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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly? Or to live high in the treetops? Or perhaps you've wondered what birds do when no one is looking?
Birds have some of the most extraordinary – and peculiar – behaviours on the planet. Ravens love playing games. In winter, they sledge down snow-covered rooftops on their bellies, getting faster and faster. Partridges are sneaky and know just how to trick hungry foxes. And honeyguides are helpful. They help humans to find the sweetest treat in the forest – honey.
These are just some of the incredible stories you'll read in this book. With fascinating factual detail and playful storytelling from ornithologist Tim Birkhead and vibrant, personality-filled illustrations from Cat Rayner, this book captures what it's really like to be a bird.
Tim Birkhead is a professor at the University of Sheffield where he teaches animal behaviour. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and his research has taken him all over the world in the quest to understand the lives of birds. He has written for the Independent, New Scientist, BBC Wildlife. Among his other books are Promiscuity, Great Auk Islands, The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Birds which won the McColvin medal, The Red Canary which won the Consul Cremer Prize, The Wisdom of Birds, Bird Sense and The Most Perfect Thing. He lives in Sheffield.
Award-winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner grew up in the countryside of West Yorkshire but studied illustration at Edinburgh College of Art. She has drawn animals ever since she could hold a pencil, encouraging unsuspecting pets to pose for portraits. Catherine's first picture book Augustus and His Smile (Macmillan, 2006) published to much acclaim, winning the Booktrust Best New Illustrator Award for Early Years. Catherine has been nominated, shortlisted, longlisted and won countless awards since. In 2009, she won CILIP Greenaway Medal for Harris Finds His Feet. As well as writing her own stories, Catherine has collaborated with many other authors, such as Julia Donaldson and Michael Morpurgo. As well as writing and illustrating books for children, Catherine exhibits her artwork in galleries worldwide. She loves meeting little readers and can regularly be found visiting libraries, schools and book festivals.
