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Consider the Birds: Who they are and what they do [Hardcover]

Colin Tudge
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Book Description

6 Nov 2008

All animals are equal - but some, as George Orwell said, are more equal than others, and birds, most people would surely agree, are in the very first rank. They can do almost everything that mammals can do - and more besides. By mastering flight, they have a way of living that encompasses the whole world.

In Consider The Birds Colin Tudge explores the life of birds, all around the globe. From the secrets of migration to their complicated family lives, their differing habitats and survival techniques to the secrets of flight, this is a fascinating account of how birds live, why they matter, and whether they really are dinosaurs. Featuring birds who navigate using star-maps, tool-making crows and the great co-operation of the penguins, Colin Tudge shows how birds - who are like us in the general sense but very different in the particulars - live and think. For birds have minds: they feel, they are aware, they work things out. And so, by considering the birds, asking how and why it is possible for them to be so different, we gain insight into ourselves.

Birds are beautiful, lively, intriguing - and all around us. This rich and endlessly absorbing book opens up their lives to everyone.


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Product details

  • Hardcover: 512 pages
  • Publisher: Allen Lane (6 Nov 2008)
  • Language: Unknown
  • ISBN-10: 1846140978
  • ISBN-13: 978-1846140976
  • Product Dimensions: 16.5 x 4.3 x 24 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 407,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

An author whose own deep relish for the extraordinary lives of birds seems only marginally less pleasurable to him than sharing that wonder with others. -- BBC Wildlife Magazine

Simply fizzing with ideas -- Literary Review

Some of the conclusions are truly surprising, and it's that sense of discovery that makes it such a pleasure to read. -- Bird Watching Magazine

Tudge's writing is always clear and frequently embellished with wry humour. Occasionally, it is inspired ... There are not many books that clearly explain the science behind the extravagant diversity of birds and how they live. -- Richard Fortey, Sunday Telegraph

Review

An author whose own deep relish for the extraordinary lives of birds seems only marginally less pleasurable to him than sharing that wonder with others.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling Entertainment 18 Dec 2009
By H. A. Weedon VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Colin Tudge has mastered the art of passing on to his readers his enthusiasm for his subject. A delight to read, not only is THE SECRET LIFE OF BIRDS full of fascinating information about birds, it inspires the reader to find out more about them. Although one might wish for more illustrations and figures, those that are in the book are of the highest quality. This is a book to dip into any time, any place, with the knowledge that you will be entertained, educated and enthralled and it will inspire the reader to find out more about birds and their origins as well as wanting to do all one can to protect and cherish them anywhere and everywhere. So far, most evidence supports the belief that birds have evolved from the Theropod branch of the dinosaurs and Colin likes to think we still have dinosaurs in our gardens. His enthusiasm is infectious and the reader will soon find him/herself looking out of the window at the birds and saying: 'Hello my friendly neighbourhood dinosaurs!'
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars A rather well known set of Secrets. 23 Jan 2010
By SCM TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This book (previously published as Consider the Birds) is a introduction to the biology of birds.

Birds are some of the most remarkable of living things and the things that make then remarkable, migration, flight, egg laying, courtship are all included here. What I found to be missing, or at least less obvious, was a sense of wonder at how remarkable birds actually are. In some ways I think the book falls between two stools - it is neither really comprehensive enough to act as a text book, nor entertaining enough to be taken as a populist science work. The book covers most of the major aspects of birds lives in a manner that is more lucid than entertaining. While the intention of the book is clearly serious, it is not without its lighter passages, but I did not find these as frequent as some of the cover comments would suggest.

Almost 25% of the book is taken up with a "cast list" of birds, listed by Family. While such a section is needed in a book aiming at being comprehensive it seemed rather long, and certainly in the wrong place in the book. It reads like a appendix that has somehow been dropped into the middle of the book The feeling that this section is not really the main game of the book is reinforced by the fact that the phrase "and we will look at this interesting aspect of these birds at a later date" (or one that means the same thing) is very common here. An understanding of bird taxonomy is important, but if the focus of the book is "who birds are and what they do" do we need almost a quarter of the book to be used looking at taxonomy, which is, after all, just a human invention and probably wrong in many of the relationships it currently proposes?
... Read more ›
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book but don't buy Kindle edition. 8 July 2011
By Chris
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The book subject is excellent; well written and informative but the Kindle edition is very unsatisfactory.
My main gripe about the Kindle edition is that there are frequent references to 'Figure 1 ... 5' etc. The Figures do not exist in the Kindle edition; there is more than 20 references to 'Fig. 4' (which I understand is a pull-out chart in the printed edition)but without this some of the book is meaningless or not so clear.
There are some very strange hypenated words (not at line breaks) e.g. at Location 2377, the word 'Taxonomists' appears as 'Taxono-mists'. A bit picky but it spoils the flow of a good book.
Also paperback version is cheaper than Kindle version due to V.A.T. being applied to Kindle.
I recommend the book in 'hardcopy' and I only gave this a low rating because of Kindle edition faults. By the way, I am not related to Colin, as far as I know!
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Consider the Birds 8 Aug 2010
Format:Hardcover
This is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read. Every page is crammed full of information about birds, but it is written in a way that is entertaining. I almost forgot that I was learning! Since reading it, I find myself picking it up again and again to remind myself of the wonders it reveals. I wish my memory was better.

David Walters
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1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly researched and disappointing 19 Jun 2013
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The sections that I am very knowledgeable about (e.g. systematics, biogeography & general ecology) were so replete with out-of-date information and embarrassing errors, that it left me with serious doubts about the accuracy of the other chapters (and indeed his work on, for example, trees).

Some of the inaccurate claims actually made me cringe. Sample (page 176): "some [cuckoos] run up reeds like pipits"...err...what? Presumably Mr. Tudge has no actual experience with either cuckoos or pipits.

I'm not sure why there are so many positive comments about his 'masterful' writing either. It mostly reads as though he has skim-read and paraphrased out-of-date textbooks, like an indolent undergraduate.

This book could have been amazing - the overall structure and intended coverage should have provided an excellent introduction to the life of birds. However, it does not live up to expectations as a result of poor research and out-of-date sources and the author's habit of trying to 'join the dots' when his basic knowledge is obviously lacking.
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4.0 out of 5 stars The Sectet Lives of Birds 27 Oct 2012
By PJH
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A great informative read from Colin Tudge. The book deals with the pre-history of birds in a thoughtful way and then goes on to describe the every day lives of our feathered fiends. Which are in some cases heroic, strange and unknown to most of us. His tree book is also brilliant.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars hard work
I don't lik to be critical but I found this quiet a hard read with either a lot of opinions or an awful lot of dry facts & science that aren't of huge interest to me.
Published 15 months ago by Lucky Dog
4.0 out of 5 stars Heavy going but good
I was hoping this book would enlighten me on the lives of garden birds such as the blackbird.
In fact the first half of the book deals with how birds evolved from the age of... Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2010 by Nick H
3.0 out of 5 stars Quite a few mistakes, but good nonetheless
An entertaining and often light-hearted explanation of bird biology including (the current thinking on) their evolution from dinosaurs. Read more
Published on 31 Dec 2009 by Hawfinch
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and informative
I am surprised by all the things I don't know about birds. A great read.
Published on 3 Sep 2009 by John Hough
3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Excellent,thoroughly excellent.If the author was a rock star,he would no doubt change his name to something more hip. Read more
Published on 9 May 2009 by William Thurgood
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Entertaining
If you are a bird person, this is a must. Excellent reading and thoroughly enjoyable. I recommend to all bird lovers.
Published on 3 April 2009 by V. Hayes
5.0 out of 5 stars Consider the Birds: Who They are and What They Do
This is a fascinating, entertaining, and amusing book, with a lot of very good information within it. Read more
Published on 9 Feb 2009 by Dr. K. A. Campbell
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