The Scientific Wonder of Birds

Description

Birds are endlessly compelling and fascinating creatures. Millions of people around the world engage in the organized activity of birding, and countless more enjoy casually watching our avian neighbors in their daily activities. But beyond what we can observe on the surface, birds are phenomenally interesting—and often extremely surprising—in their biology, physiology, aerodynamics, and their multifaceted behavioral adaptations.

Birds are among the most ingenious and resourceful of living creatures, and astonishingly more intelligent than we often imagine. A few amazing aspects of birds and their behaviors include:

• Avian research reveals sophistication of birds’ tool use and vocal communication that were thought to be exclusive to primates and humans;
• Birds’ diverse sexual and mating habits show uncanny similarities to human behavior;
• Among nature’s most amazing vocalists, North America’s brown thrasher can learn and retain over 1,000 songs; and
• Evidence suggests that birds are able to appreciate aesthetic beauty.

In The Scientific Wonder of Birds, biologist and bird expert Professor Bruce E. Fleury of Tulane University guides you in a spirited discovery of the amazing beneath-the-surface world of birds—their evolution, fascinating lives in the wild, and the science that underlies their adaptations and behaviors. The Scientific Wonder of Birds is, in many ways, a companion course to our popular Guide to Birding in North America, casting a wider net as it delves into bird life and behavior around the world, as well as revealing the marvels of birds’ physiology, psychology, brainpower, and the complexities of their remarkable lifestyles and habits.

Uncover the Amazing Biophysics of Bird Life and Behavior

In these 12 vividly illustrated lectures, Professor Fleury reveals numerous enthralling aspects and features of bird life. Beginning with an excursion into the ancestry and evolution of birds, you’ll discover how birds are directly descended from dinosaurs. In probing into the process by which agile, bipedal reptiles took to the air, you’ll explore the miraculous mechanics of flight, and the many physiological adaptations that keep birds aloft.

From there, you’ll study the science of their remarkable feats of navigation and the complex matter of avian migration. You’ll delve into further elements of bird life, such as their foraging and feeding strategies, birdsong and bird calls, the language of plumage, courtship behavior, mating and roosting, avian territorial behavior, and more. Professor Fleury presents everything with an infectious passion for the subject, an often humorous perspective, and a deep knowledge based on a lifetime of birding and bird study. Whether you’re an experienced birder or a newcomer to the bird world, these lectures will surprise and delight you, and give you a deeper appreciation for the beauty and diversity of our feathered friends.

Take a Broad Look at the Fascinating Elements of Ornithology

Throughout these lectures, Professor Fleury offers you a detailed look at the scope of ornithological study, encompassing the life cycles of birds in the wild, and key subject matter such as:

• The Miracle of Flight—Beginning with leading views of how flight evolved, learn the aerodynamic properties of birds’ wings, as they produce lift and thrust, and how feathers allow birds to expertly maneuver in the air. Learn how birds’ entire physiology, on multiple levels, adapts them for flight and how a bird’s feathers did not evolve for flight, but were a coincidental adaptation for it.
• The Science of Avian Navigation and Migration—Penetrate the mysteries of how birds navigate over huge distances, using such aids as Sun and star positions and magnetic fields, and take account of the incredible navigational abilities of species such as homing pigeons, buntings, and albatrosses. Study how ornithologists explain migration and observe the fabulous range of avian migratory behavior across the globe.
• The Remarkable Brainpower of Birds—Contrast avian brain structure with our own and track the intelligence of birds in numerous surprising and revelatory examples. Note how diverse species can distinguish shapes, colors, and numbers; remember 2,000 seed cache locations; start fires to flush out prey; make hooks to catch food; tie slip knots; and, believe it or not, differentiate between artistic styles such as Cubism and Impressionism.
• Territoriality and Competition—Among the most dramatic and intriguing avian behavior, delve into the fierce territorial tactics of birds. See how birds stand their ground using specific visual signals regarding threats, courtship, territorial defense, and predators. Learn the many reasons why birds stake out and defend territory, including group and “portable” territories, and note how non-territorial birds establish dominance hierarchies (“pecking orders”).
• The Avian Arts of Love: Mating and Breeding—Observe the striking ways in which females judge potential mates on abilities such as virtuoso singing, “macho” feats, food offerings, and the outlandish courtship displays of species such as the blue manikin and the bowerbird. Investigate the avian mating systems of monogamy, polygamy, and promiscuity and the colorful variations of sex roles, role reversal, same-sex couples, and avian “infidelity” and “divorce.”

Gain a Richer Understanding and Appreciation of Our Natural World

In addition to his remarkably far-reaching knowledge of the bird world, Professor Fleury brings a delightful accessibility to avian science and has a talent for uncovering a huge range of singular and often astounding aspects of bird life. The Scientific Wonder of Birds is a passion project for Professor Fleury—declining health due to Parkinson’s disease has not stopped him from bringing a beloved subject to life in an endlessly engaging and enlightening series of lectures.

Accompanied by exceptionally rich visuals, from vivid color images and diagrams to video clips of bird behavior, animations, and moving graphics, this course unfolds as a thrilling and many-sided panorama of avian life. Ultimately, this course offers you remarkable insight into some of the most beautiful and extraordinary of living creatures.

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