Tales of Remarkable Birds

Dominic Couzens has written many books on birds and other wildlife including RSPB The Secret Lives of British Birds, RSPB The Secret Lives of Garden Birds and RSPB The Secret Lives of Garden Wildlife, all published by Christopher Helm, as well as Identifying British Birds, Identifying Birds by Behaviour, and Extreme Birds Collins), The Complete Back Garden Birdwatcher, Bird Migration and Top 100 Birding Sites of the World (New Holland), Collins), 100 Birds to See Before You Die (Carlton) and My Family and 50 Other Animals. He is currently writing The Secret Lives of Puffins with photographer Mark Sisson.

• IntroductionEuropeNorthern Wren Roost site available, not everyone need applyGreat Spotted Cuckoo, A cuckoo, yes - but not as we know itGreat Grey Shrike, Catching on to a neat ideaCommon Crossbill, A bird with leftist tendenciesEurasian Oystercatcher, The oystercatcher's trade unionsAfricaSunbirds, Hovering might be catchingOstriches, The benefits of sharing a nestStraw-tailed Whydah and Purple Grenadier, The strange case of the avian stalkerBoubous, It takes twoWidowbirds, A tale of two tailsAustralasiaWhite-winged Chough, Our family group needs some extra helpFairywrens, What is the significance of the flower gift?Great Bowerbird, Stage managing a nuptial bowerSouthern Cassowary, Don't mess with this big birdVaried Sittellas, The benefits of working togetherNorth AmericaWhite-throated Sparrow, A tale of two sparrowsBlack-capped Chickadee, Memories of garden birdsCliff Swallow, Unnatural selectionHarris's Hawk, The hunter-gathererMarbled Murrelet, Breeding in a different worldSouth AmericaAndean Cock-of-the-Rock, Working together with its friendsToucans, Why a big bill paysAntbirds, Following the antsTanagers, The crown jewelsHummingbirds, When the humming stopsAntarcticaRockhopper Penguin, The most unloved eggAlbatrosses, Masters of the oceansEmperor and Galapagos Penguins, A tale of two penguinsSheathbills, The basement cleanersWandering Albatross, A slow dance to successIslandsSwallow-tailed Gull, Making the most of dark nightsMegapodes, The patter of great, big feetNew Caledonian Crow, The world's cleverest bird?Blue Bird-of-paradise, Figs and fruits turn paradise upside downExtinctions, Islands lands of lost birdsFurther readingAcknowledgements