Understanding Bird Behavior: An Illustrated Guide to What Birds Do and Why
by Wenfei Tong
From Princeton University Press:
Birds are intelligent, sociable creatures that exhibit a wide array of behaviors―from mobbing and mimicking to mating and joint nesting. Why do they behave as they do? Bringing to light the remarkable actions of birds through examples from species around the world, Understanding Bird Behavior presents engaging vignettes about the private lives of birds, all explained in an evolutionary context.
We discover how birds find food, relying on foraging techniques, tools, and thievery. We learn about the courtship rituals through which birds choose, compete for, woo, and win mates; the familial conflicts that crop up among parents, offspring, and siblings; and the stresses and strains of nesting, including territory defense, nepotism, and relationship sabotage. We see how birds respond to threats and danger―through such unique practices as murmurations, specific alarm calls, distraction displays, and antipredator nest design. We also read about how birds change certain behaviors―preening, migration, breeding, and huddling―based on climate. Richly illustrated, this book explores the increasing focus on how individual birds differ in personality and how big data and citizen scientists are helping to add to what we know about them.
Drawing on classic examples and the latest research, Understanding Bird Behavior offers a close-up look at the many ways birds conduct themselves in the wild.
- Compelling insights into bird behavior
- Classic examples and the latest research, including work by citizen scientists
- Fascinating vignettes about the private lives of birds, from finding food and family life, to coping with climate and other threats
- 150 detailed color illustrations and photographs
Short, two-page sections cover a variety of topics related to bird behavior. This arrangement makes it easy to pick up the book and quickly learn about a topic of interest. I also like how it includes examples from around the world. However, it does not have the breadth or depth of the also recently published Peterson Reference Guide to Bird Behavior.
Note: this is published as How to Read a Bird: A Smart Guide to What Birds Do and Why in England by The History Press.
Understanding Bird Behavior: An Illustrated Guide to What Birds Do and Why
by Wenfei Tong
Hardcover; 224 pages
Princeton University Press; September 22, 2020
ISBN: 9780691206004
$27.95
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Posted by Grant McCreary on October 21st, 2020.
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