by Peter Goodfellow
Princeton University Press, $27.95, 160 pages
Birds are an amazing part of the ecosystem. They do so much, and most of them are not very big from transporting seeds across hundreds of miles. This book focuses on the amazing world of birds’ nests and how different nests are built by different species of birds. Peter Goodfellow, explores the many different ways that birds builds nests. Each section starts off with a quick introduction of how a particular type of nest is built and what species builds these nests. He then gives a few quick diagrams of different nests, and then a few case studies of the different species with a more in-depth of how they build their nests. The sections are short, and it is easy to find a particular section you are looking for.
This is something that is good both for students and bird watchers. For students, it provides a quick guide that is easy to understand and follow. While it is not comprehensive, it provides a nice beginning guide to different types of nests. For bird watchers, it is a handy reference when you are out bird watching to identify the different types of nests that you will see.
Kevin Winter