Table of Contents

Preface Part i | Birds Extinct 1 ) The Passenger Pigeon's Eclipse 2 ) The Parakeet and Its Practices 3 ) The Ways of the Great Auk 4 ) The Loneliness of the Macaw Part ii | Birds Threatened and Endangered 5 ) The Wondrous Waldrapp 6 ) The Shy Corncrake 7 ) The Uncanny Goatsucker, or the Willful Nightjar 8 ) The Beautiful Barn Owl 9 ) The Intrepid Hawk Owl 10 ) The Wise Kingfisher Afterword Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, Discourse on the Nature of BirdsA" (1770) 229 Endnotes 249 Bibliography 261 List of Illustrations and Credits 269 Index of Names 273

About the Author

Anita Albus is a writer and artist based in Munich and Burgundy who can count Germany's highest essay prize amongst her many awards. Her books include The Art of Arts, The Botanical Drama, The Garden of Songs, and the translation into German of Flashlights by Jules and Edmond de Goncourt. She has illustrated The Passionate Gardener by Rudolf Borchardt and The Jealous Potter by Claude Levi-Strauss.

Reviews

Anita Albus has created a thoroughly researched text using historical sources and glorious artto produce a fascinating book for bird lovers.A" Richard Cannings, author of An Enchantment of Birds. A twinkle of humour and a twist of wit illuminate the stories of these birds and the human figures that go with them. Life is really a series of stories, and Anita Albus is a superb storyteller.A" Robert Bateman. In Anita Albus's pictures we see things in a way that we've either unlearned or forgotten.A" Claude Levi-Strauss