Birds – The Inside Story

Book excerpt: At last – a book that goes beyond bird identification and delves into the fascinating and little-known world of bird behaviour and biology. Birds – The Inside Story offers an absorbing insight into the lives of southern African birds, exploring a range of interesting topics that include: • The mechanisms of flight – did you know that albatrosses can fly thousands of kilometres without flapping their wings? • Intricate courtship rituals – did you know that some males offer females ‘nuptial gifts’ of food to strengthen the pair bond? • Nests and nest building – did you know that Sociable Weavers build nest ‘mansions’ that can accommodate up to 500 birds at one time? • Ingenious strategies for survival – did you know that African Jacana chicks hide from predators by submerging themselves in water, leaving only their bills sticking out? • The mysteries of migration – find out how birds navigate using the sun, the stars and the magnetic field of the Earth. Birds – The Inside Story will tell you more about these and many other fascinating aspects of the avian world. Richly illustrated with colour photographs and finely detailed illustrations that bring the subject to life, this book is bound to captivate bird enthusiasts of all ages.