The Pocket Book of Bird Anatomy

by Marianne Taylor

What is a bird? To answer that, we must understand how birds are different from all other living things and how they fit into the diversity of life on Earth.This excellent RSPB guide to bird anatomy looks at the avian body, system by system, how it evolved, and how it functions. Chapters explore traits that are unique to birds, including their remarkable one-way breathing cycle, their trimmed-down skeleton, how feathers permit flight, provide weather-proofing and add beauty, and the avian bill – a lightweight replacement for both teeth and food-handling forelimbs. Each chapter tackles a particular body system and includes detailed anatomical illustrations, from cells and organs to skeletons and muscles, to show how birds' anatomical adaptations enable all their physical feats and fascinating behaviour. Feature spreads offer more in-depth analysis on topics like birdsong, temperature control, ornamentation, unusual diets, social behaviour, nocturnal adaptations, mutation and natural selection.Featuring more than 300 diagrams and colour photos, this fascinating new book also looks at the human impact on the avian world and reveals how behaviour and anatomy work together to produce these vibrant living beings that delight and inspire us so much.

Genres: Birds, Nonfiction

384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2020

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide on birds: from their evolution to their different anatomical systems and and how they work.
Everything is condensed in well structured chapeters with great drawings and pictures.
Recommended to everyone that wants to know more on birds.

[Barry Avis · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Pocket Book of Bird Anatomy is a short book divided into two page “chapters” on different bird anatomy subjects. For example two pages discussing beaks or another two pages discussing abnormal bird colours. The book covers quite a few subjects without really going into depth on any one subject.
If you are just starting out in bird watching, maybe as a young birdwatcher, and want a short guide on bird anatomy this is probably a good book for you. For more advanced bird watchers this is not such a great book and will not advance your learning.
So overall a nice book for beginners but not for those more advanced.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

Excellent book easy written,easy to understand impressed,diagrams were plain and simple ,not to complicated,pictures of birds were really good fantastic read