David Attenborough is a biologist, natural historian and international treasure and I don't know why it's taken me this long to read one of his books. In a continuation of my recent stretch of nature books, The Life of Birds by David Attenborough was an enlightening read.
Covering a range of birds from all over the world, the book is chock full of information and new-to-me facts like this one:
"One of the heaviest of all flying birds is the swan. A full grown one may weigh close to 16 kilos." Page 37Outlining the different phases of a bird's life cycle, The Life of Birds covers flight, birdsong, mating rituals, the laying of eggs and nurturing of young.
The audiobook was easy and informative to listen to and the book offers a limited number of colour photos. As a consequence, you can't see all of the birds mentioned or the behaviour being described. But let's face it, while I might be able to find 10 hours a month to listen to an audiobook, I'm never going to invest that amount of time watching bird documentaries; even at the hands of a legend like David Attenborough.
Back to the book and I was fascinated to learn that geese fly in a V formation to take advantage of the slip stream, which is strongest at the wing tip of the bird ahead of them. Not only that, flapping in unison gives even greater advantage to all but the lead bird at the front of the formation. Just as in cycling, the birds take turns at the front so that they all share in the work. Fascinating!
A mature oak tree can generate ninety thousand acorns in a season which I found truly astonishing. Some birds like the jay bury individual acorns, using local landmarks to remember the location of each cache, and sometimes placing pebbles and stones nearby as markers. Meanwhile, other birds stash their acorns in the same location.
"Willow tits hold the record for the number that an individual bird will store in a day - over a thousand. The nutcracker, a European relative of the crow, collects the greatest number to be gathered in a single season - up to one hundred thousand." Page 64This reminded me of the woodpecker responsible for storing 317 kilos (700 pounds) of acorns in the wall of a homeowner's house in California.
When describing the gargantuan appetite of young chicks in the chapter entitled The Problems of Parenthood, Attenborough tells us:
"A great tit, which feeds its young with beakfuls of insects, may deliver food to its nest nine hundred times a day." Page 215Wow. If you love birds, nature or the work of the great David Attenborough, you'll enjoy The Life of Birds. Gotta fly!
