10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

It’s very hard to organize the many ways in which human beings relate to avian beings into comprehensible text. We worship birds, we hunt birds, we protect birds, and, yes, we eat birds. Cocker writes about the species within each family with a literary specificity softened by a tone of conversational patience.

Birds 201

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 201

Animal Person

NOVEMBER 21, 2010

It has entertaining stories, includes animals people care about because they like them (and also addresses that concept), and it describes how the numbers of various species decreased to the point of being classified as "endangered" or worse. Consider this: Every month, it takes $12 billion to fund America's involvement in the Iraq War.

Polar Bears 100

Polar Bears California Condor Bald Eagle Lions 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2013

Most of the people debating this issue are for conservation, they are against wild areas being destroyed and wild species being threatened with extinction. The way things should be is a very powerful motivating factor in human lives. And embattled minority should be protected. A hungry child should be fed.

Tigers 168

Tigers Hunting Game Protection 168

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2023

Not a cover species The Black Kite is not actually black, but of course, misleading bird names are not exactly rare. Maybe those should be protected too? No surprise then that the species is listed as Vulnerable. But then, sanity (or maybe respect for you, the reader) prevailed. Fortunately, they are quite common in Shanghai.

Birds 130

Birds Iraq China Ireland 130