The Secret Life of Birds

Author: Colin Tudge
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141962100
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 672

Book Description
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. By mastering flight, they have a way of living that encompasses the whole world. In The Secret Life of 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. 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.

Between the Wingtips

Author: Brutus Ostling
Publisher: Harper
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 214

Book Description
In this amazing book by Ostling and Ulman, readers will find a stunning visual record of the secret and revealing life of birds.

The Secret Life of Birds

Author: Moira Butterfield
Publisher: words & pictures
ISBN: 0711266204
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 50

Book Description
Following on from The Secret of Trees and The Secret Life of Bees, Birds is the next book in the series. Sumptuous and detailed illustrations have pride of place in this magical book that mixes natural history with a splash of fantasy, creating a book to be pored over time and again.

The Secret Life of Plants

Author: Peter Tompkins
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 006287442X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 420

Book Description
"Once in a while you find a book that stuns you. Its scope leaves you breathless. This is such a book." — John White, San Francisco Chronicle Explore the inner world of plants and its fascinating relation to mankind, as uncovered by the latest discoveries of science. In this truly revolutionary and beloved work, drawn from remarkable research, Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird cast light on the rich psychic universe of plants. The Secret Life of Plants explores plants' response to human care and nurturing, their ability to communicate with man, plants' surprising reaction to music, their lie-detection abilities, their creative powers, and much more. Tompkins and Bird's classic book affirms the depth of humanity's relationship with nature and adds special urgency to the cause of protecting the environment that nourishes us.

The Secret Perfume of Birds

Author: Danielle J. Whittaker
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421443481
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 195

Book Description
The untold story of a stunning discovery: not only can birds smell, but their scents may be the secret to understanding their world. The puzzling lack of evidence for the peculiar but widespread belief that birds have no sense of smell irked evolutionary biologist Danielle Whittaker. Exploring the science behind the myth led her on an unexpected quest investigating mysteries from how juncos win a fight to why cowbirds smell like cookies. In The Secret Perfume of Birds—part science, part intellectual history, and part memoir—Whittaker blends humor, clear writing, and a compelling narrative to describe how scent is important not just for birds but for all animals, including humans. Whittaker engagingly describes how emerging research has uncovered birds' ability to produce complex chemical signals that influence their behavior, including where they build nests, when they pick a fight, and why they fly away. Mate choice, or sexual selection—a still enigmatic aspect of many animals' lives—appears to be particularly influenced by smell. Whittaker's pioneering studies suggest that birds' sexy (and scary) signals are produced by symbiotic bacteria that manufacture scents in the oil that birds stroke on their feathers when preening. From tangerine-scented auklets to her beloved juncos, redolent of moss, birds from across the world feature in Whittaker's stories, but she also examines the smelly chemicals of all kinds of creatures, from iguanas and bees to monkeys and humans. Readers will enjoy a rare opportunity to witness the twisting roads scientific research can take, especially the challenging, hilarious, and occasionally dangerous realities of ornithology in the wild. The Secret Perfume of Birds will interest anyone looking to learn more about birds, about how animals and humans use our senses, and about why it can sometimes take a rebel scientist to change what we think we know for sure about the world—and ourselves.

The Armchair Birder

Author: John Yow
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
ISBN: 0807888788
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Book Description
While birding literature is filled with tales of expert observers spotting rare species in exotic locales, John Yow reminds us that the most fascinating birds can be the ones perched right outside our windows. In thirty-five engaging and sometimes irreverent vignettes, Yow reveals the fascinating lives of the birds we see nearly every day. Following the seasons, he covers forty-two species, discussing the improbable, unusual, and comical aspects of his subjects' lives. Yow offers his own observations, anecdotes, and stories as well as those of America's classic bird writers, such as John James Audubon, Arthur Bent, and Edward Forbush. This unique addition to bird literature combines the fascination of bird life with the pleasure of good reading.

Bird Talk

Author: Lita Judge
Publisher: Flash Point
ISBN: 1466808683
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 52

Book Description
A gorgeously illustrated tribute to birds of all kinds and the fantastic, funny, fascinating things that they do. Birds have lots of ways of communicating: They sing and talk, dance and drum, cuddle and fight. But what does all of the bird talk mean? Filled with gorgeous illustrations, this fascinating picture book takes a look at the secret life of birds in a child-friendly format that is sure to appeal to readers of all ages - whether they're die-hard bird-watchers or just curious about the creatures in their own backyards.

The Secret Life of Birds and Bees

Author: Tinker Jeffries
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781973397328
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 309

Book Description
Welcome to the stimulating mind of Author Tinker Jeffries. The Secret Life of Birds and Bees is a good variety of hardcore arousing erotic literature that goes beyond your typical bedroom read as many reads in one.

The Extraordinary World of Birds

Author: David Lindo
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 074406600X
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 82

Book Description
Enter the world of birds for an incredible journey through the skies, into trees, and even underground. Parrots, hummingbirds, eagles, and more swoop across the pages of this colorful bird book, which combines gorgeous illustrations and photos to help young enthusiasts learn all about the wonderful world of birds. From frozen icescapes to sweltering deserts, from prehistoric ancestors to amazing adaptations, they’ll discover the surprising homes and habits of our feathered friends. They’ll also find out about how we can help protect birds and their natural habitats. The Extraordinary World of Birds, illustrated by Claire McElfatrick, takes children on a fascinating journey, showing them just how amazing birds are, what they do for our planet, and how we can help them. It includes bird families such as gamebirds, flightless birds, and perching birds, plus amazing facts on how birds talk to each other, what they eat, how they find partners, and how they are able to fly.

A Most Remarkable Creature

Author: Jonathan Meiburg
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 1101875704
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 401

Book Description
“Utterly captivating and beautifully written, this book is a hugely entertaining and enlightening exploration of a bird so wickedly smart, curious, and social, it boggles the mind.”—Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Bird Way “A fascinating, entertaining, and totally engrossing story.”—David Sibley, author of What It's Like to Be a Bird An enthralling account of a modern voyage of discovery as we meet the clever, social birds of prey called caracaras, which puzzled Darwin, fascinate modern-day falconers, and carry secrets of our planet's deep past in their family history. “As curious, wide-ranging, gregarious, and intelligent as its subject.”—Charles C. Mann, author of 1491 In 1833, Charles Darwin was astonished by an animal he met in the Falkland Islands: handsome, social, and oddly crow-like falcons that were "tame and inquisitive . . . quarrelsome and passionate," and so insatiably curious that they stole hats, compasses, and other valuables from the crew of the Beagle. Darwin wondered why these birds were confined to remote islands at the tip of South America, sensing a larger story, but he set this mystery aside and never returned to it. Almost two hundred years later, Jonathan Meiburg takes up this chase. He takes us through South America, from the fog-bound coasts of Tierra del Fuego to the tropical forests of Guyana, in search of these birds: striated caracaras, which still exist, though they're very rare. He reveals the wild, fascinating story of their history, origins, and possible futures. And along the way, he draws us into the life and work of William Henry Hudson, the Victorian writer and naturalist who championed caracaras as an unsung wonder of the natural world, and to falconry parks in the English countryside, where captive caracaras perform incredible feats of memory and problem-solving. A Most Remarkable Creature is a hybrid of science writing, travelogue, and biography, as generous and accessible as it is sophisticated, and absolutely riveting.