Description

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Birds are one of the most popular and visible forms of all wildlife and are inextricably linked with the development of human cultures all around the world. Over the years some of the most eye-catching species of bird have been officially or unofficially adopted by countries as symbols of their national identity; there are now almost 100 national birds spanning every imaginable group from condors to parrots, trogons to frigatebirds.

Both a comprehensive listing and guide book, National BIrds provides a range of information from species data to how these birds have been used and abused through the ages. It recounts tales of how they came to be adopted and presents a wide range of official and cultural contexts where they appear from feathers in tribal costumes to stamps and currency.

About the Author

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Ron Toft is a freelance journalist and photographer of nearly 50 years' wide-ranging international experience specialising in aviculture and ornithology articles for specialist and general publications globally. He is editor of the It's A Wild World nature pages on TheTravelEditor.com travel website. He travels the world in search of imagery and writes for magazines all over the world including Travel Zambia, Good Motoring, The Countryman, Veterinary Times and for numerous airline and ferry titles. He is a weekly contributor on aviculture or ornithology to Cage & Aviary Birds.

Praise For…

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“It will likely be as interesting to the traveler (both arm-chair as well as international) or geography buff as it is to the amateur nature enthusiast or ardent twitcher.” —The Well-Read Naturalist

“Browsable and beautifully illustrated.” —Booklist

“A superb new book . . . a highly entertaining and authoritative celebration of the various species adopted by some 100 or individual countries.” —Cage & Aviary Birds

“A lavish book . . . an enjoyable all-over-the-place experience.” —Scotland Outdoors

“It does give you a working knowledge of the national birds, many of which are found in their country's national parks.” —National Parks Traveler