The Lives of Birds: The Birds of the World and Their Behavior

Though a few years old, this book is a wonderful explanation of everything avian. A mixture of behavior, ecology and physiology, The Lives of Birds integrates these diciplines seamlessly and in an enjoyable way. In his explanations of how various birds are adapted to their environment Short is careful to avoid the tiresome and dopey teleology that passes for wisdom from many nature journalists (for a quick example, see PBS's "Nature"). If only my college texts were written so lucidly!

An excellent, readable book packed with stories from the curator of birds at the best natural history museum in the country. I'd taken a college Ornithology course only a few years ago and this book had many new things for me!