'Finely illustrated and wonderfully tactile, Barnes ranges from pheasant and buzzard to vulture and great auk in this packed birding tome' NFU Countryside

'Barnes' fascination with the avian world is at the heart of this book, a passion shared through engaging, often lively and always conversational text' BBC Wildlife

Simon frequently relaxes his prose, allowing the words to breathe a little more, in a manner appropriate to his subjects... He is a fine professional writer who enjoys his craft' Bird Watch

A well written, heartfelt book about the wonders of birds... a real pleasure to read. It is a book that can be dipped into without losing anything, and most importantly conveys his deep passion for his subject' Nudge Book

'Eclectic and often witty volume that aims to show how birds live their lives and in doing so, how they've touched on ours' BBC Countryfile (Great gifts for book lovers this Christmas)

A celebration of birds and how they help us understand the world we live in' Nature's Home

'A wise and witty celebration of birds' The Countryman

He has an eye for the telling detail... a very attractive range of reference... More seriously, he has particularly important points to make about the way birds define places and are in turn defined by them, about the deep human responses to birdsong and the avian capacity for flight, and about our special fascination with raptors' TLS

Barnes infuses this playful, conversational exploration of the relationship of birds to humanity with a sense of well-informed wonder... This is a generous volume in which Barnes unabashedly shares his affinity for "anyone with birding in the blood"' Publishers Weekly.

A heartfelt celebration of birds - and of their ability to draw us into the world beyond humanity' Reader's Digest.

A thought-provoking account of why birds are as essential to our pleasure as they are necessary for our survival... Highly readable... I really enjoyed Simon Barnes' writing style' Cage & Aviary Birds