Bird - Master of Flight

Ornithologist Colin Harrison and writer Howard Loxton have produced a gorgeous coffee table book for bird lovers. Every page is a feast of colorful birds, often three or four close-up action shots to a page with captions illustrative of the main text. The first half of the book, The Physical Bird and The Life of the Bird, discusses anatomy and mechanics in lively detail from feather construction to the navigational sense and explores the bird's daily and seasonal round. The writing is clear, well organized and rife with absorbing examples, exceptions and occasional anthropomorphic witticisms. The second half summarizes bird classifications and families with thumbnail sketches of feeding and nesting habits and concludes with a look at human/bird relations through history. Informative, readable and exquisite, this book is one to peruse again and again.

This book was first published in 1993 and may have been hidden from sight in recent years. Don't be misled by the title of the book to believe that it is only about flight. Instead, it is complete with the birds' evolution, life cycles, classification and relationship with mankind. Descriptions about bird flight and their senses, followed by detailed accounts of breeding, nestling, fleding, maturing and migration etc are very interesting with accompanying photos, which are excellent too. The comprehensive classification of bird families is also great reference to complement any field guides. It is on par with another favourite book of mine on the same topic, "The Life of Birds" by David Attenborough. Both books will make your coffee table a more popular place to your visitors.