The Wisdom of Birds

The Wisdom of Birds
by Tim Birkhead
Bloomsbury HK$195

You needn't be a twitcher to enjoy this book. Tim Birkhead sees to that by regaling readers with one fascinating anecdote after another interesting development in the world and history of birds. His starting point is 17th-century academic John Ray, who provided the first working definition of a species and the first 'useful' classification of birds (he separated land and water birds, and used beak and feet shapes to identify species). Assumptions about birds - that there is a reason for the term 'bird brained' or that all are exemplars of fidelity - are quashed. The promiscuous aquatic warbler protects his paternity by remaining in copula with the female for up to half an hour, preventing other males from taking his position at the critical time and producing enough sperm to swamp that of previous or subsequent paramours. The wonderful illustrations do justice to the text, as do such photographs as that of Nobel Laureate Konrad Lorenz, shown taking a brood of imprinted goslings for a walk. Even the picture captions deserve praise. Browsers wondering whether to buy The Wisdom of Birds need only read these to be convinced.