Feathers of Aotearoa

As a nature artist, Niels Meyer-Westfeld has drawn horns, hooves, skin, scales, and fur, but nothing is as versatile as feathers. In Feathers of Aotearoa, he explores the feathers of Aotearoa’s native birds, from the long wing feathers of an albatross that enable it to soar endlessly over the oceans, to the tiny, insulating feathers of a penguin.

Feathers are one of nature’s most remarkable evolutionary developments, an ingenious solution to the countless environmental challenges that birds face. In this book, the author showcases examples of feathers from New Zealand birds, including those used for various styles of flight, those adapted for diving and swimming, and others designed for insulation, light absorption or reflection, hearing, sound production, social displays, camouflage, and deception.

This exquisitely illustrated book, which combines artwork with compelling insights, will reveal a largely unknown aspect of the avian world and will appeal to anyone with an interest in our unique bird life.