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Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology Since Darwin
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Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology Since Darwin Hardcover - 2014

by Tim Birkhead; Jo Wimpenny; Bob Montgomerie


From the publisher

A beautifully illustrated history of modern ornithology Ten Thousand Birds provides a thoroughly engaging and authoritative history of modern ornithology, tracing how the study of birds has been shaped by a succession of visionary and often-controversial personalities, and by the unique social and scientific contexts in which these extraordinary individuals worked. This beautifully illustrated book opens in the middle of the nineteenth century when ornithology was a museum-based discipline focused almost exclusively on the anatomy, taxonomy, and classification of dead birds. It describes how in the early 1900s pioneering individuals such as Erwin Stresemann, Ernst Mayr, and Julian Huxley recognized the importance of studying live birds in the field, and how this shift thrust ornithology into the mainstream of the biological sciences. The book tells the stories of eccentrics like Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen, a pathological liar who stole specimens from museums and quite likely murdered his wife, and describes the breathtaking insights and discoveries of ambitious and influential figures such as David Lack, Niko Tinbergen, Robert MacArthur, and others who through their studies of birds transformed entire fields of biology. Ten Thousand Birds brings this history vividly to life through the work and achievements of those who advanced the field. Drawing on a wealth of archival material and in-depth interviews, this fascinating book reveals how research on birds has contributed more to our understanding of animal biology than the study of just about any other group of organisms.

From the rear cover

"A first-class review not only of the recent history of ornithology but also of the key players involved. No other book of this type comes anywhere near this one in its breadth of coverage and depth of scholarship. Ten Thousand Birds is in a class by itself, and an outstanding read."--Ian Newton, author of The Migration Ecology of Birds

"This book fills an important and neglected niche. The mix of science, history, personality, and human interest is unique and one that people will find highly appealing. I found the prose not only engaging but downright riveting."--Walt Koenig, coeditor of Ecology and Evolution of Cooperative Breeding in Birds

"This is a hugely impressive book that synthesizes an enormous amount of information in a very accessible and engaging way, and makes an original contribution not only to the history of modern ornithology but also to the general history of biological science since Darwin. It will be an invaluable reference for general readers and students, and offers specialists a paradigmatic case study of the scientific method in action."--Jeremy Mynott, author of Birdscapes: Birds in Our Imagination and Experience

"This brilliant, wide-ranging book examines the debates, mistakes, and major conceptual breakthroughs that advanced our knowledge of avian biology. It documents how science proceeds, and skillfully humanizes it. Ten Thousand Birds is not only the best modern treatise on the history of ornithology. It is also a powerful summary of the remarkable biology of birds and what we still don't know. This book is not just for ornithologists or serious birders."--Frank Gill, author of Ornithology

Details

  • Title Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology Since Darwin
  • Author Tim Birkhead; Jo Wimpenny; Bob Montgomerie
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Printing
  • Pages 544
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ & Oxford
  • Date 2014-02
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780691151977 / 0691151970
  • Weight 4.19 lbs (1.90 kg)
  • Dimensions 10.37 x 8.3 x 1.57 in (26.34 x 21.08 x 3.99 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Evolution (Biology), Birds
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2013939390
  • Dewey Decimal Code 598

Media reviews

Citations

  • Choice, 10/01/2014, Page 286
  • Chronicle of Higher Education, 02/28/2014, Page 17
  • Library Journal, 05/15/2014, Page 102

About the author

Tim Birkhead is professor of zoology at the University of Sheffield, where he teaches and conducts research on the behavioral ecology of birds with particular focus on reproduction. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and his books include The Wisdom of Birds and Bird Sense. Jo Wimpenny was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Sheffield during the writing of this book. Bob Montgomerie is professor of biology at Queen's University in Ontario, where he studies the evolution of plumage colors and sexual behavior in birds.
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by Birkhead, Tim; Wimpenny, Jo; Montgomerie, Bob

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Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology Since Darwin
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Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology Since Darwin

by Birkhead, Tim; Wimpenny, Jo; Montgomerie, Bob

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Ten Thousand Birds

Ten Thousand Birds

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Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology since Darwin

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