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Hummingbirds, and the balletic ways in which they feed on flowers, are familiar to most people. But they belong to just one of at least 74 bird families that are known, or suspected, to be pollinators. Relationships between plants and birds first emerged at least 50 million years ago and over time have influenced the evolution of both groups.
This groundbreaking book is the first to deal with pollinating birds in all their diversity, involving almost 1,390 avian species interacting with tens of thousands of different plants. It rescues them from being novelties of natural history and explores these interactions in all their evolutionary and ecological significance. Pollinating birds have intricate lives that are often highly dependent on flowers, and the plants themselves are at the whim of birds for their reproduction. This makes them important players within many ecosystems, including tropical rainforests, dry grasslands, temperate woodlands, coastal mangroves and oceanic islands.
Bird–flower relationships are threatened by disease, habitat destruction and climate change. Some of the birds are already extinct. Yet there are optimistic stories to be told about conservation and restoration projects that reveal the commitment of people to preserving these vital ecological connections. In addition, as a source of cultural inspiration with a history stretching back millennia, pollinating birds and their flowers are part of the ongoing relationship between humanity and the rest of nature.
This is a fine example of a book which is pitched to increase the public understanding of ecology and evolution, and succeeds.
— Mark Avery, author and environmental campaigner
An important contribution to avian lore... I’ve little to add to the fulsome praise of other reviewers. Except that the writers style is surprisingly down to earth and chatty...having trudged through treacle with some academic works that in itself is a recommendation.
— Bo Beolens
delightful... [Birds and Flowers] fills a unique niche, focusing on interactions between two of the most loved groups of organisms and doing so in a highly engaging yet highly informative way.
— Diane R Campbell
...intriguing, educational, and likely to make you look at some bird families in a different light.
— John Miles
A detailed treatment on the subject of bird pollination.
— Ian Paulsen
This book is eminently worthwhile reading for anyone, scientist or lay person, who loves birds and flowers.
— Mariette Nowak
Impressive (and delightful!)... It’s a pleasure to spend time with Ollerton’s prose
— Mark Gamin
very engaging... Ollerton’s book will certainly inspire this new generation of biologists to undertake additional field studies of interactions between birds and flowers. The book will also make an important contribution to the growing public awareness of the importance of pollination for the maintenance of biodiversity.
— Steven D. Johnson
Jeff Ollerton masterfully explores the intricate evolutionary dance between avian species and the floral world... Birds & Flowers is a delightful and educational read that will captivate anyone interested in ornithology, botany, or ecology.
Jeff's enthusiasm, humour and vast knowledge of the subject makes him the perfect guide to this exploration of the long-standing relationship between birds and flowers. I found the dual focus of the book fascinating.
— Nic Wilson, Guardian country diarist
...the book is very informative, well-written and enjoyable, and it should certainly be acquired by anyone interested in bird life and/or flowers, and natural history and histories, and I promise you that a new panoramic view of your favourite animals will open to you.
— Jens M. Olesen
I picked up this book and assumed that it was 'just' about the link between birds and flowers. However, it is so much more! ...I would recommend this book!
— David White
Jeff Ollerton's Birds and Flowers is a deep-time dive into the weird, wonderful, but always important inter-relationships between the two organisms. The author distils a mountain of diverse materials into an engaging personal story.
— Mark Cocker
...highly approachable and entertaining... Come for the bounty of fun facts (did you know some warblers and woodpeckers pollinate flowers?) and leave with a renewed appreciation of Earth’s biodiversity—and of the passionate dedication of scientists and conservationists to its study and protection
— Zoe Grueskin
…useful to teachers of both botany and ornithology including this subject in their courses, students planning research projects, and anyone watching birds feeding at flowers who wants to understand the complexity of what’s actually going on.
— Roger F. Pasquier
Fascinating... if you are looking for a good introduction to bird and flower ecology you will learn a lot from this book - and are unlikely ever to look at a Blue Tit in the same way again!
— George Ross
Readers are taken on a journey into the study of the co-evolution of birds and flowers from one of the world leaders in this research... a fascinating read.
— Gareth Coombs
This is an absorbing sprint through one of the bird world's lesser known but incredibly important ecological facets. It is certain to provide revelations for any of its readers.
— David Callahan
This book stimulates the reader to consider more than superficial relationships in the natural world, to look below the surface of our observations.
— Cyndi M. Smith
A fascinating book.
— Bruno Massa
Scientist and author Jeff Ollerton is a leading expert in the field of biodiversity, as well as a passionate natural historian and educator. His influential research on understanding and conserving plant–pollinator interactions has been widely used by national and international agencies to support conservation efforts.
Introduction: Encounters with birds and flowers
1. Origins of a partnership
2. Surprising variety
3. Keeping it in the family
4. A flower’s point of view
5. In the eye of the beholder
6. Goods and services
7. Misaligned interests
8. Senses and sensitivities
9. Codependent connections
10. Hitchhikers, drunks and killers
11. The limits to specialisation
12. Islands in the sea, islands in the sky
13. The curious case of Europe
14. ‘After the Manner of Bees’
15. Feathers and fruits
16. Urban flowers for urban birds
17. Bad birds and feral flowers
18. What escapes the eye
19. The restoration of hope
Species names
Sources and further reading
Acknowledgements
Index