How Birds Fly –

The Science & Art of Avian Flight

The Publisher’s View:

Bird flight is a mesmerising spectacle, yet its intricacies remain largely shrouded in mystery for most. Even after over a century of study, certain aspects of bird flight continue to baffle the public and ornithologists alike.

Peter Cavanagh, a dedicated bird photographer, pilot and expert in the fields of aerodynamics and anatomy, has dedicated a decade to crafting this remarkable book, How Birds Fly. Through awe-inspiring photography and conversational prose, Peter unveils the complex evolutions and physics of bird flight, making it accessible to bird lovers of all levels.

Within these pages, you’ll discover the elegant mechanics behind how birds fly. Explore the evolution of flight, the roles of bones, muscles and feathers, and the crucial functions of wings, wingtips and tails. From take-off to landing, soaring to diving, and hunting to hovering, you’ll gain unprecedented insight into avian movement. But How Birds Fly is more than a scientific exploration; it’s a celebration of the artistry of bird flight. Uncover the stories of flight pioneers like Leonardo da Vinci and the Wright Brothers, and how engineers still draw inspiration from birds for cutting-edge aircraft design.

With How Birds Fly, you can savour each chapter independently, enjoying stunning photographs and enlightening illustrations. In “From the Lab” sections, you’ll dive into real research studies, gaining a taste of how ornithologists work. Flight is a dream embedded deep within our unconscious minds. Let Peter Cavanagh’s expertise and passion for flight enhance your appreciation for the world of birds.

The Author: Peter Cavanagh is a Wolverhampton-born wildlife photographer who has been taking pictures since he was a boy. After earning his PhD in human biomechanics from the University of London in 1972, he moved to Penn State University in the USA, where he became a Distinguished Professor. He returned to London in 2004 to receive a Doctor of Science (D Sc) degree from the University of London, and to Glasgow in 2019 where he was installed as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Peter’s migration to the photography and study of bird flight evolved from his study of flight aerodynamics for aircraft pilot qualifications; his professional training in anatomy, biomechanics, and high-speed photography; and his love of nature and the outdoors. His previous book was 100 Flying Birds (Firefly Books, 2021).

Fatbirder View:

This really is an impressive book, although the title is a tad misleading… its not so much How Birds Fly as how, why, when, where and everything else you can imagine.

Between general stuff and stunning pictures are ‘From the Lab’ pages giving you facts and figures, reference works and so forth. It’s a very clever way of keying the reader into the science and directing potential further study, while being very accessible to all levels of knowledge and interest.

You cannot help but learn about anatomy, speciation, migration, phylogeny and very much more as the flight of all genera and ages of birds and their niches are affected by these things.

Moreover, along with this subtle learning by osmosis you are treated to an art gallery of the beauty of birds. After all, nothing is more quintessentially avian that flight. A few species may have lost the capacity, but birds are built for flight, and how they fly may be dictated by food sources, geography, prey, predators, migration and on and on. All these factors need illustrating and the book abounds in excellent photography. Sure, the shots are there to illustrate points, but by their very nature they also entertain.

They won’t only entertain birders, just as the book doesn’t only inform ornithologists. The text enlightens and the pictures are often of coffee-table book quality. The most urban and homocentric of readers could pick this book up and enjoy it as art. Mind you, I bet that such a reader’s, eleven-year-old child would be flipping through the ‘Lab’ pages vacuuming up facts.

Nerds, nature lovers and nannies, animal nuts and aesthetes – you wouldn’t have to be a birder to fall in love with How Birds Fly!

Buy this book from NHBS

Fatbirder