The prize-winning author of The Red Canary captures the enchantment of birds once again for bird-watchers and armchair ornithologists.

For thousands of years people have been fascinated by birds, and today that fascination continues to grow. In 2007 bird-watching was one of the most popular pastimes worldwide, with interest ranging from the specialist to the beginner.

Acclaimed for "his expert grasp of the science[and] his capacity to make it not just comprehensible, but fascinating" (New Statesman), Tim Birkhead transports the reader into the extraordinary lives of birds-from conception and egg, through territory and song, to migration and fully fledged breeder. Along the way he tells enthralling stories of ornithological superstitions and untested "truths" over the centuries.

Only in the nineteenth century did the belief that swallows hibernated under water give way to general acceptance of the facts of migration. In the same century, Darwin chose not to dwell on the sexual promiscuity of female birds to spare the blushes of his daughter, who was helping to correct the proofs of The Descent of Man.

Tim Birkhead is a professor at the University of Sheffield where he teaches animal behaviour and the history of science. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and his research has taken him all over the world in the quest to understand the lives of birds. He has written for The Independent, New Scientist, and BBC Wildlife. Among his other books are Promiscuity, Great Auk Islands, The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Birds which won the McColvin medal and The Red Canary which won the Consul Cremer Prize. He is married with three children and lives in Sheffield.

Tim Birkhead's profile page

"The Wisdom of Birds is as complete a volume as you would ever wish to discover about the world of birds. Tim Birkhead...knows everything about our winged friends, and it shows throughout this illuminating book. With hundreds of anecdotes and information about birds and superstition, you won't regret finding out what makes birds so beautiful a sight to behold, and even more inspiring to hear them in full song."

Shelf Life

"Tim Birkhead's The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology, spectacularly adorned with photos and historical paintings, reveals everything there is to know about the study of birds."

Maisonneuve

"Like its title, Birkhead's book is full of surprises, and if the title engages a wider reading audience than just devoted birders, then so much the better. For those of us who see birds as more than just checks on a list, I recommend this book as a great addition to any birder's library. It contains insights galore, and a compelling explanation of how we have arrived at our current understanding of the lives of birds and the connections among their behavior, taxonomy, and their evolution."

British Columbia Birds

"Impeccably researched and well documented, with numerous endnotes, The Wisdom of Birds tells the story of bird watching, from superstition to highly technical work now done on bird genomes...The prose is clear and readable, punctuated with quotations both breezy and serious, and numerous vivid colour illustrations, mostly from 18th and 19th century bird guides, add to the liveliness."

Globe & Mail