The indefatigable Attenborough (The First Eden: The Mediterranean
Worm and Man, 1987, etc.), the driving force behind many nature
documentaries, has written a book to accompany his forthcoming
10-part PBS series on the varied, complex, and fascinating world of
birds, which will air in the spring of 1999. Attenborough is a
lively writer, and his facile style is perfectly suited to
presenting, with a minimum of complexity, a maximum of information.
Ranging around the globe for his examples, Attenborough succinctly
describes bird evolution, the mechanics of flight, patterns of
adaptation to varied environments, courtship and nest-building
behavior, and the rearing of young, among other topics. Whatever
element of bird life he is describing, Attenborough's emphasis
throughout is on behavior, and it's clear that he admires the
abilities of birds to adapt to even the harshest climates.
Experienced amateur ornithologists are unlikely to find anything
new here, but the volume does offer a useful (and superbly
illustrated) introduction to bird life for those with little
background in the field. (Kirkus Reviews)
Based on the spectacular ten-part program on PBS, "The Life of
Birds" is David Attenborough at his characteristic best: presenting
the drama, beauty, and eccentricities of the natural world with
unusual flair and intelligence. The renowned writer and filmmaker
treks through rain forests and deserts, through city streets and
isolated wilderness, to bring us an illuminating panorama of every
aspect of birds' lives--from their songs to their search for food,
from their eggs and nests to their mastery of the air. Beautifully
illustrated with more than a hundred color photographs, the book
will delight and inform both bird lovers and any general reader
with an interest in nature.
Attenborough begins at the beginning: reviewing ideas about how
and when creatures first took to the air--and why ostriches, kiwis,
and other flightless birds later returned to the ground. He
introduces us to the marvels of flight. We encounter the albatross,
which can soar for hours without flapping its wings; hummingbirds
that beat their wings two hundred times a minute; and the swift,
which eats, sleeps, and mates in mid-air. We read about birds'
extraordinary methods of hunting and gathering--about crows that
use twigs and leaves to hook and harpoon insects, and eagles that
can stamp venomous snakes to death. Attenborough explains why and
how birds sing and why many have such dazzling plumage. He reviews
courtship and mating strategies, including the extravagant dances
of cranes and the bizarre and ornate pavilions that male bowerbirds
build to attract females. We learn how birds defend their young
against predators. Attenborough explains how birds have colonized
the globe more effectively than any other vertebrates, adapting to
Antarctic winters and African summers, to vast oceans and the
densest, most polluted cities. He also outlines the threat that
humans pose to many species, showing how we have already driven
many to extinction.
The book presents birds in all their complexity and glory,
revealing in clear and elegant prose Attenborough's infectious
sense of wonder about the rich variety of life on Earth.
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