Birds (Color Nature Library)

There are several thousand species of bird.  This book concentrates on the more popular ones- popular because they are familiar friends seen regularly in our gardens, or because they are favorites like penguins and flamingoes which many of us have not seen in wild but like watching in zoos, or because, like the albatrosses, they are well-known through stories told about them.  The skill of the professional photographer has captured scenes which we may have only glimpsed fleetingly, if at all, and enables us to enjoy beautiful illustration of bird life from all over the world, ranging from the icy wastes of Antarctica to the humid heat of tropical rainforests, from mountains and deserts to stormy shores and oceanic islands.

We are increasingly aware of the danger of destroying bird species, so wiping them off the face of the earth forever, as has already happened to the dodo, the great auk, the moa and the elephant bird, but one of the first steps to preservation is always that of understanding the life-history and needs of the species involved.  The text gives many interesting facts about birds which it is hoped will stimulate the reader to inquire further into the subject as well as to support conservation measures.  The pictures leave no doubt that these beautiful creatures are worthy of such efforts.