Songs of Love and War

The Dark Heart of Bird Behaviour

Songs of Love and War cover

Songs of Love and War

The Dark Heart of Bird Behaviour

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Description

The dawn chorus: a single voice cutting through the darkness heralds a breaking wave of sound at the very beginning of the day. It is an iconic natural phenomenon with many familiar performers, yet it is a mysterious event for which there is no complete explanation.

A mass of starlings gathers at the end of the midwinter day. As the sun sets, wave upon wave of bodies rolls in and embarks upon another of nature's great attempts to show off. The murmuration is another much-admired spectacle, but again its purpose is obscure and defies our understanding.

From dawn until dusk, birds do things that are surprising and mystifying. Songs of Love and War delves into bird behaviour and uncovers its purpose and meaning.

More than just an inside look at bird behaviour, this book also represents a personal journey of discovery. What starts as a desire to learn more about the birds encountered on a regular father-and-son walk through the woods leads to a realisation that a bird's life is very far from the idyllic scene that can often be glimpsed by the casual birdwatcher. Actually a bird's life is often unusual and surprising, but above all it is brief and much darker than you might think.

Product details

Published 01 Jul 2017
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 256
ISBN 9781472909916
Imprint Bloomsbury Natural History
Illustrations Line artwork
Dimensions 216 x 135 mm
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Dominic Couzens

Dominic Couzens is an ornithologist based in Dorse…

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