The Flying Zoo: Birds, Parasites, and the World They Share

"Most people regard lice with disgust, but we are fascinated by fleas, even considering them to be 'cute'–they are the panda bears of the flying zoo." An enthusiastic zoological tribute to birds and the parasites that live in and on them is revealed in Michael Stock’s exposé, The Flying Zoo. From the Crozet Archipelago and the Galapagos Islands to our backyards, parasites—fleas, lice, ticks, flukes—live in both sinister and symbiotic interdependency with host birds. Written with a scientist’s exuberance of the beauty of pattern in nature, a co-evolutionary dance unfolds among an astounding cast of creatures living in a complex and paradoxical co-habitation. It is the contemporary follow-up to the classic Fleas, Flukes & Cuckoos. Students of biology, their instructors, and birders alike will want this volume on their shelves, as will natural history readers looking for a new tale of tails.