"Birds Britannica is neither an identification guide nor a behavioural study (though both these subjects enter its field). It covers cultural links; social history; birds as food; ecology; the lore and language of birds; myths, art, literature and music; anecdotes, birdsong and rare facts; modern developments; migration, the seasons and our sense of place. An attempt to describe the interaction of birds and humans, it captures the essence of why birds matter. AUTHOR BIO contd- ICHARD MABEY is Britain's foremost nature writer, as famous for the beauty of his prose as for his exceptional knowledge and insights. He wrote Flora Britannica, a truly ground-breaking book about botany and the blue-print for Birds Britannica. His previous books include Food for Free, The Unofficial Countryside, The Book of Nightingales and Nature Cure. His biography of Gilbert White won the Whitbread Biography Award. CHRIS GOMERSALL (photographer and picture researcher) is renowned as one of Britain's finest wildlife photographers. He is the author of the standard book about how to photograph birds. JONATHAN ELPHICK (specialist text research) is an experienced editor specialising in wildlife subject