A companion to standard field guides which helps you identify birds by the way they fly, feed and flock Most traditional bird guides rely on you identifying birds by their colour and other physical features. But what if you cannot get good enough views to make a firm identification? This highly original guide by Dominic Couzens acts as a companion to standard identification guides, designed to provide a definitive answer for just these situations. Five of the very best bird artists have been specially commissioned to illustrate birds as you will actually see them behaving in the field. Arranged according to family, Identifying Birds by Behaviour helps you distinguish between different species by their size, shape, where they can be found and how they behave. Each family section begins with an overview of their habitat and distribution and then focuses on different aspects of bird behaviour, thereby allowing direct comparison between easily confusable species. Not only does this book help with identification, it also provides a unique visual insight into bird behaviour. Identifying Birds by Behaviour marks an important innovation in bird guides, and is one that no birder can afford

This book is your key to unlocking the mysteries and complexities of bird behavior. Written in an informal, conversational style, with technical jargon kept to a minimum, John Kricher takes the "observation-explanation" approach. After noting particular behaviors that you might easily observe in the field, he explains the science and adaptation underlying those actions. Birds think; their actions are purposeful, not random. Why is that bird doing what it is doing? After a brief primer on how to watch behavior in birds and an overview of their biology, the remainder of the book highlights the most distinctive behaviors you will likely observe as you encounter and watch birds of various families. Many of these behaviors are shown in the nearly 400 color photographs throughout the book. Once you have learned how to have birds tell you about their lives by carefully observing and thinking about their actions, birds will become far more compelling than merely names to be marked on a checklist. Peterson Reference Guides offer authoritative, comprehensive information, including detailed text, maps, and superior illustrations. Written by expert authors, the guides are an unparalleled resource for understanding specific groups of animals. Book jacket.

A vivid, eye-opening view of why birds behave the way they do Birds are intelligent, sociable creatures that exhibit a wide array of behaviors—from mobbing and mimicking to mating and joint nesting. Why do they behave as they do? Bringing to light the remarkable actions of birds through examples from species around the world, Understanding Bird Behavior presents engaging vignettes about the private lives of birds, all explained in an evolutionary context. We discover how birds find food, relying on foraging techniques, tools, and thievery. We learn about the courtship rituals through which birds choose, compete for, woo, and win mates; the familial conflicts that crop up among parents, offspring, and siblings; and the stresses and strains of nesting, including territory defense, nepotism, and relationship sabotage. We see how birds respond to threats and danger—through such unique practices as murmurations, specific alarm calls, distraction displays, and antipredator nest design. We also read about how birds change certain behaviors—preening, migration, breeding, and huddling—based on climate. Richly illustrated, this book explores the increasing focus on how individual birds differ in personality and how big data and citizen scientists are helping to add to what we know about them. Drawing on classic examples and the latest research, Understanding Bird Behavior offers a close-up look at the many ways birds conduct themselves in the wild. Compelling insights into bird behavior Classic examples and the latest research, including work by citizen scientists Fascinating vignettes about the private lives of birds, from finding food and family life, to coping with climate and other threats 150 detailed color illustrations and photographs

Provides basic information about the biology, life cycles, and behavior of birds, along with brief profiles of each of the eighty bird families in North America.

Covering the birds of Britain and northern Europe, this field guide that allows readers not only to identify birds by their colour and other physical features, but also by the way in which they fly, feed and flock. Divided by bird families and featuring original, lively illustrations by Philip Snow and Tony Disley, the book is designed to illustrate birds as readers will actually see them in the field, enabling them to distinguish between different species by their size, shape, where they can be found and how they behave. Each family section begins with an overview of their habitat and distribution and then focuses on different aspects of bird behaviour, thereby allowing direct comparison between superficially similar birds.

A compact, comprehensive, and very silly field guide featuring more than 200 of the rudest birds on earth—from the creator of the Webby Award–winning hit Instagram account! Effin’ Birds is the most eagerly anticipated new volume in the grand and noble profession of nature writing and bird identification. Sitting proudly alongside Sibley, Kaufman, and Peterson, this book contains more than 150 pages crammed full of classic, monochrome plumage art paired with the delightful but dirty aphorisms (think “I’m going to need more booze to deal with this week”) that made the Effin’ Birds feed a household name. Also included in its full, Technicolor glory is John James Audubon’s most beautiful work matched with modern life advice. Including never-before-seen birds, insults, and field notes, this guide is a must-have for any effin’ fan or birder.

Birding in the Pacific Northwest has never been easier! Birds of the Pacific Northwest describes and illustrates more than 400 bird species commonly encountered in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia. This comprehensive, full-color guide is organized to follow the order in which groups and species are presented by the American Union. Range maps for each species provide valuable information for identification.