The Bird
A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They Live
Crown, November 2009
All animals are equal – but some, as George Orwell said, are more equal than others, and birds, most people would surely agree, are in the very first rank. They can do almost everything that mammals can do – and more besides. By mastering flight, they have a way of living that encompasses the whole world. In “The Birds”, Colin Tudge explores the life of birds, all around the globe. From the secrets of migration to their complicated family lives, their differing habitats and survival techniques to the secrets of flight, this is a fascinating account of how birds live, why they matter, and whether they really are dinosaurs. Featuring birds who navigate using star-maps, tool-making crows and the great co-operation of the penguins, Colin Tudge shows how birds – who are like us in the general sense but very different in the particulars – live and think. For birds have minds: they feel, they are aware, they work things out. And so, by considering the birds, asking how and why it is possible for them to be so different, we gain insight into ourselves. Birds are beautiful, lively, intriguing – and all around us.
This rich and endlessly absorbing book opens up their lives to everyone.
“Colin Tudge marries the poetry and the science of the dinosaur’s best-loved descendants. . . . A master of clear science writing, Tudge throws a state-of-the-art spotlight on every aspect of the bird’s life from migration to cooperation.”
– The Independent
“[A] book simply fizzing with ideas. Provoking yet always persuasively argued. . . . Besides having an enviable grasp of scientific fact, Tudge writes with narrative fluency.”
– Literary Review