Birds & People
Birds have been important in human cultures from earliest times. That continues today with the popularity of birding (bird-watching) and the rise of ecotourism around the world. There are approximately 10,500 bird species in the world, and many of them have significant relationships to people—food, recreation, art, origin stories, research, and religion, to name a few. Hundreds of birders from around the world flocked together to assist Cocker via stories and observations, building this fascinating compilation of significant human-bird relationships. Entries represent 146 bird families, while another 59 families with no known cultural importance are listed in an appendix. Tipling’s photographs (and others) supplement the text with beautiful images and informative content.   This is both a reference book and a book to be read for enjoyment. The quotations, extensive bibliography, detailed endnotes, and indexes (species and general) provide access beyond the family-group arrangement of the text. Readers will learn fascinating facts: humans have long adorned themselves with feathers and imitated avian dances; swallow nests near homes are symbols of natural blessings in many countries; rollers have capitalized on human structures as perches from which to hunt insects.   This thoughtful and handsome book records many of the stories that bind humans and birds together in the environment they share. Recommended for most public and academic libraries. --Linda Scarth