Do you dream about being a professional ornithologist? If so, or even if you just want to immerse yourself in the wonder of birds, the Handbook of Bird Biology is for you. It’s loaded with 1,150 photos, illustrations and figures to help concepts come alive. Eighteen ornithologists contributed to the 15 chapters that fill more than 700 pages and address ornithology on a global scale.

The Handbook of Bird Biology is a full-fledged ornithology text book, but more modern, colorful and entertaining than the text I used in Ornithology at Furman University back in nineteen-seventy-whatever. Open this fine volume and you’ll explore the amazing diversity and origins of birds (what’s the dinosaur connection?); learn about the clever experiments ornithologists use to understand the mechanics of flight (did you know the tail of birds reduces drag and increases flight efficiency?); peek into mating and social behaviors (you should see the action at a lek in person).

This Third Edition has a proud pedigree that began when the Cornell Lab of Ornithology first offered its Home Study Course in Ornithology in 1972, More than 10,000 students successfully passed that home correspondence course. In 2004 the material was updated into a single volume, and an additional 5,000 students from 65 countries used that book, which was also popular in college ornithology classes. This third edition features a wealth of online materials found at the Cornell Lab’s Bird Academy website, www.birdbiology.org

Who will enjoy this book? Although it addresses technical issues, the Handbook is written in a popular understandable style. It does resemble a college textbook in content, and it might be a little much for birding novices, but once you get started on the text and begin to appreciate how fascinating birds and their biology and ecology are, it’s hard to put this book down.

Read through this book and your appreciation for birds will take flight. Keep it on your library shelf and you’ll have a reference to help you understand even the most technical aspects and issues. Without question, you will become a better, more informed birder and will have even more fun in the field.

Review by Peter Stangel

For more information, see https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Handbook+of+Bird+Biology%2C+3rd+Edition-p-9781118291054