The Glitter in the Green

In Search of Hummingbirds

By: Jon Dunn

Narrated by: James Edward Thomas

An acclaimed natural history writer follows the trail of the remarkable hummingbird all over the world.

Hummingbirds are a glittering, sparkling collective of over three hundred wildly variable species. For centuries, they have been revered by indigenous Americans, coveted by European collectors, and admired worldwide for their unsurpassed metallic plumage and immense character. Yet they exist on a knife-edge, fighting for survival in boreal woodlands, dripping cloud forests, and subpolar islands. They are, perhaps, the ultimate embodiment of evolution's power to carve a niche for a delicate creature in even the harshest of places.

Traveling the full length of the hummingbirds' range, from the cusp of the Arctic Circle to near-Antarctic islands, acclaimed nature writer Jon Dunn encounters birders, scientists, and storytellers in his quest to find these beguiling creatures, immersing us in the world of one of Earth's most charismatic bird families.

Critic reviews

“Jon Dunn’s book is an adventure-filled, continent-spanning travelogue. It is also meticulously researched. By carefully peeling back layers of history to find shimmering hummingbirds hidden within, Dunn has created essential reading to understand human obsession—past and present—with these remarkable creatures.”—Jonathan C. Slaght, author of Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl

“Glittering gems of the Americas and nowhere else on Earth, hummingbirds lure Jon Dunn from Alaska to Chile in this whizzing travelogue of hummer natural history. In an adventure replete with pop culture and literary references, Dunn treks deserts and jungles, investigates a slaughter of hummingbirds for love potions, unmasks the real James Bond, and in Colombia sees an otherworldly hummer, ‘like some enameled god fallen to earth.’ The book is that exquisite.”—Dan Flores, author of the New York Times bestseller Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History

“More than just an observant birdwatcher, Jon Dunn is a talented traveler and writer, capturing just the right details of people and place to make his hummingbird odyssey come alive. The Glitter in the Green is a vivid exploration of a dazzling subject.”
—Thor Hanson, author of Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees

“This is more than a bird book, but still, it is. It combines one person’s adventure with arguably the most spectacular group of birds in the world: hummingbirds! The immensely talented writer Jon Dunn follows these highly diverse jewels from Alaska, down the Americas to Tierra del Fuego, and weaves an environmental and cultural dialogue around these hummers and the human-dominated world they live in.”
—Joel Cracraft, Curator in Charge, Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History

“Dunn chronicles his travels from his home in the Shetland Islands to the Americas in search of this alluring bird.... A mesmerizing, wonder-filled nature study that also serves as a cautionary tale about wildlife conservation.”—Kirkus

“Natural history writer Dunn takes readers on a wondrous globe-trotting pilgrimage to seek out hummingbirds as their populations are threatened... Dunn’s vivid prose, balanced with just the right amount of detail, will captivate birders and non-birders alike.”—Publishers Weekly

“An engaging history of the species… This inviting narrative describes the author’s search for the rare Mangrove Hummingbird in Costa Rica, as well as others threatened with habitat loss in Cuba and Mexico… Notably, the author takes care to consider the place of hummingbirds in the history, literature, and cultures of their locales. Dunn writes passionately…”—Library Journal

Breathtaking natural exploration.

Enjoyed immensely. Anyone even slightly interested in the hummingbird looking to learn more will experience them in a way even being out there searching won't bring them by 'reading' [/reading] this book. Well researched & well Dunn [/done], all around. Prose & poetry in word & deed.

Incompetent reader

The narrator for the audio book was a poor choice. For a book with so much Spanish, it was a poor decision to hire a narrator that butchered the language. Also the writer is British so that fact should have influenced the choice of reader. The content was also repetitive to the point of boredom. Very disappointint.

Interesting

The story was just as it says a journey of hummingbirds! Great descriptions and good stories of the journey with some very interesting historical inserts to keep it exciting.

Great book but poor narration

As a beginner birder, I was primed to love the content of this book, and I did. However, from the very beginning, the narrator’s voice felt as a mismatch. His pronunciation of non-English words is horrible and it made me cringe. Until they find another narrator, I would suggest to just read the book.

Intriguing profile of the most unique and beloved bird family

Even as an experience birdwatcher and hummingbird fan, I learned a ton about this most amazing family of birds. The history of mankind’s obsession with hummers was particularly interesting and at times tragic.