The Origin and Evolution of Birds

The Origin and Evolution of Birds PDF Author: Alan Feduccia
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300078619
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 490

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Book Description
An exploration of all that is known about the origin of birds and of avian flight. It draws on fossil evidence and studies of the structure and biochemistry of living birds to present knowledge and data on avian evolution and to propose a new model of this evolutionary process.

The Origin and Evolution of Birds

The Origin and Evolution of Birds PDF Author: Alan Feduccia
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300078619
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 490

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Book Description
An exploration of all that is known about the origin of birds and of avian flight. It draws on fossil evidence and studies of the structure and biochemistry of living birds to present knowledge and data on avian evolution and to propose a new model of this evolutionary process.

The Origin of Birds

The Origin of Birds PDF Author: Gerhard Heilmann
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Birds
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description


The Rise of Birds

The Rise of Birds PDF Author: Sankar Chatterjee
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421415909
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 387

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Book Description
His compelling, occasionally controversial, revelations--accompanied by spectacular illustrations--are a must-read for anyone with a serious interest in the evolution of the feathered dinosaurs, from vertebrate paleontologists and ornithologists to naturalists and birders.

How Birds Evolve

How Birds Evolve PDF Author: Douglas J. Futuyma
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691264635
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
"Why are male birds often so brightly colored? Why do some birds lay more eggs than others? Will bird species adapt to climate change? In How Birds Evolve, Douglas Futuyma invites readers into the amazing world of bird evolution to answer these and other questions. Futuyma's goal in this book is not to offer a comprehensive evolutionary history of birds, but to explore how the processes of evolution produced the distinctive features and behaviors we observe in birds today as well as their impressive diversity. Using one or two birds per chapters as a lens into broader questions, Futuyma explores how a bird's evolutionary history helps us understand the diversity of species and the bird tree of life and how natural selection explains most of the characteristics of birds from how populations adapt to sexual selection and birds' amazing social behavior. Futuyma concludes by discussing the future of birds, particularly patterns of extinction and whether they can adapt to a changing climate. Ultimately, Futuyman wants readers to see that evolutionary biology helps us to better understand birds, and that the reverse is also true: studies of birds have informed almost every aspect of evolutionary biology, from Darwin to today"--

A History of Birds

A History of Birds PDF Author: Simon Wills
Publisher: Grub Street Publishers
ISBN: 152670157X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
“Intriguing stories from the history of the human relationship with birds, including their symbolism in art, literature, religion, and folklore” (Booklist). Even the most well-informed wildlife enthusiast will be entertained by the stories and fascinating facts in this beautifully illustrated book. Our ancestors hunted, tamed, worshipped, and depicted birds, and even bestowed magical properties upon them. Why did ancient writers consider the sparrow a lustful creature? Which bird was killed and hung up to predict the weather? And what was an “arse-foot?” Wildlife photographer and history journalist Simon Wills explores the intriguing and at times bizarre stories behind our relationship with birds. Find out why robins feature on Christmas cards, and how Mozart was persuaded to keep a pet starling. What bird did Florence Nightingale carry around in her pocket? How did the blue tit get its name? Whole careers have been created around birds—from falconers to ostrich farmers—and birds have had great symbolic importance too. Discover, for example, why Raleigh bicycles carry a heron logo and why church lecterns are in the shape of an eagle. If you enjoy wildlife, then this book is full of surprises. Pigeons were trained to carry messages in wartime, but could gulls be taught to hunt U-boats? And which American president’s parrot started swearing at his funeral? “A pleasing and often illuminating book with many examples of historical connections with birds, from Queen Victoria’s parrots and the Prince of Wales’s feathers to Kellogg’s cockerel and recipes for flamingos.” —Bird Watch

Feathered Dinosaurs

Feathered Dinosaurs PDF Author: John Long
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199706905
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Scientists have recovered more than a billion fossils, but no discovery has been more breath-taking than the fossils recently found in northern China, findings which prove that several families of dinosaurs had feathers, or feathery hair-like coverings, adorning their bodies. Now in the beautifully designed Feathered Dinosaurs, paleontologist John Long and illustrator Peter Schouten provide a stunning visual record of these extraordinary prehistoric creatures, illuminating the evolutionary march from primitive, feathered dinosaurs through to the first true flying birds. Schouten, an acclaimed natural history artist, has created 80 full-color paintings that capture the striking physical traits of these feathered dinosaurs. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of the lifestyles of modern birds and mammals, plus the extant scientific data regarding how these dinosaurs might have looked and behaved, Schouten has produced not only the most beautiful but also the most accurate visual representations of these animals in print. Equally important, John Long, a noted paleontologist and widely published science author (with some 24 books to his credit), provides an engaging companion text that places these feathered dinosaurs within the larger family of dinosaurs--for instance, outlining their relationship to T. Rex and Velociraptor, species well known to Jurassic Park fans--and discusses the factual information that can be deduced from their fossil remains, in effect providing an insightful natural history of this remarkable group. A true marriage of art and science, Feathered Dinosaurs presents an unprecedented visual record of one of the most significant breakthroughs in the history of vertebrate paleontology--the discovery that many predatory dinosaurs were cloaked with feathers, perhaps just as colorful and fanciful as those of their living relatives.

New Perspectives on the Origin and Early Evolution of Birds

New Perspectives on the Origin and Early Evolution of Birds PDF Author: Jacques Gauthier
Publisher: Yale Univ Peabody Museum
ISBN: 9780912532578
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 613

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Book Description


Evolution of Birds

Evolution of Birds PDF Author: Carol Hand
Publisher: ABDO
ISBN: 1532159471
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 115

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Book Description
The Evolution of Birds explores what we know about bird evolution, from theories of the past to recent breakthroughs in research. This title also looks at the science behind the research, from studying fossils to analyzing DNA. Features include a glossary, references, websites, source notes, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Living Dinosaurs

Living Dinosaurs PDF Author: Dr. Gareth Dyke
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119990459
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 440

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Book Description
Living Dinosaurs offers a snapshot of our current understanding of the origin and evolution of birds. After slumbering for more than a century, avian palaeontology has been awakened by startling new discoveries on almost every continent. Controversies about whether dinosaurs had real feathers or whether birds were related to dinosaurs have been swept away and replaced by new and more difficult questions: How old is the avian lineage? How did birds learn to fly? Which birds survived the great extinction that ended the Mesozoic Era and how did the avian genome evolve? Answers to these questions may help us understand how the different kinds of living birds are related to one another and how they evolved into their current niches. More importantly, they may help us understand what we need to do to help them survive the dramatic impacts of human activity on the planet.

Birds in the Ancient World

Birds in the Ancient World PDF Author: Jeremy Mynott
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0191022713
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 476

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Book Description
Birds pervaded the ancient world, impressing their physical presence on the daily experience and imaginations of ordinary people and figuring prominently in literature and art. They provided a fertile source of symbols and stories in myths and folklore and were central to the ancient rituals of augury and divination. Jeremy Mynott's Birds in the Ancient World illustrates the many different roles birds played in culture: as indicators of time, weather and the seasons; as a resource for hunting, eating, medicine and farming; as domestic pets and entertainments; and as omens and intermediaries between the gods and humankind. We learn how birds were perceived - through quotations from well over a hundred classical Greek and Roman authors, all of them translated freshly into English, through nearly 100 illustrations from ancient wall-paintings, pottery and mosaics, and through selections from early scientific writings, and many anecdotes and descriptions from works of history, geography and travel. Jeremy Mynott acts as a stimulating guide to this rich and fascinating material, using birds as a prism through which to explore both the similarities and the often surprising differences between ancient conceptions of the natural world and our own. His book is an original contribution to the flourishing interest in the cultural history of birds and to our understanding of the ancient cultures in which birds played such a prominent part.