National Geographic Bird Coloration

by Geoffrey Hill

Why is a cardinal red or a bluebird blue? Why do some birds have plumage that is intensely colored—is it pigment, light, gender, robust health, or some combination of all four? What roles do disease, climate, and wear and tear play in this process? What does feather display signal about sexual attraction and social status? How has color camouflage evolved?

These are just a few of the fascinating questions explored here in the first non-academic work on coloration and plumage, and their key role in avian life. More than 200 gorgeous photographs highlight the explanations of the essentials: what color is, ornithologically speaking; how it is produced and measured; how birds use color to attract mates and deter competitors; how birds perceive color; and how coloration varies across species by sex, season, and age.

Geoff Hill guides his readers along an engaging but authoritative narrative illustrated with vivid photographs and fact-packed captions. A book conceived in the same spirit as National Geographic’s more traditional bird guides, it’s sure to appeal to serious ornithologists, recreational bird watchers, and natural history buffs alike.

Genres: Birds, Nonfiction, Nature, Science

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Dylan]

I'm not going to give this one a rating since I had to read it ahead of an exam including info taken from this book, so obviously that affected my enjoyment and regardless of that I probably wouldn't have chosen to read this.

Dr. Hill is clearly extremely knowledgeable on this subject (of course, I already knew this from being in his Ornithology class) and I think he did a good job of condensing this particular subset of Ornithology into this book. He says in the introduction that this is supposed to make fairly academic info/sources into more approachable content for a layperson and I think that's achieved to some extent but this is still more on the academic end of the spectrum. But that's fine, I think this will really only appeal to people studying Ornithology or avid bird watchers who want to understand bird coloration more and I'm sure people from either group (or likely both) won't be put off.

The most interesting parts of this to me were discussions of specific experiments as well as more detailed discussions of specific birds to illustrate a point. The highlight of the book was definitely the section on Ruffs and Reeves in the penultimate chapter, that's a fascinating species right there.

[Kees · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very easy to understand while still offering clear, new, interesting information on the topic of bird coloration. Having a passion for birds but only knowing the very basics of coloration myself, I often found myself pausing during the book to revel in how something I just read made things I was vaguely aware of suddenly "click" into place. It was also exciting to consider the implications when it comes to dinosaur reconstructions and other speculative biology.

[Em Rainey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich in detail and full of scientific research, this book is a must-have for anyone that has a fascination with birds and how their coloration works.

So fortunate to be in Dr. Hill’s class this semester at Auburn! Such an intelligent man and great professor!

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and readable book on a fascinating topic for birdwatchers, but probably of little interest to non-birders.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! I think I was expecting lots of nice photos and a few cool facts, but it's so much more than that. It’s by an ornithologist who specializes in bird coloration and who had already written an extensive two-volume work on the subject. Then he wrote this version for non-experts. One of the best bird books I’ve read - it answered so many questions, including ones I never even thought to ask.

The book draws on a huge variety of studies on bird coloration. Many of these are completely noninvasive, but others harmed the birds in pursuit of information. I'm not criticizing the book at all for including these, and if anything it made me more aware of how many books don't explain *how* scientists learned what they have about animals. But some readers might want a warning.

Otherwise, I highly recommend this book to all nature and bird nerds - it's fascinating!

[Shujaath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, somewhat technical in parts but generally readable. Fascinating accounts of which colors of birds are pigments derived from diet (reds) which are made or modified by biosynthesis (blacks and browns), and which result from the interaction of light with the microstructure of feathers (blues and greens). Definitely recommended for birders, as color plays such a large part in bird behavior and in their identification by humans.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book. I'm not usually interested in bird coloration, but the text wasn't dry and the pictures were amazing! I think I actually learned a few things, too!

I thought that the part about bowerbirds was really interesting, I'd never heard of them before!!! And about why some birds in really hot regions have black feathers, when black absorbs heat more than lighter colors.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It explains everything related to the colors of birds, down to how the structure of their feathers influences how we perceive their color.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating!

[Ladiibbug]

Non-Fiction

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great tying together research and observations for a birder but too many evolutionary hypotheses.