Photographer and TV icon Reg Grundy OBE has launched a new book of wildlife that includes Bermuda longtails.

Mr Grundy is renowned locally for his photographs of the Island’s white-tailed tropicbird, which adorned the walls of LF Wade International Airport.

His new book, Mother and Child, takes the reader from “the red soil of the Arabian Peninsula to snowy, polar bear-inhabited corners of the Arctic”.

Published by Glitterati New York, the book is a tribute to “the world’s resilient animal mothers and their babies”.

Born in Australia, Mr Grundy and his wife Joy moved to Bermuda in 1982, when his “love affair” with the Bermuda longtail began.

The birds nest in the cliffs of their house and in August 2009, Mr Grundy claimed to be the first to record a fledgling making its initial flight.

He highlights his passion for the bird in his introduction, writing: “I do have a favourite bird: the glorious longtail of Bermuda, which I have been photographing consistently for 30 years.

“It is a magical miracle of flight, sweeping majestically in the sky with its pristine white body and its longtail of black and white feathers gliding behind. Joy says that if I come back to Earth I’ll be a longtail. I wouldn’t mind that a bit.”

Mr Grundy has published several photography books, including Bermuda Longtail, which was distributed to all of Bermuda’s schools.

He created the largest independent television company in the world, Grundy Worldwide, and was known internationally for his introduction of TV series Neighbours in the mid 1980s. He has won several awards during his career, including the International Emmy for accomplishments by an individual whose work is recognised throughout the world, as well as the OBE.

Mother and Child will be available in BookMart at the Phoenix Pharmacy within a week.