The Most Perfect Thing
The Most Perfect Thing

Author: Tim Birkhead

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2016-04-12

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 1632863715

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A bird's egg is a nearly perfect survival capsule--an external womb--and one of natural selection's most wonderful creations. Shortlisted for the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2016.One of Forbes' Best Books About Birds and Birding in 2016. Renowned ornithologist Tim Birkhead opens this gripping story as a female guillemot chick hatches, already carrying her full quota of tiny eggs within her undeveloped ovary. As she grows into adulthood, only a few of her eggs mature, are released into the oviduct, and are fertilized by sperm stored from copulation that took place days or weeks earlier. Within a matter of hours, the fragile yolk is surrounded by albumen and the whole is gradually encased within a turquoise jewel of a shell. Soon the fully formed egg is expelled onto a rocky ledge, where it will be incubated for four weeks before a chick emerges and the life cycle begins again. THE MOST PERFECT THING is about how eggs in general are made, fertilized, developed, and hatched. Birkhead uses birds' eggs as wondrous portals into natural history, enlivened by the stories of naturalists and scientists, including Birkhead and his students, whose discoveries have advanced current scientific knowledge of reproduction.

Birds, Bees & Blossoms
Birds, Bees & Blossoms

Author: Harriet de Winton

Publisher: Ilex Press

Published: 2021-10-07

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 1781578494

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In her second book, botanical artist Harriet de Winton shows you how to paint modern watercolour artworks to treasure and share. Picking up where New Botanical Painting left off, this books aims to expand readers' repertoires into fauna as well as flora, with easy-to-follow instructions for a variety of difficulty levels. Through more than 30 step-by-step projects, you'll discover how to paint beautiful butterflies, bumblebees, birds and botanicals from around the world. In the final chapter, you'll find a guide to composing stunning patterns and scenes with your own botanical watercolour creations. Use your new skills to make art for your wall, unique cards, invitations, or simply paint for pleasure. Projects include: Bengal Tiger Chilean Flamingo Prickly Pear Zebra Bumblebee Garden Tiger Moth Peacock White-tailed Deer Polar Bear Arctic Poppy And many more!

Birds of Paradise
Birds of Paradise

Author: Tim Laman

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 1426209584

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In this dazzling photo essay, Laman and Scholes present gorgeous full-color photographs of all 39 species of the Birds of Paradise that highlight their unique and extraordinary plumage and mating behavior.

Beaks!
Beaks!

Author: Sneed B. Collard III

Publisher: Triangle Interactive, Inc.

Published: 2021-11-01

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 1684521394

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Young naturalists explore a variety of birds, their habitats, and how their beaks help them build, eat, and survive. From the twisted beak of a crossbill to the color changing bill of a seagull, readers will learn fun facts about how beaks are designed and used as tools by birds of all shapes and sizes. Bright, bold cut-paper illustrations create amazingly realistic tableaus of birds in their natural environments with their beaks in action. Back matter includes a comprehensive quiz, a bibliography, and a list of related websites.

Outdoor School: Spot & Sticker Birds
Outdoor School: Spot & Sticker Birds

Author: Odd Dot

Publisher: Odd Dot

Published: 2021-04-27

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781250754646

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Welcome to OUTDOOR SCHOOL: SPOT & STICKER BIRDS. Finally—a sticker book for the curious and the adventurous. The Outdoor School Sticker series delivers the natural wonders of the world in gorgeous, scientifically-accurate stickers. Peel and place each sticker on the pull-out poster once you’ve seen each bird—or simply decorate your surroundings to make a bird-spotter’s paradise. Peel and stick hundreds of extravagant illustrations to decorate greeting cards, letters, packages, classroom notebooks, scrapbooks, cell phone cases—anything your heart desires! For the curious-minded, each bird is identified by name. Full of unique, hand painted portraits of birds and bird life, these beautiful stickers make the perfect gift for bird-lovers, crafters, scrapbookers, and sticker lovers.

Bird Sense
Bird Sense

Author: Tim Birkhead

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2013-01-17

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 140883054X

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What is it like to be a swift, flying at over one hundred kilometres an hour? Or a kiwi, plodding flightlessly among the humid undergrowth in the pitch dark of a New Zealand night? And what is going on inside the head of a nightingale as it sings, and how does its brain improvise?Bird Sense addresses questions like these and many more, by describing the senses of birds that enable them to interpret their environment and to interact with each other. Our affinity for birds is often said to be the result of shared senses - vision and hearing - but how exactly do their senses compare with our own? And what about a birds' sense of taste, or smell, or touch or the ability to detect the earth's magnetic field? Or the extraordinary ability of desert birds to detect rain hundreds of kilometres away - how do they do it?Bird Sense is based on a conviction that we have consistently underestimated what goes on in a bird's head. Our understanding of bird behaviour is simultaneously informed and constrained by the way we watch and study them. By drawing attention to the way these frameworks both facilitate and inhibit discovery, it identifies ways we can escape from them to seek new horizons in bird behaviour.There has never been a popular book about the senses of birds. No one has previously looked at how birds interpret the world or the way the behaviour of birds is shaped by their senses. A lifetime spent studying birds has provided Tim Birkhead with a wealth of observation and an understanding of birds and their behaviour that is firmly grounded in science.

The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America
The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America

Author: Matt Kracht

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Published: 2019-04-02

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 1452177392

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National bestselling book: Featured on Midwest, Mountain Plains, New Atlantic, Northern, Pacific Northwest and Southern Regional Indie Bestseller Lists Perfect book for the birder and anti-birder alike A humorous look at 50 common North American dumb birds: For those who have a disdain for birds or bird lovers with a sense of humor, this snarky, illustrated handbook is equal parts profane, funny, and—let's face it—true. Featuring common North American birds, such as the White-Breasted Butt Nugget and the Goddamned Canada Goose (or White-Breasted Nuthatch and Canada Goose for the layperson), Matt Kracht identifies all the idiots in your backyard and details exactly why they suck with humorous, yet angry, ink drawings. With The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America, you won't need to wonder what all that racket is anymore! • Each entry is accompanied by facts about a bird's (annoying) call, its (dumb) migratory pattern, its (downright tacky) markings, and more. • The essential guide to all things wings with migratory maps, tips for birding, musings on the avian population, and the ethics of birdwatching. • Matt Kracht is an amateur birder, writer, and illustrator who enjoys creating books that celebrate the humor inherent in life's absurdities. Based in Seattle, he enjoys gazing out the window at the beautiful waters of Puget Sound and making fun of birds. "There are loads of books out there for bird lovers, but until now, nothing for those that love to hate birds. The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America fills the void, packed with snarky illustrations that chastise the flying animals in a funny, profane way. " – Uncrate A humorous animal book with 50 common North American birds for people who love birds and also those who love to hate birds • A perfect coffee table or bar top conversation-starting book • Makes a great Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthday, or retirement gift

Backyard Birds
Backyard Birds

Author: Glen Apseloff

Publisher: Glen Apseloff

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781936772087

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Backyard Birds: Looking Through the Glass - What makes this book different from other backyard bird books is that every photograph was taken from inside the photographer's house, looking through closed windows into the yard. This book contains 125 color photos of birds visiting during all four seasons to this one suburban Midwestern home. The superb photography is combined with insightful tips for attracting, watching, and photographing birds, and it's loaded with interesting and often surprising facts about our backyard friends. You'll be amazed what you can see in a typical backyard, just by looking. This book will open your eyes to the beauty of nature that surrounds us.