Birds may be the most fascinating animals of all. Their variety is astounding, their beauty is mesmerizing and their ability to fly makes us feel envious and limited. The urge to become like the birds has driven us to invent flying machines that can only hint at the marvellous freedom these creatures of the air must feel on the wing. 

From flightless giants like the ostrich and cassowary to miniature marvels like the hummingbird and chickadee, birds come in all sizes and shapes. Birds can be found in every environment from arctic oceans to the hottest deserts and the highest mountain peaks. Like mammals, birds have adapted to every place on Earth. 

By comparing the body structure of modern birds with the bones of extinct animals, we have come to the stunning realization that these feathered creatures are the living descendants of the dinosaurs. You can see this in the clawed feet and beaked mouths of the extinct reptiles. The earliest feathered reptiles such as the archaeopteryx and the microraptor look like lizards with wings and were surely learning how to fly. Birds, the modern flying dinosaurs, are offered in these colouring books to celebrate the wonderful natural theatre of colour, beauty, and diversity in this vast and endlessly fascinating feathered kingdom.