Putting birds on the map

"The Atlas of Birds: Diversity, Behavior, and Conservation," by Mike Unwin, Princeton University Press, 2011, $22.95

Birds are found on every continent and they're tough to overlook, because many of the world's 10,000 bird species are conspicuous, colorful and noisy (compared with mammals and other life forms). And yet how much do we really know about the avian world?

"The Atlas of Birds: Diversity Behavior, and Conservation" aims to increase our knowledge about the world's birds. The book provides a big-picture look, focusing on bird biology, conservation status, importance to humans and other factors — on a global basis. Author Mike Unwin not only tells us where in the world birds live, where they're in peril, what flyways they use on migration and what alien species threaten them, he shows us. The atlas features handsome, colorful maps on nearly every page, and they drive home essential points about birds' lives.

There are other books that take a global, encyclopedic approach to birds, but what sets this book apart is its global mapping. For example, a two-page spread illustrates what percentage of a country's birds are found nowhere else, visually making the case that such birds are highly vulnerable to habitat changes and competition.

Those engaged in conservation efforts will be especially interested in the focus on Important Bird Areas and maps that reveal the percentage of each continent that falls under this designation. Another set of maps, showing the distribution of avian orders, is equally fascinating. The last section of the book is devoted to efforts to protect birds and save their habitats. The case is made that by protecting birds, we are protecting biodiversity, and, you might also say, preserving the planet.

"The Atlas of Birds" is a worthy addition to the library of everyone interested in birds.