Tales of Remarkable Birds

by Dominic Couzens

Overview

Throughout the bird world, examples of strange and seemingly inexplicable behaviours abound.

Why do Male Fairywrens bring flowers to females as a nuptial gift in the pre-dawn darkness? Especially when the gift-givers are not the official mates of the females concerned, but visitors, and furthermore they may give these gifts in full view of the official mate.

Which bird is so big, strong and fierce that stories abound of it killing humans? This book looks at accounts of murderous Cassowaries and explains just what might have happened.

What happens in an albatross 'divorce'? Why do White-winged Choughs 'kidnap' their neighbours' fledglings and then keep them in their 'gang'?

This book divides the world by continent and takes a series of extraordinary stories from each to illustrate a great diversity of bird behaviour. Each continent will have around five or six stories, each described in 1500 to 2000 words and examining the truths and the mythology behind each example.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781408190258
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	03/12/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	100 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Dominic Couzens has written many books on birds and other wildlife including RSPB The Secret Lives of British Birds, RSPB The Secret Lives of Garden Birds and RSPB The Secret Lives of Garden Wildlife, all published by Christopher Helm, as well as Identifying British Birds, Identifying Birds by Behaviour, and Extreme Birds ((Collins), The Complete Back Garden Birdwatcher, Bird Migration and Top 100 Birding Sites of the World (New Holland), Collins), 100 Birds to See Before You Die (Carlton) and My Family and 50 Other Animals. He is currently writing The Secret Lives of Puffins with photographer Mark Sisson.
Dominic Couzens is an ornithologist based in Dorset. He writes for BBC Wildlife and Bird Watching, and has written many books, including the Secret Lives of Birds trilogy and Birds: ID Insights.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Europe
Northern Wren Roost site available, not everyone need apply
Great Spotted Cuckoo, A cuckoo, yes - but not as we know it
Great Grey Shrike, Catching on to a neat idea
Common Crossbill, A bird with leftist tendencies
Eurasian Oystercatcher, The oystercatcher's trade unions

Africa
Sunbirds, Hovering might be catching
Ostriches, The benefits of sharing a nest
Straw-tailed Whydah and Purple Grenadier, The strange case of the avian stalker
Boubous, It takes two
Widowbirds, A tale of two tails

Australasia
White-winged Chough, Our family group needs some extra help
Fairywrens, What is the significance of the flower gift?
Great Bowerbird, Stage managing a nuptial bower
Southern Cassowary, Don't mess with this big bird
Varied Sittellas, The benefits of working together

North America
White-throated Sparrow, A tale of two sparrows
Black-capped Chickadee, Memories of garden birds
Cliff Swallow, Unnatural selection
Harris's Hawk, The hunter-gatherer
Marbled Murrelet, Breeding in a different world

South America
Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Working together with its friends
Toucans, Why a big bill pays
Antbirds, Following the ants
Tanagers, The crown jewels
Hummingbirds, When the humming stops

Antarctica
Rockhopper Penguin, The most unloved egg
Albatrosses, Masters of the oceans
Emperor and Galapagos Penguins, A tale of two penguins
Sheathbills, The basement cleaners
Wandering Albatross, A slow dance to success

Islands
Swallow-tailed Gull, Making the most of dark nights
Megapodes, The patter of great, big feet
New Caledonian Crow, The world's cleverest bird?
Blue Bird-of-paradise, Figs and fruits turn paradise upside down
Extinctions, Islands lands of lost birds

Further reading
Acknowledgements

Editorial Reviews

It lived up to its name after just one or two entries.” —Fat Birder

“Backing up Couzens's lively text are 120 color photographs of the predominantly dramatic species he has chosen to highlight.” —Library Journal

“Beautifully illustrated with color photos, Couzens' deft stories of these sometimes baffling birds are told in a chatty style that will absorb any nature lover.” —Booklist

“The global focus of the book will make you want to grab your passport to visit some of these wonders, while at the same time helping gain an appreciation for one's hometown birds, each remarkable in it's own way.” —Hipster Birders

"It is an intriguing book from an author with a remarkable ability to engage his audience." —Sir Reads a Lot

"Through text and photography, Couzens gives each its due, whether it's a bird with leftist tendencies or one that digs burrows and constructs mounds with its big feet." —Sharon Wooton, Everett Herald

From the Publisher

05/15/2015
In this worldwide survey of selected birds that exhibit unusual behavior, Couzens, a British author of more than 30 wildlife books, engagingly describes five or more birds from all seven continents plus some noncontinental islands. The gamut of behaviors includes bigamy, nest-robbing, physical intimidation, group-living, duetting, brood parasitism, communal foraging, and much more, but this dry listing does not do justice to the amazing variety of avian lifestyles the author explores. Backing up Couzens's lively text are 120 color photographs of the predominantly dramatic species he has chosen to highlight, including ostriches, hummingbirds, albatrosses, penguins, crows, gulls, hawks, chickadees, wrens, and sparrows. Others are less familiar but equally enchanting. The photographs, augmented by substantial captions, are of high quality. The brief bibliography may be seen as fatuous because 13 of the 37 titles are multivolume handbooks and should have consisted of two citations. VERDICT Recommended for birders and those interested in natural history and animal behavior.—Henry T. Armistead, formerly with Free Lib. of Philadelphia

Library Journal