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Tony D. Williams, Scott McWilliams, Julia A. Clarke, Scott MacDougall-Shackleton: What Is a Bird? (2021, Princeton University Press)

A large-format, beautifully illustrated look at the natural history of birds

There are some 10,000 …

Chapter five looks at how birds get around, primary by flying or running (non-flying birds). A look at how the shape of wings (and tails) determines how efficient birds are at takeoff, flying, manoeuvring, gliding, and so on, is shown. Looking at the metabolism of birds, shows how they are able to sustain flight for longs periods of time (by using fat for fuel and an efficient antioxidant system to repair metabolic damage). The various flying styles are also shown, including the ability of birds to sleep and fly with only one side of the brain active. The ability of running, swimming and diving birds are also covered.