WASHINGTON (Aug. 6, 2012)—Each day, millions of gamers sling virtual “Angry Birds” at the green piggies that have stolen the birds’ eggs. Now it’s time to find out what a real-life Angry Bird looks like. National Geographic Books and Rovio, creator of the Angry Birds phenomenon, have teamed up to share tales of 50 avian aggressors known for their belligerent behavior.
In the lighthearted NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ANGRY BIRDS: 50 True Stories of the Fed up, Feathered, and Furious (National Geographic Books; ISBN 978-1-4262-0996-3; on-sale date: Sept. 25, 2012; $13.95 paperback), author and avian expert Mel White reveals fascinating facts about angry bird behavior and tips on how to stay clear of the furious fowl. Each amusing anecdote, which explains when and why the birds are at their meanest, also packs a scientific punch with interesting details about each featured bird and a “rap sheet” with its common name and genus; physical description; known whereabouts; aliases; and angry behaviors. The Adélie penguin, for example, is known for lunging, pecking and stealing nest rocks; the European starling aggressively evicts other birds from their nesting cavities; the northern fulmar kills by vomiting stomach oil; and the northern shrike impales prey on thorns for later feasting.
Structured like the Angry Birds game, which progresses by degree of difficulty, the book’s chapters progress in degrees of avian anger intensity, from Annoyed to Testy to Outraged to Furious. Readers will discover the world’s angriest real bird at the end. (Hint: It lives in Australia, New Zealand and parts of New Guinea.)
In addition to the real-life angry bird stories, the book shares information about the Angry Birds we all know and love from the hit game. In the book’s TOP SECRET pages, Angry Bird fans will learn the personality, name and other details of each of the iconic digital Angry Birds.
The book is richly illustrated with photographs of each of the 50 featured real-life birds, often depicted displaying their most aggressive behavior, as well as graphics from the game.
Designed to appeal to everyone from Angry Bird enthusiasts to real-life bird enthusiasts, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ANGRY BIRDS is a fun and informative read as well as a great tool for keeping yourself safe from fed-up, furious, feathered foes.
This is the second book on which National Geographic and Rovio have collaborated. In March 2012, “Angry Birds Space,” a companion book to the Angry Birds game of the same name, was published.
###