The British love birds, which are intertwined with every aspect of their island life. British customs, more than 1,000 years of English literature, the fabric of society, and even the landscape itself have been enriched by the presence of birds. Birds Britannica is a unique publication of immense importance. It is neither a recognition guide nor a behavior study (although both areas fall within its scope); it focuses on our social history and the cultural ties between people and birds.

What makes Birds Britannica particularly significant is the inclusion of observations and experiences from more than 1,000 naturalists and bird enthusiasts. These contributions from the public refer to bird ecology, bird folklore and language, their myths, the art and literature they have inspired, birds as food, and the critical role they play in the sense of place and changing seasons.

Birds Britannica took eight years of research and was compiled by a team that included some of the best writers and image makers of British wildlife. On one level, it is a remarkable collection of humorous stories, field observations, and narratives of joy, wonder, and occasional sadness; on another, it is a nationwide chronicle. Scholarly and extensive, a combination of the traditional and the contemporary, Birds Britannica is a comprehensive record of avifauna in the early twenty-first century. No other book has so comprehensively dealt with the rich connections between birds and people. Birds Britannica captures the very essence of that relationship and explores why birds matter and why we care.

Pages: 528, Dimensions: 22.5x22.5cm