The Magic & Mystery Of Birds is a non-fiction book which studies bird behaviour. The easy to read book compares many different birds with similar human characteristics through scientific experiments and observation.
Noah has studied birds for many years from all around the world. He has looked at Starling Murmuration or their flock dancing and how they have adapted well to life in US cities. He proves that vultures don’t hunt by smell, but by sight. I learnt that Hummingbirds are small power house fighters, taking part in aerial dog-fights and bullying at feeders.
My favourite chapter was the one on penguins, as it says in the book “It’s hard to be angry with a penguin”. Noah describes them as childlike in their innocent curiosity but they have a genuine fear of seals who will stalk penguins and are a real threat.
There is even a chapter on the common chicken and a look at the literal pecking order of the species. There were several birds types which I hadn’t heard of, the Nutcrackers sounded fun with their spatial memory usage which helped them locate stashes of seeds hoarded to help them survive the winter months.
You don’t have to be an avid bird watcher to enjoy this book, just someone curious to learn a little more about our feathered friends.
A copy of this book was given to me for review by Souvenir Press.
Rosie Amber 