Product Description: 'I think that, if required on pain of death to name instantly the most perfect thing in the universe, I should risk my fate on a bird's egg' Thomas Wentworth Higginson, 1862 How are eggs of different shapes made, and why are they the shape they are? When does the shell of an egg harden? Why do some eggs contain two yolks? How are the colours and patterns of an eggshell created, and why do they vary? And which end of an egg is laid first - the blunt end or the pointy end? These are just some of the questions A Bird's Egg answers, as the journey of a bird's egg from creation and fertilisation to its eventual hatching is examined, with current scientific knowledge placed within an historical context...read more

Most people would love to be able to fly like a bird, but few of us are aware of the other sensations that make being a bird a gloriously unique experience. What is going on inside the head of a nightingale as it sings, and how does its brain improvise? How do desert birds detect rain hundreds of kilometers away? How do birds navigate by using an innate magnetic compass?Tracing the history of how our knowledge about birds has grown, particularly through advances in technology over the past fifty years, Bird Sense tells captivating stories about how birds interact with one another and their environment. More advanced testing methods have debunked previously held beliefs, such as female starlings selecting mates based on how symmetrical the male's plumage markings are. (Whereas females can discern the difference between symmetrical and asymmetrical markings, they are not very good at detecting small differences among symmetrically marked males!)Never before has there been a popular book about how intricately bird behavior is shaped by birds' senses. A lifetime spent studying birds has provided Tim Birkhead with a wealth of fieldwork experiences, insights, and a unique understanding of birds, all firmly grounded in science. No one who reads Bird Sense can fail to be dazzled by it.

Product Description: An amusing and fascinating exploration of the role promiscuity plays in preserving a species that also dispels the myth that males are promiscuous and females monogamous by nature.

The author, a professor of behavioral ecology, explores promiscuity in the animal and human worlds, debunking the Darwinian myth that men are the agressors and women are monogamous. (view table of contents)

A visual identification guide to bird's eggs provides a concise description of each specimen, shape, characteristics and distinguishing features, and offers information on nests and bird families

Describes the unusual adaptations animals use to survive in harsh environments, and looks at the cuckoo, spadefoot toad, mountain goat, woodpecker, and California ground squirrel

A comprehensive reference on birds discusses anatomy, flight, behavior, migration, populations, conservation, bird species, daily activities, mates and mating, and other topics