The Splendor of Birds

Bird, nature, and art lovers alike will treasure this sumptuous visual celebration of the colors, forms, and behaviors of the winged wonders who share our world as they have been explored, displayed, and revealed throughout the years by National Geographic. The book moves chronologically so readers witness the tremendous growth in our knowledge of birds over the last 130 years, as well as the new frontiers in technology and observation–from luminous vintage paintings and classic black and white photographs to state-of-the art high-speed and telephoto camera shots that reveal moments rarely seen and sights invisible to the human eye. The wide diversity of pictures captures beloved songbirds outside the kitchen window, theatrical courtship dance of birds of paradise, tender moments inside a tern’s nest, or the vivid flash of a hummingbird’s flight. Readers will delight in seeing iconic species from around the world through the eyes of acclaimed National Geographic wildlife photographers such as Chris Johns, Frans Lanting, Joel Sartore, and Tim Laman and reading excerpted passages from Arthur A. Allen, Roger Tory Peterson, Douglas Chadwick, Jane Goodall, and other great explorers. Exquisitely produced and expertly curated, this visual treasury displays as never before the irresistible beauty, grace, and intelligence of our feathered friends.

Author Biography

A former National Geographic staff member, CATHERINE HERBERT HOWELL has written more than a dozen books and contributed to dozens of others, including the landmark first edition of National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, now the best-selling birding guide in North America. She also authored National Geographic’s Bird-watcher’s Bible and Illustrated Guide to Wildlife. Howell lives in Arlington, Virginia, where she tends the native plants of her certified wildlife habitat and volunteers with the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists.
DR. JONATHAN BAILLIE is Chief Scientist of the National Geographic Society and Senior Vice President of grants, directing funding in the areas of science and exploration. Baillie was the director of conservation programs at the Zoological Society of London, where he was responsible for projects focusing on endangered species and their habitats in more than 50 countries. He is co-chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) National Red List Working Group and a visiting professor of zoology at the University of Oxford. A enthusiastic bird lover, Baillie does extensive fieldwork including monitoring rare endemic birds in the Gulf of Guinea.