General Resources
The Life of Birds by
Based on the spectacular ten-part program on PBS, The Life of Birds is David Attenborough at his characteristic best: presenting the drama, beauty, and eccentricities of the natural world with unusual flair and intelligence. The renowned writer and filmmaker treks through rain forests and deserts, through city streets and isolated wilderness, to bring us an illuminating panorama of every aspect of birds' lives--from their songs to their search for food, from their eggs and nests to their mastery of the air. Beautifully illustrated with more than a hundred color photographs, the book will delight and inform both bird lovers and any general reader with an interest in nature. Attenborough begins at the beginning: reviewing ideas about how and when creatures first took to the air--and why ostriches, kiwis, and other flightless birds later returned to the ground. He introduces us to the marvels of flight. We encounter the albatross, which can soar for hours without flapping its wings; hummingbirds that beat their wings two hundred times a minute; and the swift, which eats, sleeps, and mates in mid-air. We read about birds' extraordinary methods of hunting and gathering--about crows that use twigs and leaves to hook and harpoon insects, and eagles that can stamp venomous snakes to death. Attenborough explains why and how birds sing and why many have such dazzling plumage. He reviews courtship and mating strategies, including the extravagant dances of cranes and the bizarre and ornate pavilions that male bowerbirds build to attract females. We learn how birds defend their young against predators. Attenborough explains how birds have colonized the globe more effectively than any other vertebrates, adapting to Antarctic winters and African summers, to vast oceans and the densest, most polluted cities. He also outlines the threat that humans pose to many species, showing how we have already driven many to extinction. The book presents birds in all their complexity and glory, revealing in clear and elegant prose Attenborough's infectious sense of wonder about the rich variety of life on Earth.
Call Number: QL698.3 .A88 1998ISBN: 9780691016337Publication Date: 1998-10-18
Speciation in Birds by
Asking how speciation contributes to some of the great patterns in species diversity, Speciation in Birds explores the roles of natural selection and sexual selection in the most authoritative and modern synthesis on the subject to date.
Call Number: QL677.3 .P75 2008ISBN: 9780974707785Publication Date: 2007-07-01
The Origin and Evolution of Birds by
An exploration of all that is known about the origin of birds and of avian flight. It draws on fossil evidence and studies of the structure and biochemistry of living birds to present knowledge and data on avian evolution and to propose a new model of this evolutionary process.
Call Number: QL677.3 .F43 1999ISBN: 0300078617Publication Date: 1999-08-11
Bird Species by
The average person can name more bird species than they think, but do we really know what a bird "species" is? This open access book takes up several fascinating aspects of bird life to elucidate this basic concept in biology. From genetic and physiological basics to the phenomena of bird song and bird migration, it analyzes various interactions of birds - with their environment and other birds. Lastly, it shows imminent threats to birds in the Anthropocene, the era of global human impact. Although it seemed to be easy to define bird species, the advent of modern methods has challenged species definition and led to a multidisciplinary approach to classifying birds. One outstanding new toolbox comes with the more and more reasonably priced acquisition of whole-genome sequences that allow causative analyses of how bird species diversify. Speciation has reached a final stage when daughter species are reproductively isolated, but this stage is not easily detectable from the phenotype we observe. Culturally transmitted traits such as bird song seem to speed up speciation processes, while another behavioral trait, migration, helps birds to find food resources, and also coincides with higher chances of reaching new, inhabitable areas. In general, distribution is a major key to understanding speciation in birds. Examples of ecological speciation can be found in birds, and the constant interaction of birds with their biotic environment also contributes to evolutionary changes. In the Anthropocene, birds are confronted with rapid changes that are highly threatening for some species. Climate change forces birds to move their ranges, but may also disrupt well-established interactions between climate, vegetation, and food sources. This book brings together various disciplines involved in observing bird species come into existence, modify, and vanish. It is a rich resource for bird enthusiasts who want to understand various processes at the cutting edge of current research in more detail. At the same time it offers students the opportunity to see primarily unconnected, but booming big-data approaches such as genomics and biogeography meet in a topic of broad interest. Lastly, the book enables conservationists to better understand the uncertainties surrounding "species" as entities of protection.
Call Number: QL677 .B55 2018ISBN: 9783319916880Publication Date: 2018-11-27
Facing Extinction by
An authoritative study of extinction in birds, with case studies of 20 critically endangered species and the research initiatives designed to save them. Almost two hundred species of birds have become extinct in the past 400 years, and a similar number today are in imminent danger of following them. The world's conservationists are leading the fight to prevent the demise of these remaining critically endangered birds, with a fair degree of success. This new book examines the process and issues concerning extinction - how and why it happens and what can be done about it. Whilst man is to blame for many of the causes, such as persecution and habitat loss, species have become extinct on a regular basis since life began. After several thought-provoking introductory chapters, the book showcases about 20 species on the brink of extinction from around the world and describes the work that is being undertaken to save them. Some are success stories, but a few are not. This is a subject close to the hearts of all birders and ornithologists and this book, written by a team of leading conservationists, will strike a chord in most of them.
Call Number: QL676.7 .F33 2013ISBN: 9781408189665Publication Date: 2013-10-24
The World of Birds by
The ultimate illustrated, authoritative reference to the avian world. Written by a highly regarded ornithologist and natural history expert and sumptuously illustrated throughout with photographs and illustrations, The World of Birds is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to every aspect of bird life and a concise survey of the world's orders and families. Jonathan Elphick begins by defining the distinguishing features of birds before going on to describe their evolution since the age of the dinosaurs. With the aid of fact boxes and clear photographs, he then explores in greater detail each of the significant elements of bird life. Topics include: bird biology including anatomy, walking and swimming, plumage, calls and songs flight techniques and styles food and feeding bird lifestyles and social relationships breeding, growth and development bird geography and habitats the mysteries of migration. He also considers human attitudes towards birds through the ages. The book contains a comprehensive survey of the world's birds (including extinct species), detailing every one of the 29 orders and each of the approximately 200 families. Reflecting the latest classification changes to the Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, it explains how birds are classified and provides an outline of the system of classification. With special photography from award-winning wildlife photographer David Tipling, this book is a unique insight into the world of birds and essential reading for all ornithologists, bird watchers and natural history enthusiasts.
Call Number: QL673 .E52 2014ISBN: 9781770853041Publication Date: 2014-09-11
Birds by
Praise for his book The World of Birds: "All chapters are profusely illustrated with beautiful photographs, which complement the text well, and the result is an excellent reference book that will occupy shelves in many libraries. For those needing just one general bird reference, this might be it. Summing up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries." -- Choice "An outstanding achievement" -- Quarterly Review of Biology "It's the photographs that will keep readers turning pages" -- Publishers Weekly The World of Birds focused primarily on the taxonomy of birds with coverage of the 32 orders and 195 families of birds. It included information on avian biology but not comprehensive coverage. Birds: A Complete Guide to their Biology and Behavior does exactly that, in a shorter, more affordable book. Highly respected ornithologist and wildlife expert Jonathan Elphick begins by defining the distinguishing features of birds before going on to describe their evolution since the age of the dinosaurs. With the aid of fact boxes and clear photographs, he explores in greater detail each of the significant elements of bird life: bird biology including anatomy walking and swimming plumage calls and songs flight techniques and styles food and feeding bird lifestyles and social relationships breeding, growth and development bird geography and habitats the mysteries of migration. He also considers human attitudes towards birds through the ages. With special photography from award-winning wildlife photographer David Tipling and many other top bird photographers, this book is a unique insight into the world of birds and essential reading for all ornithologists, bird watchers and natural history enthusiasts.
Call Number: QL673 .E47 2016ISBN: 9781770857629Publication Date: 2016-10-01
The Sibley Guide to Birds, Second Edition by
A thoroughly updated and expanded edition of David Allen Sibley's classic guide to birding. "Undoubtedly the finest guide to North American birds."--Guy McCaskie, Birding The publication of The Sibley Guide to Birds, First Edition quickly established David Allen Sibley as the author and illustrator of the nation's supreme and most comprehensive guide to birds. Used by millions of birders from novices to the most expert, The Sibley Guide became the standard by which natural history guides are measured. The second edition builds on this foundation of excellence, offering massively expanded and updated information, new paintings, new and rare species, and a new, elegant design. The second edition of this handsome, flexibound volume offers a wealth of improvements and updates: * All illustrations reproduced 15 to 20 percent larger for better detail. * Includes nearly 7,000 paintings digitally remastered from original art for enhanced print quality. * Expanded text includes habitat information and voice description for every species and more tips on finding birds in the field. * More than 600 new paintings, including illustrations of 115 rare species and additional paintings of common species and regional populations. * More than 700 updated maps of ranges, showing winter, summer, year-round, migration, and rare ranges. * 85 bird family pages now cross-referenced to species accounts. * Revised taxonomic order and most current common names for every species. The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition, brings the genius of David Allen Sibley to the world once again in a volume that every birder must own.
Call Number: QL681 .S497 2014ISBN: 9780307957900Publication Date: 2014-03-11
The Life of Birds by Call Number: QL698.3 .L54 2002ISBN: 9780790771175BBC produced in association with PBS
3 videodiscs (580 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in.
DVD.
- Cornell Lab: All About Birds Our mission is to interpret and conserve the Earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds and nature.
