Bird, Nest & Egg The Homes of Forty Extraordinary Species

About this book

A delightful, warmhearted book about home and nesting, perfect for bird lovers, naturalists, and anyone charmed by the cosiness of a snug nest.

This book is meticulously designed as a large-format visual portfolio of the world's most distinctive birds, whose nesting behaviour and natural beauty are celebrated in beautifully detailed graphite and watercolour illustrations – all based on actual field studies. The exquisitely detailed bird, nest, and egg portraits are framed by details that include building techniques, materials, egg characteristics (shapes, colours, and number in a clutch), hatchlings and chicks, and parenting behaviours.

Nowhere is avian ingenuity more beautifully expressed than in the construction of nests. The book is organized into chapters based on species' nesting techniques: South America's crested oropendola, whose intricate, pendulous, sphere-like nests hang in trees like holiday ornaments; Arizona's ferruginous pygmy owl, whose nests are hidden in vicious yet protective thorns and bristles of giant saguaro cacti; and peregrine falcons, who scrape out a shallow depression called an eyrie in the sides of cliffs or – in urban settings – ledges on skyscrapers.

This beautiful book celebrates the very idea of making a warm, cosy home. It is also a timely reminder of the diversity, beauty, and ingenuity of the avian world.

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Biography

Walter De Raedt is a biologist and ornithologist, and his son, Joris De Raedt, is a scientific illustrator and graphic designer from the acclaimed Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp whose illustrations have appeared in numerous magazines, books, and museums.