulgences (The Tree, 2006) comes this fond look at “a superior class of creatures.” Dividing his book into four parts, Tudge first examines the physical aspects of birds’ adaptations for flight and their evolution from dinosaurs. The second part explains scientific classification and provides a list of all the bird families of the world. Part three is the meat of the book, focusing on how birds conduct their lives: how they eat, migrate, court and raise their chicks, behave socially, and whether or not birds can be considered intelligent. Finally, the fourth part looks at birds and humans: specifically, at how we live with birds and impact their lives and their environment. Illustrated throughout with lovely line drawings, this book is another fine example of Tudge’s ability to make even the most esoteric science approachable. --Nancy Bent--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.