In this section:
Authoritative and concise, this beautifully illustrated atlas captures the dazzling diversity of bird life around the world. Its stunning full-colour maps reveal where birds are found and explain the many factors behind their distribution, while numerous photographs and illustrations showcase the most fascinating and colourful aspects of bird behaviour. Conservation concerns are highlighted throughout, underpinned by the very latest data from BirdLife International on the threats birds face worldwide.
The atlas reveals how an astonishing variety of behavioural adaptations – from flight and feeding to nest building and song – have enabled birds to exploit virtually every habitat niche available. It also unveils the miracles of bird migration, charting key flyways around the globe and drawing upon the latest satellite-tracking technology to shed new light on this most mysterious phenomenon.
Birds have always played an important role in human culture: on the one hand, a source of wonder and spiritual inspiration; on the other a resource to be exploited, whether for food, feathers, guano or simply entertainment. While some people derive great pleasure from watching birds, others continue to hunt them for sport, wreaking havoc on many wild populations. World and regional maps explore the complex relationship between birds and humans.
The greatest threat to birds today comes from the human impact on their environment. Such forces as deforestation, wetland drainage, pollution, the introduction of alien species and climate change have placed at least 1,200 species in danger of extinction. The atlas draws on work by BirdLife International and other organizations to explore this issue, using maps and case studies to illustrate where and why birds are most under threat, and what is being done to protect them.
