Our understanding of the navigational feats that enable birds to cross the immense oceans, to fly above the highest mountains, to remain in an unbroken flight for months, has exploded. What we’ve learned of these marvellous migrations, how billions of birds circumnavigate the globe, flying thousands of miles is nothing short of extraordinary.
Bird migration entails unfathomable endurance – a sparrow-sized sandpiper flies non-stop from Canada to Venezuela without food, water or rest. Avoids dehydration by drinking moisture from it’s own muscles & orients itself using the earth’s magnetic field. Crossing the Pacific Ocean in 9 days of non-stop flight leaves little time for sleep, but they can put half their brains to sleep for a few seconds at a time, alternating sides.
Beautiful revelations on the wonder of bird migrations – from the mud flats of Yellow Sea in China to the remote mountains of India & the dusty hills of Cyprus. A breathtaking work of nature writing from Scott Weidensaul inspires us to preserve our global migratory patterns in the face of climate change. A World on the Wing unveils with dazzling pictures & prose the miracle of nature taking place just above our heads.
