Download or read book The Growth and Development of Birds written by Raymond J. O'Conner and published by . This book was released on 1984-10-08 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book to approach the morphological, physiological and behavioral development of birds from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. Following the natural development from embyro to mature bird, it covers traditional topics such as breeding biology, egg and clutch size, and breeding success, but integrates these subjects with recent information on energetics, thermoregulation, and mortality rates. This approach allows new insights into previously unrelated phenomena such as mate recognition, navigational ability, song, sibling aggression and fratricide.

Download or read book Avian Growth and Development written by J. Matthias Starck and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1998 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first re-appraisal in 50 years of concepts of development made in birds. This book is a case study in evolutionary diversification of life histories. Although birds have a rather uniform body plan and physiology, they exhibit marked variation in development type, parental care, and rate of growth. Altricial birds are fully dependent on their parents for warmth and nutrition and begin posthatching life in a more or less embryonic condition. At the other extreme, such superprecocial species as the megapodes are independent of all parental care from hatching, and the neonate, able to fly, resembles an adult bird. This book thus attempts to present an integrative perspective of organism biology, ecology, and evolution.

Download or read book Ptilochronology written by Thomas C. Grubb and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006-06-29 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book to summarize the methods, conceptual issues and results of studies using the interpretation of feather growth rates as an index of nutritional condition in birds. The author has coined the term ptilochronology (literally, 'the study of feather time') to describe this technique, which relies on the fact that as a feather grows it produces visible growth bars. Both the technique and its conceptual foundations have been applied worldwide to numerous studies ofavian evolution, ecology, and conservation biology. The author reviews this work, chronicles the various criticisms that have been made, and describes how these have influenced the development of ptilochronology. He goes on to suggest experimental methodologies and analytical techniques to safeguardagainst invalid results. A final chapter summarises this new technique's contribution to avian biology, and suggests potential applications and a future research agenda. An appendix details specific measurements and describes the methodology associated with ptilochronology.Ptilochronology provides a practical resource as well as a conceptual understanding of how this technique can be used to address important questions in avian biology. It will be of relevance and use to professional avian biologists and ornithologists as well as to graduate students of avian behavioural ecology, evolution and conservation.

Download or read book The Origin and Evolution of Birds written by Alan Feduccia and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Biology of Marine Birds written by E. A. Schreiber and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2001-08-16 with total page 706 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biology of Marine Birds provides the only complete summary of information about marine birds ever published. It analyzes their breeding biology, ecology, taxonomy, evolution, fossil history, physiology, energetics, and conservation. The book covers four orders of marine birds in detail and includes two summary chapters that address the biology of shorebirds and wading birds and their lives in the marine environment. Summary tables give detailed information on various aspects of their life histories, breeding biology, physiology and energetics, and demography. It provides a guide to ornithologists and students for research projects.

Download or read book Baby Birds written by Julie Zickefoose and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2016-04-12 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you’ve ever wondered what goes on in bird nests, or what happens after a fledgling leaves the nest, come along on Julie’s sensitive exploration of often-uncharted ornithological ground. This beautiful book is as much an art book as it is a natural history, something readers have come to expect from Julie Zickefoose. More than 400 watercolor paintings show the breathtakingly swift development of seventeen different species of wild birds. Sixteen of those species nest on Julie's wildlife sanctuary, so she knows the birds intimately, and writes about them with authority. To create the bulk of this extraordinary work, Julie would borrow a wild nestling, draw it, then return it to its nest every day until it fledged. Some were orphans she raised by hand, giving the ultimate insider’s glimpse into their lives. In sparkling prose, Julie shares a lifetime of insight about bird breeding biology, growth, and cognition. As an artist and wildlife rehabilitator, Julie possesses a unique skill set that includes sketching and painting rapidly from life as well as handling delicate hatchlings. She is uniquely positioned to create such an opus, and in fact, nothing like it has ever been attempted. Julie has many fans, and she will gain many more with this unparalleled work.

Download or read book Atlas of Chick Development written by Ruth Bellairs and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2005-09-15 with total page 495 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This outstanding work is the only modern book devoted to the chick embryo and has been an essential resource for geneticists, molecular and developmental biologists, and other life scientists who use the chick embryo as their research model. This new enlarged and updated second edition is published in response to continuing demand. The text provides a detailed description of development, from fertilization to hatching, with emphasis on the earlier stages though also covering individual organ systems in detail. There are reviews of the more recent molecular research and a new section highlighting the important landmarks in the history of chick embryology which have had an impact on our understanding of developmental processes. The book is beautifully illustrated with 74 text-figures and over 500 photographs, including nearly 200 new scanning electron micrographs. - Updated and expanded text to accompany diagrams - More than 200 new labelled scanning electron micrographs showing individual tissues in great detail - Reviews of recent molecular research - Discusses the roles of genes such as Hox genes, BMPs, and sonic hedgehog during early development - New sections on genetical anomalies, techniques, and the poultry industry

Download or read book Bird Love written by Wenfei Tong and published by . This book was released on 2020-03-03 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring the sex life of birds and their wide range of fascinating mating and parenting habits, this comprehensive study gives you a detailed insight into bird family life. Discover the amazing array of courtship techniques employed by birds around the world, such as ospreys bringing gifts of food in exchange for sex, male skylarks performing aerial acrobatics to impress females, or long-tailed widowbirds showing off their tails to advertise the quality of their genes. But it's not all about males seeking to impress or dominate females: sex roles can be reversed, and the book includes examples such as the black coucal, whose females leave the males to perform all childcare duties. The essential guide to bird family life, Bird Love is richly illustrated with stunning colour photographs, and regular Backyard Bird boxes in each chapter showcase familiar species from around the world. There is also an index and further reading at the back of the book for those wanting to learn more about the many different species of birds in this book! Bird Love covers a whole host of unique bird mating and parenting habits, from practical to peculiar, and is divided into sections on: Ecology and Mating Systems, Courtship, Nests and Eggs, Raising Chicks, Sex Role Reversals, Group Breeding, Brood Parasitism. From female hornbills who seal themselves in to their tree hollow nests, relying on their mates to deliver food through a narrow slit, to the eclectus parrots of Melanesia, whose females fight each other to secure a home due to the limited availability of nesting spots, and who can if succesful enjoy up to seven mates, this book is filled with wild stories of the lengths birds will go to survive and thrive in the wild. Varying levels of parental care are revealed, from both parents having to provide constant care to allowing an insurance chick to die to ensure at least one survives. And either sex can desert the nest in search of further matings to secure another clutch of chicks and the continuation of their family line. Brood parasitism, where birds such as cuckoos and cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds' nests, takes absentee parenting to the extreme and the book explores how these species have evolved to delegate all parental care. Alongside, it also shows how host species have cleverly developed a wide range of tactics to defend their nests and their own families. This complete guide is the ultimate study in the mating and parenting lives of birds of all kinds, and is the perfect gift for either a seasoned ornithologist or an amateur bird fancier. Stunning photographs accompany the deep scientific knowledge of author Wenfei Tong, making this a must have for anyone interestered in avian life!

Download or read book Avian Migration written by Peter Berthold and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 601 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: P. Berthold and E. Gwinnd Bird migration is an intriguing aspect of the living world - so much so that it has been investigated for as long, and as thoroughly, as almost any other natural phenomenon. Aristotle, who can count as the founder of scientific ornithology, paid very close attention to the migrations of the birds he ob served, but it was not until the reign of Friedrich II, in the first half of the 13th century, that reliable data began to be obtained. From then on, the data base grew rapidly. Systematic studies of bird migration were introduced when the Vogelwarte Rossitten was founded, as the first ornithological biological observation station in the world (see first chapter "In Memory of Vogelwarte Rossitten"). This area later received enormous impetus when ex perimental research on the subject was begun: the large-scale bird-ringing experiment initiated in Rossitten in 1903 by Johannes Thienemann (who was inspired by the pioneering studies of C. C. M. Mortensen), the experiments on photoperiodicity carried out by William Rowan in the 1920s in Canada and retention and release experiments performed by Thienemann in the 1930s in Rossitten, the first experimental study on the orientation of migratory birds. After the Second World War, migration research, while continuing in the previous areas, also expanded into new directions such as radar ornithology, ecophysiology and hormonal control mechanisms, studies of evolution, ge netics, telemetry and others.

Download or read book The Book of Eggs written by Mark E. Hauber and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2014-08-01 with total page 657 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the brilliantly green and glossy eggs of the Elegant Crested Tinamou—said to be among the most beautiful in the world—to the small brown eggs of the house sparrow that makes its nest in a lamppost and the uniformly brown or white chickens’ eggs found by the dozen in any corner grocery, birds’ eggs have inspired countless biologists, ecologists, and ornithologists, as well as artists, from John James Audubon to the contemporary photographer Rosamond Purcell. For scientists, these vibrant vessels are the source of an array of interesting topics, from the factors responsible for egg coloration to the curious practice of “brood parasitism,” in which the eggs of cuckoos mimic those of other bird species in order to be cunningly concealed among the clutches of unsuspecting foster parents. The Book of Eggs introduces readers to eggs from six hundred species—some endangered or extinct—from around the world and housed mostly at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History. Organized by habitat and taxonomy, the entries include newly commissioned photographs that reproduce each egg in full color and at actual size, as well as distribution maps and drawings and descriptions of the birds and their nests where the eggs are kept warm. Birds’ eggs are some of the most colorful and variable natural products in the wild, and each entry is also accompanied by a brief description that includes evolutionary explanations for the wide variety of colors and patterns, from camouflage designed to protect against predation, to thermoregulatory adaptations, to adjustments for the circumstances of a particular habitat or season. Throughout the book are fascinating facts to pique the curiosity of binocular-toting birdwatchers and budding amateurs alike. Female mallards, for instance, invest more energy to produce larger eggs when faced with the genetic windfall of an attractive mate. Some seabirds, like the cliff-dwelling guillemot, have adapted to produce long, pointed eggs, whose uneven weight distribution prevents them from rolling off rocky ledges into the sea. A visually stunning and scientifically engaging guide to six hundred of the most intriguing eggs, from the pea-sized progeny of the smallest of hummingbirds to the eggs of the largest living bird, the ostrich, which can weigh up to five pounds, The Book of Eggs offers readers a rare, up-close look at these remarkable forms of animal life.

Download or read book A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs written by Matthew P. Martyniuk and published by Pan Aves. This book was released on 2012 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A field guide to mesozoic birds and other winged dinosaurs is a comprehensive guide to the diverse species comprising the evolutionary transition from the first dinosaurs with true, feathered wings in the mid-Jurassic period, 160 million years ago, to the late Cretaceous period and the first modern birds [...]. --from publisher.

Download or read book Bird Species written by Dieter Thomas Tietze and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-11-19 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Physiological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds written by Tony D. Williams and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-08-05 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Physiological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds is the most current and comprehensive account of research on avian reproduction. It develops two unique themes: the consideration of female avian reproductive physiology and ecology, and an emphasis on individual variation in life-history traits. Tony Williams investigates the physiological, metabolic, energetic, and hormonal mechanisms that underpin individual variation in the key female-specific reproductive traits and the trade-offs between these traits that determine variation in fitness. The core of the book deals with the avian reproductive cycle, from seasonal gonadal development, through egg laying and incubation, to chick rearing. Reproduction is considered in the context of the annual cycle and through an individual's entire life history. The book focuses on timing of breeding, clutch size, egg size and egg quality, and parental care. It also provides a primer on female reproductive physiology and considers trade-offs and carryover effects between reproduction and other life-history stages. In each chapter, Williams describes individual variation in the trait of interest and the evolutionary context for trait variation. He argues that there is only a rudimentary, and in some cases nonexistent, understanding of the physiological mechanisms that underpin individual variation in the major reproductive life-history traits, and that research efforts should refocus on these key unresolved problems by incorporating detailed physiological studies into existing long-term population studies, generating a new synthesis of physiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology.

Download or read book Avian Evolution written by Gerald Mayr and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-09-08 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Knowledge of the evolutionary history of birds has much improved in recent decades. Fossils from critical time periods are being described at unprecedented rates and modern phylogenetic analyses have provided a framework for the interrelationships of the extant groups. This book gives an overview of the avian fossil record and its paleobiological significance, and it is the only up-to-date textbook that covers both Mesozoic and more modern-type Cenozoic birds in some detail. The reader is introduced to key features of basal avians and the morphological transformations that have occurred in the evolution towards modern birds. An account of the Cenozoic fossil record sheds light on the biogeographic history of the extant avian groups and discusses fossils in the context of current phylogenetic hypotheses. This review of the evolutionary history of birds not only addresses students and established researchers, but it may also be a useful source of information for anyone else with an interest in the evolution of birds and a moderate background in biology and geology.

Download or read book Birds of Stone written by Luis M. Chiappe and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2016-11-01 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Captivating photographs of the world’s most detailed bird fossils illuminate the early diversity of avifauna. When fossils of birds from China’s Jehol region first appeared in scientific circles, the world took notice. These Mesozoic masterpieces are between 120 and 131 million years old and reveal incredible details that capture the diversity of ancient bird life. Paleontologists all over the world began to collaborate with Chinese colleagues as new and wondrous fossil-related discoveries became regular events. The pages of National Geographic and major scientific journals described the intricate views of feathers as well as food still visible in the guts of these ancient birds. Now, for the first time, a sweeping collection of the most interesting of Jehol’s avian fossils is on display in this beautiful book. Birds of Stone makes visible the unexpected avian diversity that blanketed the earth just a short time (geologically speaking) after a dinosaur lineage gave rise to the first birds. Our visual journey through these fossils is guided by Luis M. Chiappe, a world expert on early birds, and Meng Qingjin, a leading figure in China's natural history museum community. Together, they help us understand the "meaning" of each fossil by providing straightforward narratives that accompany the full-page photographs of the Jehol discoveries. Anyone interested in the history of life—from paleontologists to inquisitive birders—will find Birds of Stone an irresistible feast for the eyes and mind.

Download or read book Nature All Around Birds written by Pamela Hickman and published by Kids Can Press Ltd. This book was released on 2020-09-01 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The perfect resource for budding bird-watchers. Because birds can be found in every neighborhood, and in all seasons, they’re an excellent choice for piquing children’s interest in wildlife. Here’s a comprehensive guide to birds that makes the perfect starting point. Beautiful pages explore many different bird species and their fascinating and unique characteristics, from feathers to eggs and nests. A year in the life of birds explains what to look for, season by season. And the beginning bird-watcher section helps kids get started in the field. Birds of a feather? More like, birds of every feather here! Kids will be grabbing their binoculars to spot them all around!

Download or read book Comparative Social Evolution written by Dustin R. Rubenstein and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-03-24 with total page 479 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Darwin famously described special difficulties in explaining social evolution in insects. More than a century later, the evolution of sociality - defined broadly as cooperative group living - remains one of the most intriguing problems in biology. Providing a unique perspective on the study of social evolution, this volume synthesizes the features of animal social life across the principle taxonomic groups in which sociality has evolved. The chapters explore sociality in a range of species, from ants to primates, highlighting key natural and life history data and providing a comparative view across animal societies. In establishing a single framework for a common, trait-based approach towards social synthesis, this volume will enable graduate students and investigators new to the field to systematically compare taxonomic groups and reinvigorate comparative approaches to studying animal social evolution.