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Amazon Review
Frigatebirds balloon their bright red necks. Blue-footed boobies strut about in brilliant cobalt shoes. Great egrets sprout snow-white plumes. Whether it's a tiny hummingbird or a giant moa, no bird can escape the evolutionary pressure to impress, outwit and outdo in the struggle to survive. And when it comes to the ever-popular books about birds, a similar pressure seems to be operating. In this splendid accompaniment to the BBC TV series, natural selection has clearly carried the day. Lyrical descriptions and colourful photos do our feathered friends ample justice--along with sightings of the hilarious and the downright bizarre. Take the drab potoo, for instance: positioning himself at the top of a snag--head raised, eyes closed--he all but disappears. Or the diversity of avian abodes: nests range from the barely discernible cliff scrape of the razorbill to the 6-ft-high penthouse of the hamerkop. Attenborough's quest for the most striking birds takes us from Pyrenees peaks to the ice of Antarctica, flushing bare-necked umbrella birds, torrent ducks and the brilliant orange, bunny-hopping cock of the rock. Bird lovers will flock to this exceptional book. --Martha Silano
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