Songs of Love and War

By Dominic Couzens Bloomsbury £16.99

In its 11 chapters, this engaging book has as its theme ‘the dark heart of bird behaviour’. It covers a wide range of topics, from how birds select mates and the breeding systems they adopt, to the dynamics of predation, migration, birdsong and the alarming declines suffered by so many species. One intriguing chapter is based on the three birds that feature in Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. The text includes the author’s own observations and thoughts drawn from long experience backed up by well chosen details of research.

Jonathan Elphick Ornithologist