United States
£ GBP
A celebration of the world's favourite birds, as chosen by the general public, including the most glamorous and gorgeous birds, from penguins to hummingbirds. Through a web-site designed by Collins, the publisher asked birders worldwide to tell them the top 10 favourite birds in their country and why.
The responses form the ranking for the birds within this book from entry 100 down to the world's favourite bird, with contributions from big-name celebrity birders like Bill Oddie, as well as spokespeople from all the major organisations, such as the RSPB and Audubon.
A quirky design and gift format give this bird book a distinctive edge. Beautiful photos support fascinating text which explores the cultural associations of our favourite species and what exactly makes them special. There will also be some less well-known species included with interesting conservation stories.
Stephen Moss has been a keen birder all his life, and has written a number of books on the subject. A journalist and broadcaster, he writes a monthly column for the Guardian, and contributes regularly to BBC Wildlife magazine. As a producer at the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, his series include Birding with Bill Oddie, Springwatch and The Nature of Britain, presented by Alan Titchmarsh.
"[...] I’m a bit leery of Top…..whatever books such as this one. But that misapprehension started to melt away as I picked up Remarkable Birds. The cover is attractive and elegant, qualities that are also evident in the design throughout the rest of the book. The photography is certainly striking, but the true pleasure is in learning about these creatures. I do have some serious issues with some of the things the author wrote and implied. However, I had great fun reading about these birds, and I still think this would make a nice gift or book to have around and browse through. All but the most hardcore world birders will discover some great new birds."
- Grant McCreary (22-10-2008), read the full review at The Birder's Library
