It may not seem important to specifically define the general term "bird" but in doing so every birder can gain a greater appreciation of the animals they love to watch. By understanding the similarities all birds share, we can better notice, appreciate, and enjoy the individual characteristics that make each bird species unique. When we notice those differences more easily, we become better birders and are well on our way to seeing hundreds or thousands of the world's unique bird species.All birds are classified as members of the Kindom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, and Class Aves. While this may seem to be an arbitrary, artificial classification, this general grouping emphasizes that birds are related through many of the characteristics they share, including: Vertebrates: All birds have a backbone, which places them in the Phylum Chordata. Unlike most other vertebrates, however, birds have a lighter skeletal structure filled with hollows, gaps, and air sacs to keep birds lightweight so they can fly more efficiently. Feathers: All birds have evolved feathers, composed of keratin and other proteins and light-reflecting pigments, to serve as body insulation. Different types of feathers may also be ornamental, such as plumes, crests, or streamers. Other feather types help birds control their flight, while some feathers, such as down, are strictly for insulation. Wings: Wings are one of the most defining characteristics of birds. Even flightless birds have vestigial or adapted wings or flippers they may use for swimming, threat displays, or courtship dances. The size and shape of wings vary between species based on how the bird flies and wing markings are useful to identify bird species. Bill: All birds have a bony, keratin-covered projection forming their mouth. This bill is frequently evolved for specific bird diet types, and many birds also use their bills as tools for carrying, drumming, drilling, preening, and other tasks. Some birds even use their bills as weapons or to help regulate body temperature. Warm-blooded: All birds are endothermic, which means they generate their own internal body heat and do not rely exclusively on their environment to maintain their temperature. While many birds will sun themselves to help regulate their temperature, sunning has more than one purpose and is not solely for body temperature maintenance. High metabolism: Birds have a high, efficient metabolism that quickly turns food into usable energy. They have a four-chambered heart and high respiratory rate as well, which helps them be efficient and agile fliers as well as maintain their high body temperatures. Bipedal: All birds have two legs used for perching, walking, hopping, or running. Different types of birds have evolved different leg shapes and lengths to suit their needs. For example, wading birds have thin, long legs suitable for moving through deeper water, while raptors have thicker, more powerful legs for capturing prey. Furcula: Though not visible to birders, every bird has a furcula, or wishbone, that protects the chest cavity during wing beats. This keeps the bird's chest organs safe from excessive pressure as the wings move and birds change altitude. Egg-laying: All birds lay amniotic eggs as part of their reproductive cycle. The eggs have a hard shell and require incubation to continue development until hatching. Egg size, shape, and markings vary for each species, as does the number of eggs laid, necessary incubation time, and the condition of the chicks at hatching. Communication: Birds have highly developed communication skills, and many bird species communicate vocally through elaborate songs and calls. Nonverbal bird sounds are also part of their communication abilities. For many species, extensive communication is part of courtship behavior, territorial defense, parent-chick recognition, and community cooperation.

Lists all those species of birds that have been recorded from the Australian mainland, Tasmania, island territories and surrounding waters. Based on theauthors' original book The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories, it includes any new species for which records have been accepted by the Records Appraisal Committee of Birds Australia. It also includes all extant and recently extinct (post-1800) native species, as well as new species, accepted vagrants and introduced species that have become established and continue to survive in the wild.

Selected by Forbes.com as one of the 12 best books about birds and birding in 2016 This much-anticipated third edition of the Handbook of Bird Biology is an essential and comprehensive resource for everyone interested in learning more about birds, from casual bird watchers to formal students of ornithology. Wherever you study birds your enjoyment will be enhanced by a better understanding of the incredible diversity of avian lifestyles. Arising from the renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology and authored by a team of experts from around the world, the Handbook covers all aspects of avian diversity, behaviour, ecology, evolution, physiology, and conservation. Using examples drawn from birds found in every corner of the globe, it explores and distills the many scientific discoveries that have made birds one of our best known - and best loved - parts of the natural world. This edition has been completely revised and is presented with more than 800 full color images. It provides readers with a tool for life-long learning about birds and is suitable for bird watchers and ornithology students, as well as for ecologists, conservationists, and resource managers who work with birds. The Handbook of Bird Biology is the companion volume to the Cornell Lab’s renowned distance learning course, Ornithology: Comprehensive Bird Biology.

This volume is a synopsis of the diversity of all birds. It distills the voluminous detail of the 17-volume Handbook of Birds of the World into a single book. Based on the latest systematic research and summarizing what is known about the life history and biology of each group, this volume is the best single-volume entry to avian diversity available.

In this ornithological study, Henry Seebohm endeavors to classify the vast variety of bird species into distinct subclasses, orders, and suborders. With stunning illustrations and expert knowledge, this book is the ultimate guide to understanding the complex world of avian classification. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.