Too many people have taken the time to bash this exquisite and wonderful film that celebrates the avian life on earth. I, for one, take offense to their lies and misleading "facts". First of all, there are TWO bird-hunting scenes in the film. One takes place in the Adirondack Mountains of New York and involves snow geese and the other takes place in a marsh somewhere in EUROPE and involves greylag geese.

Second, to obtain the spectacular footage for the film, the birds shown in the film HAD to be IMPRINTED. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to film them up-close on their migration routes. Which wild birds do you know of that would let filmmakers fly close to them while they are flying their migration routes? Answer that, critics of the film!!!!

Third, the birds were taken to a wildlife sanctuary in Normandy, France, after the filming was over. They are taken care of by seven workers.

This film is GORGEOUS and all bird lovers should see it. Ignore the people who feel compelled to bash it.

After having read Errol Fuller's book "Extinct Birds", I felt lucky and honored to be able to see up close and personal today's birds in wonderful flight. Fuller's book contains illustrations and descriptions of so many EXTINCT birds that it saddened me. Watching "Winged Migration" has uplifted my spirits. Man has caused the extinction of at least 75 bird species since the year 1600. Be glad that a small percentage, but wide variety, of today's bird species are captured on film for your viewing pleasure and for posterity. If passenger pigeons, which once numbered in the BILLIONS, were still alive today, I have no doubt that footage of their SPECTACULAR mass migration flights would be included in this film. Such footage would make the starling flight footage in the film look puny in comparison.

Fantastic landscapes, complete with the obligatory French swipe at America. The one and only scene in the film which depicts wild birds being shot out of the air by hunters takes place in, you guessed it...

According to the film's credits:

"The hunting scene was filmed in North America, on sites where it takes place every year."

As if the sport of bird hunting is somehow limited to North America, or was introduced to the world by North America.

And Duck L'Orange isn't a French dish?

At least for me, the swipe detracted greatly from this otherwise wonderful film.

The images of the birds flying were so lovely....I really liked this video, as I love birds, but I have to admit, in the middle of the DVD, I was a bit bored. Beautiful video, just not for someone who likes exciting films, but over all, very good. I would reccomend "Winged Migration" to everyone who likes bird watching or calm, peaceful movies.

I originally reviewed this when it came out in the theaters, and now that I've experienced the DVD, I'm even more concerned. As many reviewers here have noted (to their peril!), this is not a National Geographic documentary. It is not agenda free. This vehicle is freighted with all kinds of "messages," so much so that the beauty of the birds gets caught in the net of earnestness.

No one can deny that the visual images presented to us in "Winged Migration" are breathtaking and unforgettable. What is forgettable is the narration that Perrin forces upon the images. In an apparent attempt to give the film some kind of symmetry or narrative arc, Perrin tries to tie it all together with insightful commentary.

There is literally nothing interesting in the narration nor is there any information offered that any high school science student couldn't offer as well. What's worse, there seems to be a "birds good, people bad" message underlying all of this.

Another annoyance is the effort to unite all these species of birds in the concept of migration. Honestly, can you honestly compare penguins and parrots with geese and finches? They may all be birds, but their stories and journeys are remarkably different.

The computer animation seems out of place as well, feeling like another attempt by the filmmakers to make the footage fit together. So much of it seems like an after-thought. The selection of which birds to include seems haphazard. Sure, they all look good on film, but is there truly anything unifying beyond, "They're all birds and they move from place to place."

The images don't need much commentary at all. The graphics tell us what bird is being featured and how far it travels. The commentary misses the most interesting aspects of the footage, namely the community of birds that we witness on the screen. Why try to extract a unifying theme at all. Lose the narrator and the "story" and just let the birds fly (or swim).

See this film for the beautiful images of birds in flight, but you'll have to forgive the awkward and contrived human element.

'Winged Migration', also released under the title, 'Travelling Birds', is like watching a beautiful ballet as we marvel at nature in all its splendour, movement and colour. Following the annual pilgrimage of birds across the globe, this French made film resonates with a cyclical rhythm beginning and ending near a stream somewhere in the countryside: Various scenes also show birds on their forward journey passing familiar landmarks or landing to greet a friendly farmer, then months later returning to these same points of contact with the Earth below.

The behaviour of our feathered friends is explained by following their flight through many different climatic and geographic conditions, with only minimal voice over narration. We see a bird entrapped by enormous crabs on a beach in Africa, a flock escaping an avalanche in the North Pole and being shot at by hunters in Europe. But mostly we are lifted up by the sight of birds soaring through the sky in such impressive and eye-popping close-up photography, that you often feel very much at one with them by seeing the world through their eyes. Whether it's traversing the spectacular peaks of Monument Valley, New York's Statue of Liberty or the River Seine in Paris, these 'starring' birds are a joy to watch. The sight of penguins standing on a beach looking out across the ocean is also a delight: One could swear they look like little people surveying the awesome scale of the surrounding elements. But again there is that wonderful dance, as flocks form giant spirally patterns on the edge of space.

It is not surprising then that this film has enjoyed such great success here, playing to full houses at many cinemas for months.