A brief description of different types of birds from a bird's point of view.

Birds are among the most extensively studied of all animal groups. Hundreds of academic journals and thousands of scientists are devoted to bird research, while amateur enthusiasts (called birdwatchers or, more commonly, birders) probably number in the millions. Birds are categorised as a biological class, Aves. The earliest known species of this class is Archaeopteryx lithographica, from the Late Jurassic period. According to the most recent consensus, Aves and a sister group, the order Crocodilia, together form a group of unnamed rank, the Archosauria. Phylogenetically, Aves is usually defined as all descendants of the most recent common ancestor of modern birds (or of a specific modern bird species like Passer domesticus), and Archaeopteryx. Modern phylogenies place birds in the dinosaur clade Theropoda. Modern birds are divided into two superorders, the Paleognathae (mostly flightless birds like ostriches), and the wildly diverse Neognathae, containing all other birds.

Graham Martin takes the reader deep into the world of birds from a new perspective, with a ‘through birds’ eyes’ approach to ornithology that goes beyond the traditional habitat or ecological point of view. There is a lot more to a bird’s world than what it receives through its eyes. This book shows how all of the senses complement one another to provide each species with a unique suite of information that guides their daily activities. The senses of each bird have been fine-tuned by natural selection to meet the challenges of its environment and optimise its behaviour: from spotting a carcase on a hillside, to pecking at minute insects, from catching fish in murky waters, to navigating around the globe. The reader is also introduced to the challenges posed to birds by the obstacles with which humans have cluttered their worlds, from power lines to windowpanes. All of these challenges need explaining from the birds’ sensory perspectives so that effective mitigations can be put in place. The book leads the reader through a wealth of diverse information presented in accessible text, with over 100 colour illustrations and photographs. The result is a highly readable and authoritative account, which will appeal to birdwatchers and other naturalists, as well as researchers in avian biology. The author has researched the senses of birds throughout a 50-year career in ornithology and sensory science. He has always attempted to understand birds from the perspective of how sensory information helps them to carry out different tasks in different environments. He has published papers on more than 60 bird species, from Albatrosses and Penguins, to Spoonbills and Kiwi. His first fascination was with owls and night time, and owls have remained special to him throughout his career. He has collaborated and travelled widely and pondered diverse sensory challenges that birds face in the conduct of different tasks in different habitats, from mudflats and murky waters, to forests, deserts and caves. In recent years he has focused on how understanding bird senses can help to reduce the very high levels of bird deaths that are caused by human artefacts; particularly, wind turbines, power lines, and gill nets.

Sentient animals, machines, and robots abound in German literature and culture, but there has been surprisingly limited scholarship on non-human life forms in German studies. This volume extends interdisciplinary research in emotion studies to examine non-humans and the affective relationships between humans and non-humans in modern German cultural history. In recent years, fascination with emotions, developments in robotics, and the burgeoning of animal studies in and beyond the academy have given rise to questions about the nature of humanity. Using sources from the life sciences, literature, visual art, poetry, philosophy, and photography, this collection interrogates not animal or machine emotions per se, but rather uses animals and machines as lenses through which to investigate human emotions and the affective entanglements between humans and non-humans. The COVID-19 pandemic made us more keenly aware of the importance of both animals and new technologies in our daily lives, and this volume ultimately sheds light on the centrality of non-humans in the human emotional world and the possibilities that relationships with non-humans offer for enriching that world. Watch our talk with the editors Erika Quinn and Holly Yanacek here: https://youtu.be/RBMwXah_Om8

This book examines many examples of the nocturnal behaviour of birds. For many people, watching and studying birds is exclusively a day time activity. However, for many birds twilight and night time are not a barrier to useful activity. It is true that very few birds are exclusively nocturnal, but many birds which are active by day also conduct limited, and often crucial, activities after dusk. Examples range from the occasional night feeding of wildfowl and shorebirds to the night singing and night migration of certain passerines, and from the location of nest sites by sea birds to the nocturnal foraging of owls and nightjars. The special cases of flightless nocturnal birds and those birds which dwell in lightless caves are also considered. Throughout, this survey considers not only what it is that birds do at night but also discusses how these nocturnal activities are possible. It brings together studies in field ornithology, sensory science, ecology and physics and involves comparisons of the sensory capacities of other animals, including man. It is shown how the senses of hearing, smell and touch, as well as vision, play a crucial role in many of the night time activities of birds. However, these senses are not always adequate for fully explaining how nocturnal behaviours are executed. To achieve this we must look at the complex of relationships between behavioural and sensory adaptations and the particular environments which birds inhabit from dusk to dawn.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1874. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.

'Jennifer Ackerman knows what she's talking about...Her knack for catching the personalities of different species in gorgeous, playful prose further collapses comfortable barriers between the human and the birdlike' Daily Telegraph 'The real joy of [this] book is its close attention to some of the specialists of the region... Ackerman is alive to the humour at play in field research ' Mark Cocker, Spectator It's flight and egg and feathers and song. It's the demure plumage of a mountain thornbill and the extravagant tail feathers of an Indian paradise flycatcher, the solo song of a superb lyrebird and the perfectly timed duets of canebrake wrens, an osprey's hurtling dive toward the sea, and a long-legged heron's still, patient eyeing of the dark water. There is no single bird way of being. Drawing on personal observations, the latest science, and her bird-related travel around the world, Jennifer Ackerman playfully explores our dramatically shifting understanding of these magnificent animals.

• How are birds so good at flying and navigating? • Why are birds so like mammals– and yet so very different? • Did birds descend from dinosaurs, and if so, does that mean birds are dinosaurs? • How do they court each other and fend off rivals? • What' s being communicated in birdsong? • Can we ever know how birds think? In this fascinating exploration of the avian class, Colin Tudge considers the creatures of the air. From their evolutionary roots to their flying, feeding, fighting, mating, nesting, and communicating, Tudge provocatively ponders what birds actually do–as well as why they do it and how. With the same curiosity, passion, and insight he brought to redwoods, pines, and palm trees in his widely acclaimed book The Tree, Tudge here studies sparrows, parrots, and even the Monkey-eating Eagle to better understand their world–and our own. There is far more to a bird's existence than gliding gracefully on air currents or chirping sweetly from fence posts–the stakes are life and death. By observing and explaining the complex strategy that comes into play with everything from migration to social interaction to the timing of giving birth to young, Tudge reveals how birds are uniquely equipped biologically to succeed and survive. And he offers an impassioned plea for humans to learn to coexist with birds without continuing to endanger their survival. Complete with an "annotated cast list" of all the known birds in the world– plus gorgeous illustrations–The Bird is a comprehensive and delightfully accessible guide for everyone from dedicated birders to casual birdwatchers that celebrates and illuminates the remarkable lives of birds.

The ultimate photographic guide to more than 650 species of bird found in North America. Ideal for the armchair bird enthusiast or dedicated bird-watcher, this beautiful bird-watching book includes stunning full-color photographs of over 650 birds, revealing each species with unrivaled clarity. A lavish introduction describes bird characteristics and behavior, while stunning full-color photographs reveal individual species for easy identification. The 550 most commonly seen birds are pictured in clear, close-up photographs, with images of similar birds provided to make differentiation easy, from game birds and waterfowl to shorebirds and swifts to owls, hummingbirds, finches, and so many more. Soar into the pages of this brilliant bird book to explore: - 650 birds species found in the United States and Canada - Bird profiles feature information on social behavior, nesting & feeding habits, and flight patterns. - Full-color photographs show the adult bird in typical plumage, with male/female, juvenile, and seasonal variations - Color-coded maps highlight resident and migratory distributions to help spotters discover which species to expect when and where -Includes bird sound audio app for mobile phone use - Produced in association with the American Museum of Natural History, one of the world’s leading authorities on ornithology Discover which species to expect when and where with up-to-date, color-coded maps highlighting habitation and migratory patterns. The most commonly seen species are given a whole page in the species catalog and each full-page profile includes images of plumage variations, subspecies, information on similar birds, and artworks of the bird in flight that reveal their outstretched wings. Rare birds and vagrants who occasionally stray into North America are also described. With easy-to-read accessible information provided throughout, accompanied by beautifully large illustrations, AMNH Birds of North America is a must-have book for bird-watchers of all ages and experiences, and doubling up as the perfect bird-watching gift for the budder birder in your life.