The Latest Bird Knowledge, Bound in a Book

Lab releases comprehensive and engaging Handbook of Bird Biology

By Miyoko Chu and Andres Perez-Charneco

The Handbook of Bird Biology, released in October 2004.

Since 2002, more than 3000 packages from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have landed on doorsteps around the world with an impressive thud. Enclosed were 13 pounds of the latest bird knowledge in two three-ring binders, waiting to be explored by students of the Home Study Course in Bird Biology. Now for the first time, this wealth of information has been packaged into a beautiful hardbound book intended to be opened and read by anyone, whether for the Home Study Course or simply for reading pleasure.

Called the Handbook of Bird Biology, the volume is written by leading ornithologists known for their ability to communicate with the general public. More than 1,300 pages delve into the lives of birds, from the marvels of flight and migration to the mysteries of courtship and song. The book covers all the major topics in bird biology and includes a CD of bird sounds to accompany a chapter on vocal communication. More than 1,000 figures illustrate the text throughout, including images by acclaimed nature photographers and artists.

In 12 chapters, the Handbook of Bird Biology provides in-depth explanations of anatomy, physiology, behavior, ecology, and conservation science; a history of birds beginning with the age of dinosaurs; an exploration of the world?s diversity of birds; and a guide to bird watching. Numerous sidebars explore off-beat and fascinating topics including "The amazing world of avian ESP," "Bird song, from oboe and trombone to orator and soprano," "Winnows, snaps, and thunder—nonvocal sounds," "Neat nesting facts," "Iridescence," "Bird brains," and "Sketching birds in the field."

Throughout, 15 bird experts use the engaging, accessible style that has made the text so popular with diverse Home Study Course students, from high schoolers and undergraduates to professionals and retirees. Authors include Stephen Kress, Audubon?s vice president for bird conservation, John Fitzpatrick, director of the Lab of Ornithology, Kenneth Able, migration expert and author of Gatherings of Angels, and John Alcock, author of the widely used textbook, Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach.

Published by the Lab of Ornithology and distributed in cooperation with Princeton University Press, the Handbook will be widely available through internationally known bookstores as well as independent booksellers. The volume will also serve as the textbook for the Lab?s Home Study Course in Bird Biology, a distance-learning course that has graduated more than 10,000 students since it was founded in 1972 by former Lab director Olin Sewall Pettingill, Jr. The course includes 10 open-book exams, instructor support, and a certificate upon successful completion, signed by Lab director John Fitzpatrick.

To order a copy of the Handbook of Bird Biology ($99.50) or to enroll in the Home Study Course in Bird Biology ($270 for Lab members; $299.50 for nonmembers), call (800) 843-2473 (United States calls) or (607) 254-2452 (international calls) or email hstudy@cornell.edu. Visit the Home Study Course web site at www.birds.cornell.edu/homestudy.

For permission to reprint all or part of this article, please contact Laura Erickson, editor, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850. Phone: (607) 254-1114. email: lle24@cornell.edu