Author(s): Mike Unwin

Nature | Birds

This beautiful and inspiring book tells the stories of 80 birds around the world: from the Sociable Weaver Bird in Namibia which constructs huge, multi-nest 'apartment blocks' in the desert, to the Bar-headed Goose of China, one of the highest-flying migrants which crosses the Himalayas twice a year.

Many birds come steeped in folklore and myth, some are national emblems and a few have inspired scientific revelation or daring conservation projects. Each has a story to tell that sheds a light on our relationship with the natural world and reveals just how deeply birds matter to us.

From Madagascar and the helmet vanga to the Galapagos Islands and the courtship rituals of the male blue-footed booby (think dad dancing, but with big, blue, webbed feet), Unwin introduces a dazzling array of our feathered friends. I'm very taken with Australia's southern cassowary, a 'living dinosaur', weighing 154lb and not to be trifled with. Ryuto Miyake's illustrations bring it all alive * SAGA magazine *

Author Biography: Mike Unwin (author) is an award-winning writer of popular natural history books for adults and children. He writes for The Daily Telegraph, The Times, BBC Wildlife, Travel Africa, as well as the RSPB and WWF. Also a widely published photographer, his travels have taken him to every continent in search of its birds and other wildlife.

Ryuto Miyake (Illustrator)

Ryuto Miyake is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Tokyo. Miyake prefers traditional drawing styles, using acrylic gouache applied with a thin brush on stretched-out watercolour paper, but his detailed illustrations have a contemporary look. His clients include Gucci, Toyota, Frieze and Bottega Veneta.