White Feathers: The Nesting Lives of Tree Swallows

By: Bernd Heinrich

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into Bookshare to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis: The surprising, rich life of tree swallows in nesting season—with Heinrich&’s beautiful illustrations and photographs—by the acclaimed naturalist.Heinrich is sparked one early spring day by a question: Why does a pair of swallows in a nest-box close to his Maine cabin show an unvarying preference for white feathers—not easily available nearby—as nest lining? He notices, too, the extreme aggressiveness of &“his&” swallows toward some other swallows of their own kind. And he wonders, given swallows&’ reputation for feistiness, at the extraordinary tameness and close contact he experiences with his nesting birds. From the author of the beloved books Ravens in Winter and A Naturalist at Large, this richly engaging view of the lives of wild birds, as always with Heinrich, yields &“marvelous, mind-altering&” insight and discoveries. —Los Angeles Times