Ithaca, N.Y.—Anyone with an interest in birds will broaden their understanding of these complex and beautiful creatures with a brand-new course just released by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This college-level, self-paced course is called Ornithology: Comprehensive Bird Biology. It is a total makeover of its predecessor, the Lab's Home Study Course in Bird Biology, which has been offered for more than 40 years.

"Whether you are a home-school family, a teenager fascinated by nature, a mid-career professional with a weekend hobby, or a retiree looking for new insights about the birds out your window, this course and these materials will enrich your life beyond measure," said Cornell Lab director John W. Fitzpatrick.

The course is based on the all-new third edition of the Handbook of Bird Biology (required) and enhanced by a wealth of online materials including videos, interactive animations, quizzes, and additional reading, all presented through the Lab's online educational site called Bird Academy.

Try the first lesson and a sample quiz for free to get a sense of what the course is all about at http://bit.ly/2d0t9vM.

Combined, the course and the new text cover all aspects of avian diversity, behavior, ecology, evolution, physiology, and conservation. Students earn digital badges for passing quizzes and reaching other milestones. Those who pass the course can request a printed certificate signed by the director of the Cornell Lab, Dr. John W. Fitzpatrick.

The new edition of the Handbook of Bird Biologyprovides expanded and updated information about birds, written by world-renowned ornithologists from Cornell and beyond. It includes more than 800 full-color illustrations. A companion online media library is freely available to anyone whether they take the course or purchase the text only.

Those who have previewed the text
are raving about it.
"This wonderful handbook provides a crystal-clear introduction to every fascinating aspect of bird biology. It will now be my own first reference source about birds," says Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The course is $239 dollars ($199 for Lab members) and the text is $135 ($121.50 for Lab members). For additional information about the course and text, visit www.birdbiology.org.