RSPB Spotlight Crows is packed with eye-catching, informative colour
photos and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable
naturalist.
In Spotlight Crows, Mike Unwin looks at the biology and ecology of all
eight UK corvids and investigates why these birds have become deeply
embedded in our culture, from children's rhymes and Norse mythology to
Shakespeare's plays and the poems of Edgar Allen Poe.
Most of the UK's crow species--carrion crow, hooded crow, rook, jackdaw,
raven, chough, magpie and jay--are very familiar birds to urban
householder and countryside dweller alike. Together they make up the
Corvidae family, and they have been deeply intertwined in our lives and
culture since prehistoric times.
However, familiarity often breeds contempt, and crows--also known as
corvids--have long attracted a bad press. Reviled as raiders of crops,
feeders on carrion, thieves of jewelry and bullies of smaller birds,
crows have often found themselves on the wrong end of a shotgun. Yet the
more we learn about them, the more fascinating they become.
Behind the behavior some find objectionable lie exceptional intelligence
and resourcefulness. These qualities have long captivated scientists and
excited the admiration of anyone who takes the time to know crows
better.
