First published 2022
Bird migration spans distances far greater than scientists previously understood. Pullitzer Prize winner Scott Weidensaul explores this phenomenon through global fieldwork, traveling from Cyprus's dusty hills to northeastern India's mountains to specialized bird reserves along the Yellow Sea. His research reveals that billions of birds cover extraordinary distances during migration. Some shorebirds fly nonstop from Canada to Venezuela, equivalent to running 126 marathons consecutively. Birds navigate using Earth's magnetic fields through quantum entanglement processes more sophisticated than researchers imagined. Weidensaul also profiles conservationists working to protect migration patterns while confronting climate change and contemporary environmental challenges. Drawing from extensive field research, he presents new understanding of the natural spectacle occurring overhead in accessible prose.
Genres: nature, animals, environment, non-fiction, 21st-century, conservation, birds, academic
Vibes: atmospheric, informative, thought-provoking
Tropes: conservation-efforts, scientific-discovery
Setting: Canada, Cyprus, India, Venezuela, Yellow Sea
Period: 21st-century
416 pages · Hardcover · Nieuw Amsterdam