Birds and Humans: Who are we? The Miracles of Earth by David Campbell Callender is actually written in the memory and honor of the gentle Irish Naturalist by his granddaughter Ruth Finnigan. She has used the affectionate account and the same photographs as he might’ve used.  Since Ruth is an anthropologist and thus has no expert knowledge of birds, the book deliberately strays away from the use of specialist terminologies and Latin names. The book is a refreshingly different take on the usual encyclopedias about birds; rather, it talks about birds with a child-like fascination.

The book talks about the parallels and contrasts between the world of humans and birds. It draws out the idea that even though we’ve had very different ancestries, with birds being the last living species of dinosaurs and humans sharing ancestry with the apes, there is more in common between the two than one would expect.

While I enjoyed the book and found the information in it to be enlightening, I thought the book could have benefited from formatting, but otherwise the information readers will find within will more than satisfy your curiosity on the subject.

Birds and Humans: Who are we? provides a plethora of facts about birds and does it with an air of enchantment on the subject that I find rare in nonfiction books. The author’s deep connection with the birds is clear and awe-inspiring. I would recommend this book to anyone curious about birds and to readers who are looking for a light but informative book.

Pages: 271