num_pages: 282
description: Reveals the strange and wondrous adaptations birds rely on to get by. National Audubon SocietyWhen we see a bird flying from branch to branch happily chirping it is easy to imagine they lead a simple life of freedom flight and feathers. What we dont see is the arduous life-threatening challenges they face at every moment. Beaks Bones and Bird Songs guides the reader through the myriad and often almost miraculous things that birds do every day to merely stay alive. Like the goldfinch which manages extreme weather changes by doubling the density of its plumage in winter. Or urban birds which navigate traffic through a keen understanding of posted speed limits. In engaging and accessible prose Roger Lederer shares how and why birds use their sensory abilities to see ultraviolet find food without seeing it fly thousands of miles without stopping change their songs in noisy cities navigate by smell and much more.
language: English
title: Beaks, Bones and Bird Songs: How the Struggle for Survival Has Shaped Birds and Their Behavior
publisher: Timber Press