This book illuminates nineteen seemingly miraculous qualities that birds uniquely have, which demonstrate to us just how invaluable birds are to humankind-both ecologically and spiritually. The calliope hummingbird, for example, weighs the same as a penny and influenced the Wright brothers' flight design; the chicadee's song is considered by scientists to be the most sophisticated language in the animal world and a owindow into the evolution of our own language and our societyo; and the eagle's quietly powerful presence in the disadvantaged neighborhood of Anacostia, D.C., proved to be the most effective method for rehabilitating the troubled teenagers placed in charge of their care. The last few decades have been an accelerating tragedy for birds. Out of ten thousand bird species, 1,313 of them are imperiled because of declining habitat, pollution, and a rapidly changing climate. Robbins shows us why birds are necessary for humanity, and for the planet.
