1
of
1
Kingfisher
Series: Animal
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still
learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Summary
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2999
Unit price
/
Unavailable
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER
Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks
Found a better price? Request a price match
Kingfisher
$2999
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Latest News
A Little Bit Spooky: Board Games for Halloween
Halloween is the perfect excuse for a spooky board game night! From adorable ghost cats...
100 Years of Winnie the Pooh
100 years ago the Hundred Acre Wood and a cast of beloved friends was published...
The Book Briefing - 14/10/2026
It's time for another edition of 'The Book Briefing'! Sacha's back with all the latest...
TV Show Review on: Carrie
Liam's Review Carrie 26’Carrie has been on my radar for a while now, probably my...
The Struggle of Working Somewhere That Sells Beautiful Books
The problem is…I work in the cutest little (I said what I said) bookshop and...
See moreThis beautifully illustrated book delves into the origins and diversity of the more than 120 species of kingfishers, from the burly kookaburras to the diminutive birds that daringly pluck spiders off webs, defining their characteristics, their differences, their lifestyles and their cultural significance around the world.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
Kingfishers are a sight to behold. The dash and verve of this cosmopolitan bird have been admired for millennia, appearing in creation myths, imperial regalia, and cultural iconography, and they were once valued as highly as gold. Artists used their iridescent feathers in Tian-tsui, an iconic style of Chinese fine art, for more than 2,400 years.
The magnificent temples at Angkor Wat in Cambodia owe their existence in part to the great wealth generated by the live kingfisher trade from the Indochina Peninsula. As a muse, kingfishers have influenced philosophers, playwrights, and artists, from the Roman poet Ovid to Carl Jung, Charles Darwin, and others. More recently, bio-mimicry engineers have turned to kingfishers for inspiration.
This beautifully illustrated book delves into the origins and diversity of the more than 120 species of kingfishers, from the burly kookaburras to the diminutive birds that daringly pluck spiders off webs, defining their characteristics, their differences, their lifestyles, and their cultural significance around the world.
Series: Animal
View all-
Squid
This book traces the many ways humans have thought about and pictured squids. In myths and legends, squids are portrayed as fearsome sea-monsters, lurking in the watery deeps waiting to devour humans. Even as modern science has tried to turn those monsters of the deep into unremarkable calamari, squids continue to dominate the nightmares of the Western imagination. Taking inspiration...Paperback$3499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Beaver
Beaver by Rachel Poliquin explores the storied history of this small, often forgotten animal. Poliquin examines why the beaver has been hunted throughout the years, from its fur to the scent produced by its musk gland, as well as looking at the unique way in which beavers form their societies. She also discusses how beavers are not only builders but...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Hedgehog
A natural and cultural history of the hedgehog, an animal that has had a close connection with people since the dawn of civilisation. This book explores the symbolism of the animal, from Romans who regarded it as a weather prophet, to Sonic the Hedgehog and children's books today. Hedgehog also describes the evolution, behaviour, habitat, and diet of this beautiful,...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Sloth
Sloths are perhaps the most recognised and loved Central and South American animals. Despite their renown and popularity as cartoon characters, toys, and memes, they are not well understood. This book offers a colourful, richly illustrated, and wide-ranging account of the biological and cultural history of these fascinating mammals. Alan Rauch explores sloths' gigantic prehistoric ancestors and their evolution into...Paperback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Hyena
In almost every culture, hyenas are regarded as nasty, scheming charlatans, skulking in the back alleyways of the animal kingdom. Scorned as little more than scavenging carrion-eaters, vandals and thieves, since the earliest times hyenas have been both mistreated and misunderstood. In her new account, Mikita Brottman offers an alternative view, showing that the hyena is, in fact, a complex,...Paperback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Human
What does it mean to be human? And what, if anything, does it have to do with being a member of the animal species Homo sapiens? This dazzling book gets to the very heart of our rather unscientific motivations and prejudices, showing how they are of great use in resolving the world's biggest problems. From beasts to aliens, widespread but...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Nightingale
The nightingale holds a unique place in cultural history: the most prized of songbirds, it has inspired more poems than any other creature and is also the most mythologised of birds. Nightingale juxtaposes the bird of poetry, music, myth, and lore with the living bird of wood and scrubland, unpicking the entangled relationship between them. Covering a vast range of...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Lion
Majestic, noble, brave lions, with their tawny coats and luminous eyes, have inspired countless stories, traditions, and beliefs. Whether we are seduced by their beauty or drawn to danger, we want to be near them. No other animal has had such an enduring symbolic resonance; lions have been painted on wood and canvas, chiselled in stone, cast in metal, and...Paperback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Cuckoo
An entertaining and wide-ranging romp through the cultural history of a peculiar bird. The common cuckoo is a peculiar bird, one that has lent its name to the otherworldly 'Cloud Cuckoo Land' in Aristophanes' play The Birds, and lent its two-note song to the classic cuckoo clock. Even while the cuckoo has long symbolised exuberance or foolishness, at the same...Paperback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Chicken
Chicken introduces us to the surprisingly complex world of the chicken, tracing the evolution of jungle fowl and the domestication of chickens by humans. Annie Potts describes the ways in which chickens experience the world, form families and friendships, communicate with each other, and play, bond and grieve. The author also explores practices such as egg-rolling, the cockfight, wishbone-pulling and...Paperback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Deer
The Celts called them 'fairy cattle' and the Greeks associated them with the hunter-goddess Artemis, but for most people today, deer are seen as cute, like Bambi, or noble, like the Monarch of the Glen. Deer appear on coats of arms, in fine art, and in literature. In Deer, veterinarian and deer farmer John Fletcher brings together the cultural and...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Wasp
Fear and fascination set wasps apart from other insects. Despite their iconic form and distinctive colours, they are surrounded by myth and misunderstanding. Often portrayed in cartoon-like stereotypes bordering on sad parody, wasps have an unwelcome and undeserved reputation for aggressiveness bordering on vindictive spite. This mistrust is deep-seated in a human history that has awarded commercial and spiritual value...Paperback$3499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Kingfisher by Ildiko Szabo explores the diverse size, behaviour, and stunning colours of kingfishers, which have inspired literature, mythology, and art. The book discusses these birds' influence on scientific thought, including works by Darwin and Freud, and their cultural significance in Eastern traditions. Bioengineers have been inspired by the kingfisher's visual and aerodynamic features. Readers are offered extensive insights into bird lore across history and cultures in this well-illustrated volume.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781789141399
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 16 September 2019
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Reaktion Books
Illustration: 100 illustrations, 90 in colour
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 135.0mm
Height: 190.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 200
About the Author
Ildiko Szabo is Collections Curator of the Cowan Tetrapod Collection at the University of British Columbia Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Vancouver. She is the co-author of British Columbia Pelagic Marine Copepoda: An Identification Manual and Annotated Bibliography (1982).
More from Science & Nature
View all-
Nuclear War
The Sunday Times bestselling non-fiction thriller that has to be read to be believed. Baillie Gifford shortlisted, a favourite of Steven Bartlett, with an average reader rating of 4.6, sure to be a mass-market hit. Up to now, no one outside of official circles has known exactly what would happen if a rogue state launched a nuclear missile at the...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Anxious Generation
A powerful argument for reclaiming childhood—and all human relationships—from the online world, from the influential social psychologist and international bestselling author. Jonathan Haidt has spent his career speaking truth and wisdom in some of the most difficult spaces—communities polarised by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the mental health emergency hitting teenagers today in many countries around...Paperback$2299Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Prisoners of Geography
Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present, and future to offer crucial insights into one of the major factors that determine world history – because if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture. Originally published in 2015, this completely revised and updated edition brings it up to date with the events and trends of the past...Paperback$2899Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Ultra-Processed People
Launching the runaway bestseller with ambitions to be the biggest non-fiction paperback of the year IT'S NOT YOU. IT'S THE FOOD. "If you only read one diet or nutrition book in your life, make it this one" - Bee Wilson "You've got to get this book in your life . . . Completely compelling . . . Read a page...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Kitchen Confidential
The classic bestseller from the star of Parts Unknown and No Reservations: 25th Anniversary edition, with a new introduction by Irvine Welsh. BEFORE THERE WAS THE BEAR, THERE WAS BOURDAIN. ‘Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino’ — A.A. Gill ‘Fantastic: as lip-smackingly seductive as a bowl of fat chips and pungent aioli’ — Daily Telegraph After twenty-five years of sex,...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Sapiens
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is an extraordinary exploration of humanity's history from the dawn of our species to the present day. Harari delves into our evolution, offering insights into the cognitive revolutions that allowed Homo sapiens to rise above other animal species. Traversing through various stages of human development, he examines the Agricultural Revolution, the unification of humankind through...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Talk
A Harvard professor shows how we can become better talkers - and why effective conversation will help us all thrive. Conversation is at the heart of our relationships and decision-making, but the science behind our everyday interactions, and how to improve them, is little known. In Talk, Harvard Professor Alison Wood Brooks provides fascinating insights into the power of effective...Paperback$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Clean & Green
Simple swaps and innovative ideas for cleaning and maintaining your home that won't cost the Earth. Learn how easy it is to make simple swaps in your cleaning and tidying methods for a more eco-friendly home. This beautifully illustrated black and white guide with 101 hints and sustainable, natural cleaning tips and hacks will help you take small steps that...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
18% offThe Genetic Book of the Dead
From one of the world’s great science writers, a book that explores the deepest principles of evolutionary history. In this groundbreaking new approach to the evolution of all life, Richard Dawkins shows how the body, behaviour, and genes of every living creature can be read as a book – an archive of the worlds of its ancestors. A perfectly camouflaged...Hardback$4000Elsewhere:$5499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Coming Wave
The instant Sunday Times bestseller from the ultimate AI insider - the only book you need to read on this subject. An Economist, Financial Times, Guardian, Prospect and Sunday Times Book of the Year Shortlisted for the FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year This is the only book you need to understand our new world - from the...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Breath
Discover the transformative power of breathing in Breath by esteemed journalist James Nestor. This revolutionary book delves into the science and history of one of the most fundamental human activities - breathing. From the bustling streets of São Paulo to the serene temples of India, Nestor embarks on a global journey to uncover the secrets of ancient breathing techniques such...Paperback$2100Elsewhere:$2600Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Murder Before Evensong
THE INSTANTLY ICONIC NO. 1 BESTSELLER 'I've been waiting for a novel with vicars, rude old ladies, murder and sausage dogs... et voila!' Dawn French 'Cosy crime with a cutting edge' Telegraph 'Whodunnit fans can give praise and rejoice' Ian Rankin 'Charming and funny' Observer 'Even better than I knew it would be' India Knight 'Quintessentially English' Sunday Express 'An...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
Science & Nature lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!
