Latin For Bird Lovers by Roger Lederer and Carol Burr

Latin For Bird Lovers

by Roger Lederer and Carol Burr

 

In every scientific discipline there is an official language formed of words derived from Latin. Ornithology is a perfect example of how these words can be illuminating. Take Anas acuta, better known as the Northern Pintail, whose scientific name means duck and refers to the male bird s tail. Or pelagic (meaning of, related to, or occurring in sea), an important term for ocean-focused bird lovers. Latin for Bird Lovers explores and explains over 3,000 Latin words used to describe birds. It is information that is invaluable to birdwatchers worldwide: the words help define the identity and relationships among the nearly 10,000 known bird species; they can also define the species names by color, pattern, and size, help identify parts of the body, refer to the name of the ornithologist who discovered the bird, show where the bird is found, and even detail a specific behavior. The book also profiles twelve great ornithologists, has in-depth features on 20 beloved birds, and is gorgeously illustrated. Latin for Bird Lovers is for birdwatchers, nature lovers, and anyone interested in the words about birds.

 

I received a copy of this book for review via Netgalley.

 

This was a beautiful book.  The illustrations are exquisite and the colors are very vivid.   I really loved flipping through the pages to look at the illustrations.  I admit I only skimmed the bird name section after reading a few pages.  What I did read was very informative and interesting.  This would be a wonderful reference book for the bird lover to have on hand.  It is definitely not something to just sit and read through! 

Each Latin name in the book gives an interesting fact about why the bird may be described that way.  Sometimes they are obvious, otherwise less so, but it is always very interesting.