Bird Migration: A Captivating Non-Fiction Account of Global Wildlife Journeys and Seasonal Change

Collins New Naturalist #113

by Ian Newton

The phenomenon of bird migration has fascinated people from time immemorial. The arrivals and departures of different species marked the seasons, heralding spring and autumn, and providing a reliable calendar long before anything better became available.

Migration is shown by many kinds of animals, including butterflies and other insects, mammals, marine turtles and fish, but in none is it as extensively developed as in birds. The collective travel routes of birds span almost the entire globe, with some extreme return journeys covering more than 30,000 km. As a result of migration, bird distributions are continually changing – in regular seasonal patterns, and on local, regional or global scales.

Migration has repeatedly prompted familiar questions, such as where birds go or come from, why do they do it, how do they know when and where to travel, and how do they find their way? In this book, Ian Newton sets out to answer these – and other – questions.

The book is divided into four main the first is introductory, describing the different types of bird movements, methods of study, and the main migration patterns seen around the British Isles; the second part is concerned mainly with the process of migration – with timing, energy needs, weather effects and navigation; the third with evolution and change in migratory behaviour; and the fourth with the geographical and ecological aspects of bird movements.

Genres: Birds, Nonfiction, Science, Ornithology

855 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Ian Newton OBE FRS FRSE is an English ornithologist.
(source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Jeffrey]

An incredibly detailed look at Bird Migration, focusing on the migrants in Eurasia-Africa because of being a British Natural History book. This book expanded my worldview on bird migration, bringing out the true complexity of this wondrous phenomenon. The book was dense with information, but the data was presented very readably, with very helpful concluding/summarizing paragraphs at the end of each chapter. Excellent photos were sprinkled throughout, illustrating the myriad species of birds discussed.

[Nic Gorman]

As a reference book I'd rate this 5 stars, however the publishers have presented it more as a 'popular science' book, which it very definitely isn't.

[Roger Morgan-Grenville]

This is a long read (600 pages) and it is full of science and scientific references. But, for my money, there is no better guide to take you through this amazing world than Ian Newton. You will not see spring or autumn in the same light again once you have read it.

[Evan Buehler]

Read up to Ch. 17 of 25. Good book overall even if it was super detailed.

[Niall]

Unlike another reviewer I would regard this book as one to be read thoroughly, cover to cover. This is not a reference book, but a detailed examination of what we know, suspect and need to research on the subject of avian migration. It's incredibly comprehensive, written by one of the great experts in the field. Recommended for anyone interested in the subject, but also useful for those birders watching the ebb and flow of bird movement with the seasons. One for every birder's and ornithologist's bookshelf.

[Jonathan Hutchins]

Useful reference book but not something to be read from end to end