Tales of Remarkable Birds

The title of this book sets its author two challenges; to produce a book that both captures the diversity of bird behaviour and to deliver stories that are new and engaging. That Dominic Couzens manages to achieve both is a real achievement. Through clever choice of stories, we are delivered a taste of the remarkable behaviours that can be seen in the avian world. The book is structured geographically, the author selecting half a dozen or so bird species from each of eight regions and delivering a very readable account in the lively and engaging manner that we have come to expect. Read the book and you will learn why big is beautiful when it comes to toucan bills, discover the only bird family whose breeding range is confined to the Antarctic (it isn’t penguins) and how one particular sparrow exists in two very different forms. 

Book reviewed by Mike Toms