Birds: A Complete Guide to their Biology and Behavior

by Jonathan Elphick

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770857629
Publisher:	Firefly Books, Limited
Publication date:	10/01/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jonathan Elphick, FZS, FLS, is a wildlife writer, editor, consultant, lecturer and broadcaster, specializing in ornithology. During a career spanning almost 40 years, he has written many books including The World of Birds and the award-winning Birdwatcher's Handbook. He was researcher for Birds and People, the largest survey of cultural attitudes to birds worldwide, and spent five years as researcher on the acclaimed bestseller Birds Britannica. He lives in Exeter, UK.

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

1 Early Birds 6

2 Anatomy and Physiology 18

3 Flight 84

4 Food and Feeding 100

5 Bird Society and Populations 132

6 Breeding 146

7 Where Do Birds Live? 182

8 Migration 220

9 Birds and Humans 246

Index 268

Further information 271

Picture credits 272

Editorial Reviews

12/12/2016
Elphick (The World of Birds), a wildlife writer, lecturer, and broadcaster who specializes in ornithology, effectively communicates his lifelong fascination with birds in this detailed guide. He begins by taking readers back to “dinobirds,” birds’ feathered ancestors, describing their evolution and their remarkable anatomy. Then he discusses modern bird anatomy, flight, feeding, breeding, migration, habitats, society, and populations, as well as avian interactions with humans. Elphick is a brilliant storyteller who goes into just enough detail to hold readers’ attention as he describes the amazing intelligence of the striated heron, who drops bait in the water to attract the fish it preys on, or the Oriental Pied Hornbill’s large beak, which is mainly hollow and therefore less of a weighty encumbrance than it looks. The book delves into the disadvantages of flocking, discusses which birds are considered “extreme copulators,” and spends time on hunting and the cage bird trade, both of which have contributed to decreased numbers of birds. The text is complemented by great photographs and other illustrations on every page. This book will delight bird enthusiasts and serve as a useful reference. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Most public or academic libraries will want to purchase this book for circulation and/or reference. The price is right for such a handsomely illustrated book.

Jonathan F. Husbandn Reference Books Annual

Characterizing any book that claims to be a "complete guide" to anything is always difficult. However, as the reviewer perused through the work's pages, a more appropriate subtitle escaped him. Well-published ornithological author Elphick has produced a compendium of what any bird trivia expert would ever want to know about feathered creatures. The presented information is hardly novel and is available in various ornithology textbooks and other bird-oriented books that are generally available. But this is far from the typically dry textbook presentation. The material is fresh, very accessible, beautifully written, and punctuated with copious, high-quality photographs and paintings. The presented chapters and topics are predictable: "Early Birds," "Anatomy and Physiology," "Flight," "Food and Feeding," "Bird Society and Populations," and "Breeding." Concluding chapters discuss habitats, migration, and interactions with humans. Libraries lacking a good non-field guide bird reference should have a copy of this volume. Bird lovers and libraries with comprehensive ornithological holdings should own copies... Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above; faculty and general readers.

Choice - P. K. Lago

Most public or academic libraries will want to purchase this book for circulation and/or reference. The price is right for such a handsomely illustrated book.

American Reference Books Annual - Jonathan F. Husband