"My work as a scientist who studies bird parasites causes me to wonder
about the hidden part of the drama unfolding before my eyes: the flying
zoo that makes each bird what it is. As I gaze out at my favourite
birds, I wonder what role their parasites have played in shaping their
fascinating behaviours and alluring appearance." -- From Chapter 1
In The Flying Zoo, Michael Stock gives readers an enthusiastic tribute
to birds and the parasites that live in and on them. From the Crozet
Archipelago and the Galapagos Islands to our own backyards,
parasites--fleas, lice, ticks, and flukes--live in a sinister yet
symbiotic relationship with their host birds. With a scientist's
exuberance, Stock reveals a co-evolutionary dance among an astounding
cast of creatures living in a complex and paradoxical co-habitation.
Following in the footsteps of Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos, this
contemporary classic deserves a place on the shelves of students and
teachers of biology, natural history buffs, and birders.