A Short Philosophy of Birds

“This little book does a beautiful job of inspiring awe for the capacities of birds and applying lessons from their lives to the struggles of humanity”
   — Wall Street Journal

“Brilliant, magical and engrossing–I will never see birds the same way again.”
   — Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees

THE INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON

Twenty-two short lessons from the secret lives of birds on living harmoniously and reconnecting with nature.

This charming volume on bird behavior, a perfect example of modern nature writing, invites us to take a step back from our busy lives and to listen to the tiny philosophers of the sky. From the delicate sparrow to the majestic eagle, birds are among the most fascinating species on earth, and there is much to be learned from these paragons of beauty and grace that can be applied to our lives, including:

• Independence: what it means to be “pushed out of the nest.”
• Vulnerability: what the mallard teaches us about giving up our old feathers for new ones in order to fly.
• Gender equality: what happens when a papa Turtledove sits on the nest.
• Hierarchy and power: what the raven and the vulture know about the pecking order.

Filled with elegant illustrations of bird species, this gem of a book is a celebration of our friends in the sky, and the powerful life lessons they can teach us about the rhythms of life.

Philippe J. Dubois is an ornithologist and writer who has travelled the world birdwatching. He is the author of several works on climate change and biodiversity, and is the former head of Delachaux and Niestlé, the world’s oldest nature publisher, in Paris.

Elise Rousseau has a Master’s degree in Literature and a degree in Philosophy, and is a conservationist and the author of several works on nature and animals.

Elise Rousseau has a Master’s degree in Literature and a degree in philosophy, and is a conservationist and the author of several works on nature and animals.