The Sensory Ecology of Birds

We often feel we need to take a "bird's eye view". But what exactly how does a bird's eye view the world anyway? We can never truly know, but Graham Martin does his best to help us understand not only how birds see the world, bur hear, touch and smell it too.

Reading this book will change your view of birds forever, they can see and smell better than you probably think, but hear less well. Martin tries to relate things to everyday experience to help us get a better sense of how birds might interact with the world, and is great at the explaining the consequences of bird's sensory systems. Colour vision evolved more to help locate objects than because of the need to see in colour, for instance. I was a bit disappointed that magnetoreception was treated rather cursorily, but it is a fast-moving and controversial, area, so perhaps it was better left alone!

Everyone should read this book, they will almost certainly regard birds with a new sense of wonder and respect, with better insights into what the world is really like for them.

Book reviewed by Rob Robinson