Part I. What birds tell us about the natural world -- Birds: the dinosaurs that made it -- Hummingbirds: the magic of flight -- Canaries and black-backed woodpeckers: birds as flying sentinels -- A murmuring of birds: the extraordinary design of the flock -- Part II. The gifts of birds -- The power of a feather -- From egg to table part one: the chicken -- From egg to table part two: wild birds -- The miracle of guano -- Nature's cleanup crew -- Part III. Discovering ourselves through birds -- Bird brain, human brain -- The surprisingly astute minds of ravens and crows -- The secret language of birds -- The bee-eaters: a modern family -- Extreme physiologies: birds, the ultimate athletes -- Part IV. Birds and the hope for a better future -- Nature's hired men: putting birds to work -- The city bird: from sidewalk to sky -- The transformational power of birds -- Birds as social workers -- Expanding our senses -- Epilogue: The future of birds.