Birds. Over 9,000 species, the most widespread of all animals: on icebergs, in the Sahara or under the sea, at home in our gardens or flying for over a year at a time. Earthbound, we can only look and listen, enjoying their lightness, freedom and richness of plumage and song.

Chapter list

• 1 To Fly or Not to Fly
• 2 The Mastery of Flight
• 3 The Insatiable Appetite
• 4 Meat-Eaters
• 5 Fishing for a Living
• 6 Signals and Songs
• 7 Finding Partners
• 8 The Demands of the Egg
• 9 The Problems of Parenthood
• 10 The Limits of Endurance

This superb book vividly conveys the beauty of birds and the extraordinary richness of their behaviour.

Dr. Neil Chalmers, former Director at The Natural History Museum, London