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Understanding bird behavior : an illustrated guide to what birds do and why / Wenfei Tong, Ben C. Sheldon.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Tong, Wenfei, author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Birds--Behavior.
- Birds.
- Birds--Anatomy and physiology.
- Natural history.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (224 pages) : colour illustrations.
- Place of Publication:
- Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, 2020.
- Summary:
- A vivid, eye-opening view of why birds behave the way they do 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.-- Provided by publisher.
- Contents:
- Finding food
- A social bird
- Courtship
- Family life
- Dealing with danger
- Coping with climate.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
- ISBN:
- 0-691-21181-7
- 9780691211817 (electronic book)
- OCLC:
- 1195822617
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