WHAT MAKES A BIRD?

An extensive gallery of birds across the globe, with quick notes on their types, habitats, and behaviors.

Compellingly noting that over millions of years birds have proven able to “handle whatever the planet throws at them” and that they’re found in abundance on every continent, Perera highlights both their universal characteristics (wings, beaks, feathers, two legs) and the many adaptations that have allowed them to survive in nearly every kind of habitat from oceans to cities and polar regions. Galbany follows suit with a bountiful gallery of species, all depicted in stylized but precise detail and in natural settings and attitudes but with plenty of inserted close-up views of distinctive beaks, nests, patterned feathers, and anatomical structures. Many pages do have a crowded look, but that shouldn’t deter young naturalists from poring over this mix of fascinating facts and brightly colored bird portraits. Guidelines for observing birds at the end feature suggestions for ways to attract them to the backyard and a blank sample logbook page. Human figures of diverse hue, including one birdwatcher in a wheelchair, put in occasional appearances.

A broad addition to the flock of bird books.