How many bird species are there in the world and how many individual birds? And how do you even try to count? 

Do bird sweat, and how is their eyesight or sense of smell? What makes some eggs solid blue and others speckled brown, or are any two species’eggs the same size and shape and color? Well, these are just a tiny fraction of the disparate and fascinating questions answered in the new book called “Birdpedia” by today’s guest, Christopher Leahy.  

Christopher Leahy retired in June 2017 from a 45-year career as a professional conservationist with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and was for 16 years director of its Center for Biological Conservation. He’s the author of numerous books, most recently, “Birdpedia: A Brief Compendium of Avian Lore,” our topic today. 

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