Manual of Ornithology: Avian Structure and Function

This book - a visual guide to the structure and anatomy of birds - is one of the most heavily illustrated ornithology references ever written. A concise atlas of anatomy, it contains more than 200 specially prepared accurate and clear drawings that include material never illustrated before. The text is as informative as the drawings; written at a level appropriate to undergraduate students and to bird lovers in general, it discusses why birds look and act the way they do.
Designed to supplement a basic ornithology textbook, Manual of Ornithology covers systematics and evolution, topography feathers and flight, the skeleton and musculature, and the digestive, circulatory, respiratory, excretory reproductive, sensory, and nervous systems of birds, as well as field techniques for watching and studying birds. Each chapter concludes with a list of key references for the topic covered, with a comprehensive bibliography at the end of the volume. The book will be a guide and reference for every level of bird study - a basic tool for investigation for anyone curious about the fascinating world of birds.

The aim of this book is that of an undergraduate textbook-laboratory manual combination on ornithology. A chapter on field techniques offers a crash course in bird study in the wild and presents new and important information on avian migration. The rest of the book details bird anatomy, physiology, and classification. Over 200 quality labeled drawings, many unique in their lifelike perspective, dovetail with the text, thereby serving to clarify difficult information. Suggested hands-on exercises require the examination of dead birds, affording the motivated reader practical experiences. The book provides an accurate, up-to-date, self-contained course in ornithology for the advanced lay reader. General collections would be better served by the more inclusive The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Ornithology ( LJ 12/1/91). This is recommended for academic libraries.
- Frank Reiser, Nassau Community Coll., Garden City, N.Y.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.