Handbook of Bird Biology
3. Edition September 2016
730 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Selected by Forbes.com as one of the 12 best books about birds and birding in 2016
This much-anticipated third edition of the Handbook of Bird Biology is an essential and comprehensive resource for everyone interested in learning more about birds, from casual bird watchers to formal students of ornithology. Wherever you study birds your enjoyment will be enhanced by a better understanding of the incredible diversity of avian lifestyles. Arising from the renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology and authored by a team of experts from around the world, the Handbook covers all aspects of avian diversity, behaviour, ecology, evolution, physiology, and conservation. Using examples drawn from birds found in every corner of the globe, it explores and distills the many scientific discoveries that have made birds one of our best known - and best loved - parts of the natural world.
This edition has been completely revised and is presented with more than 800 full color images. It provides readers with a tool for life-long learning about birds and is suitable for bird watchers and ornithology students, as well as for ecologists, conservationists, and resource managers who work with birds.
The Handbook of Bird Biology is the companion volume to the Cornell Lab's renowned distance learning course, Ornithology: Comprehensive Bird Biology.
Preface ix
Bird Academy Web Resources xiii
1 Why Study Birds? 1
Irby J. Lovette and John W. Fitzpatrick
2 Avian Diversity and Classification 7
Irby J. Lovette
3 How Birds Evolve 63
Irby J. Lovette
4 Feathers and Plumages 101
Kimberly Bostwick
5 Avian Flight 149
Bret W. Tobalske
6 Avian Anatomy 169
Howard E. Evans
7 Bird Physiology 215
Scott McWilliams, Elizabeth Adkins -Regan, and Carol Vleck
8 Avian Food and Foraging 265
Thomas W. Sherry
9 Avian Mating and Social Behavior 313
John Alcock
10 Avian Vocal Behavior 355
Bruce E. Byers and Donald E. Kroodsma
11 Breeding Biology of Birds 407
David W. Winkler
12 Avian Migration and Dispersal 453
David W. Winkler, Judy Shamoun -Baranes, and Theunis Piersma
13 Ecology of Bird Populations 495
Walter D. Koenig
14 Bird Communities 537
Russell S. Greenberg
15 Bird Conservation 579
John W. Fitzpatrick and Amanda D. Rodewald
Glossary 641
Index 657
Jared Diamond, Professor of Geography at the University of California-Los Angeles, specialist on New Guinea birds, and Pulitzer-Prize winning author.
"This new edition of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Handbook of Bird Biology is a stunning resource for professionals and amateurs alike. It is graced by color photos spilling off nearly every page and filled with clear yet detailed interpretations of the latest ornithological discoveries. One can't achieve a better mix of technical accuracy and a pleasing, accessible format. It's all here - bird evolution, ecology, physiology, conservation, and much more."
Scott V. Edwards, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology and Curator of Ornithology at Harvard University.
John Fitzpatrick is the Louis Agassiz Fuertes Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Professor in Cornell's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. His many contributions to ornithology and bird conservation include 140 scientific publications, discovery of seven previously unknown bird species in Peru, 45 years leading one of the world's longest continuous studies of the ecology and behavior of a wild bird population, the Florida Scrub-Jay, and service on numerous conservation boards and panels. He is past president of the American Ornithologists' Union and the recipient of that society's highest awards for research (William Brewster Medal), conservation (Ralph W. Schreiber Award), and service (Marion Jenkinson Award).
