Böcker av Tim Birkhead

'I think that, if required on pain of death to name instantly the most perfect thing in the universe, I should risk my fate on a bird's egg' Thomas Wentworth Higginson, 1862How are eggs of different shapes made, and why are they the shape they are? When does the shell of an egg harden? Why do some eggs contain two yolks? How are the colours and patterns of an eggshell created, and why do they vary? And which end of an egg is laid first - the blunt end or the pointy end?These are just some of the questions A Bird's Egg answers, as the journey of a bird's egg from creation and fertilisation to its eventual hatching is examined, with current scientific knowledge placed within an historical context. Beginning with an examination of the stunning eggs of the guillemot, each of which is so variable in pattern and colour that no two are ever the same, acclaimed ornithologist Tim Birkhead then looks at the eggs of hens, cuckoos and many other birds, revealing weird and wonderful facts about these miracles of nature. Woven around and supporting these facts are extraordinary stories of the individuals who from as far back as Ancient Egypt have been fixated on the study and collection of eggs, not always to the benefit of their conservation.Firmly grounded in science and enriched by a wealth of observation drawn from a lifetime spent studying birds,A Bird's Egg is an illuminating and engaging exploration of the science behind eggs and the history of man's obsession with them.

The tragic tale of the first seabird ruthlessly destroyed by human actions - an all-powerful symbol of human folly and the necessity of conservation. Since 1950 more than seventy percent of the world's seabirds have been lost through human activity. The Great Auk was the first species to go. A goose-sized seabird superbly adapted for underwater flight, their lives were idyllic prior to the appearance of humans: three months ashore to breed, the rest of the time riding the ocean waves. However, Great Auks had one main predator - humans. Having harried the bird mercilessly for centuries in the east, the Europeans who stumbled upon the Great Auks' New World breeding colonies in the 16th century couldn't believe their luck. Seabird colonies became fast-food restaurants for hungry sailors, with mariners gorging themselves on the liver-flavoured auk flesh for more than two centuries. The last two were killed in 1844, but the Great Auk lived on, with collectors obsessing over their skins, eggs and skeletons through dodgy dealings involving staggering amounts of money. In a curious twist of fate, leading ornithologist Tim Birkhead found himself the recipient of the archive of a man who accumulated more Great Auk skins and eggs than anyone else. This astonishing book reveals the Great Auk's life before humanity, its death on that fateful day in 1844, and the unrelenting subsequent quest for its remains.

Since the dawn of human history, birds have stirred our imagination, inspiring and challenging our ideas about science, faith, art and philosophy.Looking to the skies above, we have variously worshipped them as gods, hunted them for sustenance, adorned ourselves in their feathers, studied their wings to engineer flight and, more recently, attempted to protect them.In Birds and Us, award-winning writer and ornithologist Tim Birkhead takes us on an epic and dazzling journey through this mutual history with birds, from the ibises mummified and deified by Ancient Egyptians to Renaissance experiments on woodpecker anatomy, from Victorian obsessions with egg collecting to the present fight to save endangered species and restore their habitats.Weaving in stories from his own life as a scientist, including far-flung expeditions to wondrous Neolithic caves in Spain and the bustling guillemot colonies of the Faroe Islands, this rich and fascinating book is the culmination of a lifetime's research and unforgettably shows how birds shaped us, and how we have shaped them.

A hugely engaging book about birds, their senses and behaviour that is informed by an attractive blend of personal experience, entertaining stories and cutting-edge science.