Everything you always wanted to know about birds... but were afraid to ask!

Stephen Moss
RSPB in association with Christopher Helm (an imprint of A&C Black)
£9-99

Launched at the recent British Bird Fair, this is a wonderful book packed with interesting snippets, titbits and statistics. Of course, the book cannot hope to answer "everything" as claimed in the title (but put right in the introduction!) but author Stephen Moss has answered in detail over 450 of the most commonly asked questions.

Have you ever wondered why sleeping birds don't fall off their perches ? (they simply have good balance), or how many individual birds there are in the world? (although not estimated since 1951, there are thought to be about 100 billion which is 15 for every human). And do you know why birds sing? (it's all about love and war - love, because they want to mate and war, because they must defend a territory), or who has seen the greatest number of bird species (the American Phoebe Snetsinger saw around 8 600 species before being tragically killed in a road accident while birding in Madagascar) . . . . As stated on the dust-jacket, this book "will enthral, amuse and educate anyone with an interest in birds". It is highly recommended but although slanted towards UK birders and probably hard to get hold of in South Africa and the USA, it is easily ordered on the internet.

- Duncan Butchart -

Posted: Birds by CC Africa, Date: 22 November 2006