World of the Hummingbird - Hardcover

Thurston, Harry

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 157805043X ISBN 13: 9781578050437

Publisher: Sierra Club Books, 1999

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Explores the life of the hummingbird, with a close look at its physiology, habits, and behaviors

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Review:

Hummingbirds are photogenic marvels. The miniature avians inhabit bodies full of superlatives: a heart that beats faster than any other animal; breast muscles that are larger in relative terms than any other bird; wings that beat faster than any other bird. Hummingbirds, with well-tuned engines running on rocket fuel, thrill humans with their breathless antics and aerial acrobatics as they zoom about the backyard feeder for just a few pennies a day in sugar water. But they're always so far away! The delightful photographs in The World of the Hummingbird bring these colorful creatures right up close.

Canadian nature writer Harry Thurston provides an informative introduction to hummingbird biology and behavior. He explains the evolutionary dance between hummingbirds and plants that has produced the familiar syndrome of "hummingbird flowers," trumpet-shaped red flowers that provide copious amounts of nectar. Did you know that male hummingbirds provide almost no care for their young? Such details, excavated from the extensive scientific literature, enliven the text and complement the color photographs that are the heart of the book. Thurston's previous natural history writings, including Tidal Life: A Natural History of the Bay of Fundy, won several book awards. The writing here won't win Thurston any awards, but the book as a whole--especially the photographs--provides an enjoyable introduction to the world of the hummingbird. --Pete Holloran

From the Inside Flap:

red jewels," "rainbows on wings," "rays of the sun"-- these are but a few of the admiring descriptions hummingbirds have inspired in observers through the ages. In this engaging new book, award-winning writer and poet Harry Thurston adds his own unique voice to the chorus in praise of these tiny, colorful birds.

The author has spent many hours watching the antics of hummers that visit the feeders around his Nova Scotia home. The result is this affectionate and information-packed portrait. Skillfully interweaving his own observations with those of distinguished ornithologists, naturalists, and fellow hummingbird enthusiasts, Thurston offers reader a close-up view of the birds' physiology, as well as their habits and behaviors. The hummingbird's jewel-like color and constant hovering flight elicit wonder and delight, and a deeper examination of its behaviors--fastidious nector--sipping among flowers, elaborate courtship ri

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