Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1430630
our vision often denies us. It invites us to examine and contemplate the bending of a feather caught in flight, the minute details of the vanes and barbules of plumage, the frozen moments of torpedo- like diving penguins, the painterly reflections of flamingos wading. From the commonly seen blue tit to the critically endangered Philippine eagle, it was difficult to decide what to include from the more than ten thousand species of birds living today. While whittling down the options to the 140 characters represented in this project, I made some surprising discoveries, such as a distant relative of the duck that has a unicorn-like horn and a seabird with a handlebar moustache. I was loaned a specimen, the largest egg ever known, from the extinct Madagascan elephant bird, which sat proudly on my desk for many months. It has been printed here to scale and barely fits on the page, being equivalent in volume to about 170 chicken eggs. In addition I have chosen to include, in the egg section, two poignant extinction stories from recent history. There's the passenger pigeon, the most numerous bird species in human history, which went from a population of billions to zero in just eighty years. The last one, known as Martha, died on September 1, 1914, in Cincinnati Zoo. Then there's the great auk, a large penguin-like species (although no relation to penguins) found in the northern hemisphere, that once numbered in the millions. The last pair were taken and unceremoniously strangled to death at the request of a Danish museum curator on June 4, 1844. These now extinct species are a tragic reminder of the potential future faced by others. To help me traverse the vast landscape of the avian world, I was fortunate to have my very own bird whisperer, Daniel Cullen, join me in the adventure as producer and handler. Daniel has dedicated his whole life to working with birds and generously sharing his wisdom, and he was a guiding force in my journey of discovery. He advised on the design of purpose-built aviaries, the timings when each species would be in peak condition, and the representation of the various groupings. We were fortunate to have access to the very best avian collections in the world, both public and private, on a production that took place over three years. In many respects this has been a continuation of my last book, Endangered, which explored animals on the edge of extinction. Birds have been under increased pressure due to various factors such as loss of habitat and rapid decline in insect numbers. I hope this book will further reveal just how extraordinary they really are, while inspiring empathy and encouraging conservation and support. Connecting people to the natural world has never been more important. 49 of the birds that feature in the book have been specially printed by Tim Flach in small numbered and signed editions for sale at the exhibition and book launch.