December 13th, 2007 · No Comments

The text is mostly a straightforward description of each bird, as in most bird guides, and does not preach about the dangers affecting each species. But that would be tiresome. Instead, sidebar nuggets are sprinkled throughout, describing special characteristics and behavior of featured birds as well as conservation methods.

Did you know that the Arctic Tern is the ultimate marathoner, traveling some 25,000 miles round-trip between both poles? Or that the Secretarybird can kill a poisonous snake by stamping on it and tearing it apart with its claws? (That ought to keep the Bossbird in line.)

Sections of the introduction to BIRD do deal directly with the loss of habitat and the potential loss of bird species caused by pollution, development and global warming.

“Recent estimates place 12 percent of the world’s birds - over 1,200 species - at threat of extinction,” reports BIRD. “This is catastrophic, not only for the birds, but because their changing fortunes mirror the health of the entire global planet.”

We couldn’t say it any plainer than that.

Birdlife International, a global partnership of conservation groups in more than 100 countries that is considered the global authority on the status of birds and the environmental problems affecting them, provided the written material and range maps for BIRD.

The Audubon Society and veteran nature writer and editor David Burnie, who was the editor-in-chief of DK’s Animal book, also worked as primary contributors. Several writers provided text for different bird groups and Audubon ornithological consultant Sally Conyne vetted the material. Photographs were drawn from hundreds of sources (Getty Images, DK Images, Alamy Images and WorldWildlife Images to name a few) listed on three pages of tiny print at the back of the book.

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