About this title: Leading ornithologist Birkhead takes readers on a journey through the wonderful world of birds. Conceived for a general audience, and illustrated throughout with more than 100 beautiful images, this field guide is full of stories, knowledge, and unexpected revelations.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Bloomsbury Pr
Date Published: 2008-10-14
ISBN-13:9781596915411ISBN:1596915412
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781596915411. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9781596915411ISBN:1596915412
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Greystone Books
Date Published: 9/8/2008
ISBN-13:9781553654261ISBN:1553654269
Description: New. 1553654269 Brand New Book With Remainder Mark. May Have Slight Shelf Wear. In-Stock Now For Immediate Secure Packaging & Delivery. read more
Description: Good. 1596915412 Good condition. May have some markings & or shelfwear. All pages intact. Used items may not include extras such as infotrac, CD or other web access codes. read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780747592563ISBN:074759256X
Description: New. Takes reader on a journey that tells them about the extraordinary lives of birds-from conception and egg, through territory and song, to migration and fully fledged breeder. read more
Description: New. 1596915412 Absolutely Brand New. No marks and in pristine condition. Used items may not include extras such as infotrac, CD or other web access codes. read more
Description: New. PLEASE NOTE: All books are promptly imported from the UK using DHL or Royal Mail international mail WITH TRACKING NUMBER. D elivery is typically 5-10 working days. Please do not select expedited shipping. Professional and reliable bookseller (est.1987). read more
Description: New. Please note that deliveries to addresses in the UK and Europe will be in 4-14 business days. Other countries should refer to Alibris standard times. ISBN10: 074759256X. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Bloomsbury Books,, London:
Date Published: 2008.
ISBN-13:9780747592563ISBN:074759256X
Description: Octavo, dustwrapper, 433 pp., illustrations. BRAND NEW. Birkhead takes the reader on a journey that not only tells us about the extraordinary lives of birds-from conception and egg, through territory and song, to migration and fully fledged breeder-but also shows how, over centuries, we have overcome superstition and untested 'truths' to know what we know, and how recent some of that knowledge is. It was only in the nineteenth century that the ancient belief that swallows hibernated under water ... read more
Description: New. PLEASE NOTE: All books are promptly shipped from our UK warehouse using Royal Mail or DHL. International Priority mail for non-UK deliveries. Delivery is typically 2-4 working days for UK delivery. Heavier or more expensive books are shipped with a TRACKING NUMBER. Professional and reliable bookseller (est.1987). read more
"I turned this back in at the library without finishing it. The book was longer and more detailed than I wanted right now. Not that it wasn't good, because it was. But I haven't been birding in weeks, and so reading about birds just makes me sad and anxious. In search of some escapist fiction instead, I now turn to a few of my favorite YA authors..."
"I could not put this fascinating history of ornithology down. It is compellingly written, as much for the lay person as for the professional.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in birds; even if you don't read it, immerse yourself in the color plates of birds from all over the world, painted from medieval times to the present."
"Superb! This one was a Christmas present and it was a joy to read. I enjoyed every page including all of the old illustrations.
If you are interested in birds and want to dig deeper into your avocation, I enthusiastically recommend "The Wisdom of Birds" by Tim Birkhead. The hefty volume traces the history of ornithology, detailing how the amateur birdwatchers, out in the field, changed the study of birds, removing it from the hands of the stuffy old museum men and their dried specimens and taking the science outside where it belongs.
Along the way, Birkhead writes about the curious life histories of many species and how careful observation of each cleared up many mysteries. No, swallows do not spend their winters at the bottom of ponds but many very learned men believed it so for hundreds of years.
Also, why do male birds sing so ardently in the spring? And who figured it out? And just why do those salacious house sparrows couple 15 to 20 times an hour during their mating season? Yes, there's a reason, although, such ardent behavior can shorten a bird's life.
"I hardly know how to rate this book! I very much enjoyed parts of it, and loved the beautiful historical illustrations. The author undertook to find out how we know what we know about birds--the people whose ideas and study helped us to discover things like migration, reproduction, territory, etc. There was a LOT of evolutionary theory in the book. I sort of expected that. There was also a LOT of "bird sex" I was a little less thrilled with that. I suppose it's necessary, but it's not why I am interested in birds. :-) I wish I could give the first part of the book a "4" and the rest a 2 or a 3. There was a lot of information in here that was fascinating, but also some stuff I skimmed. And at 400 pages, it still took me a long time to read it! If you are a bird nut and interested in bird reproduction, this book is terrific. If you are a run-of-the-mill birdwatcher, perhaps borrow it from the library and just skim or skip the chapters on sex and infidelity."
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