Manual of Ornithology: Avian Structure and Function

Great customer service! The book was in really good condition.

My main complaint of this book is its insistence that birds evolved from reptiles. It is almost certain that birds evolved from dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are almost certainly not reptiles. It states in the book that the heart of birds (warm blooded animals) are very much like mammals. Hearts of reptiles are nothing like hearts of mammals. Very different indeed. At one time dinosaurs were considered to be reptiles and cold blooded. This hypothesis has become discounted in the past decades as the cold blooded nature of dinosaurs has come into doubt.I have several other issues with this book. Regarding a discussion of primaries. The book states most have 10 but though many songbirds have 9. I believe Ostriches have 16. And Grebes, Storks and Flamingos have 12. A book of this nature should be more specific. And if you are interested in looking up Primaries in the index to see what the book has to say about them forget it. Not there.In the beginning of Chapter 3, there is a drawing in black and white of 12 of the Thrush family. The books states that without a solid understanding of topographic terms it would be difficult to describe the bird to another ornithologist. Let me tell you that the drawing of the American Mountain Thrush that the book presents looks virtually nothing like what that bird really looks like. Not even close. The actual bird is more or less uniform brown. The books shows a bird with a white eyebrow and a white breast.The books insinuates that all birds have 4 toes. Even draws diagrams showing how the 4 toes are arranged. Not all birds do in fact have 4 toes. The Three-toed Woodpecker has three and the Ostrich has only 2 toes.What the book has in its favor is its price and some information about a bird's topography.In other words if you buy this books you have to take everything it says with a few grains of salt.

I am an artist and bird lover. This book is exactly what I needed to understand birds at every level!! Just amazing! So lucky to have this book. You can tell so many hours upon hours of research and dedication went into this. An incredible source for the knowledge of AvianReptiles!

Needed this for a Systematics of Birds class. Was happy not to spend a fortune!

As purported, the book is heavily illustrated and text is easy to understand for layman, though the concepts explained need some grasping to the beginner. Book edition is 20 years old, but its the simplest in the market, i think. Explains avian stuff in clear distinct modules and logical order, from feathers, skeleton and muscles to digestive, circulatory, respiratory, endocrine and nervous systems. Also includes a chapter on field techniques used by ornithologists. Book size is rather large and an almost-square shape is rather impractical. Print quality is not bad, though paper used for inside and cover is rather thin, which gives the over 300 page a decent thickness. However, the whole feel of the book is like a print-on-demand (POD) copy. Can someone tell me is this so?? Packaging is very good, tight and professional. Book arrived in great shape.

This manual is goes in depth with plenty of information on the physiology of birds. There are many excellent illustrations and charts for reference. I felt like a medical student learning the many types of muscle groups and other internal workings. This book is good if your looking to learn what makes a bird a bird and don't necessarily care about the life of birds. I would recommend the Gill 3rd ed of Ornithology for that side. It is only dated in the taxonomy areas. So for the other reviewers saying it is "ancient" it is NOT. All other aspects of this book are very relevant today.

I wanted a solid primer on bird biology; not a 600-page college-level textbook that required a degree in English to read nor a basic overview of bird anatomy. I found exactly what I was looking for in Noble S. Proctor's Manual of Ornithology: Avian Structure & Function. Although this book was published in 1993, I compared it to other ornithology books that were published as late as 2010. In my humbled opinion, this book beats them all. It is heavily illustrated; a virtual atlas of avian anatomy. It is written in clear, concise, and easy-to-understand text. It is written at a level that targets undergraduate students and amateur ornithologists. In a little more than 300 pages, the Manual of Ornithology: Avian Structure & Function, provided to me the comprehensive primer I was looking for in bird biology.

I am a amateur bird carver and bought this book to help me with carving the various features of a bird. In this regard, this book is amazing. It has well written explanations and has superb illustrations. This book will be kept close to my work area and be used as a reference for technical information and well defined illustrations. I also have birds (parrots) for pets, and do a lot of bird watching. This book will add to your enjoyment and expertise in these areas as well. If you are a bird lover, get this book. It's well worth the money.

I love birds, I’m also an artist so I’m into anatomy. This book has no rival, I’ve even used it as reference while dissecting specimens.When it comes to musculature which is hat I’ve used it for most. This book will tell you everything down to the origins and insertions.Highly recommend!

Éste es un excelente manual, cubre de forma muy completa la morfología de las aves. Los esquemas e ilustraciones anatómicas son lo mejor, muy claros y concisos. Recurso muy valioso y recomendable para el estudio de las aves.

絵がすごいです。きれいな精密線画なので見やすくてわかりやすいです。主に筋肉と循環器、消化器について詳細を確認したかったので購入しました。ああ、そういうことか幾つもあって、この値段でこれだけの情報はお得な本だと思います。

Sumamente completo e interesante. Pero lo más increíble de éste libro son sus ilustraciones en blanco y negro. Lo recomiendo ampliamente.

Lovely book - some great art within it too. Very in depth. On the scale of being a textbook but isnt laid out as such like a normal veterinary type textbook i am used to. Would recommend to anyone who has an interest in avian biology and anatomy. Definitely worth the price!