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Sexual Selection - http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Sexual_Selection.html
Female birds of some species tend to choose as mates those males holding the most desirable territories, but there is little evidence that females preferentially select males with different degrees of ornamentation. |
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Raptor Information System - http://ris.wr.usgs.gov
The RIS is a free searchable catalog of over 38,000 references about the biology and management of birds of prey. |
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Polygyny - http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Polygyny.html
Most birds are monogamous, but in some species the occurrence of polygyny, where one male mates with more than one female, is related to high-quality territories with an abundance of resources. |
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Territoriality - http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Territoriality.html
Article describing how birds try to exclude others of the same species from their home range. |
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Population Dynamics - http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Population_Dynamics.html
Essay discussing the factors behind the variation in the number of individuals in a bird population over time. |
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Index of Lectures - http://www.ornithology.com/lectures/Introduction.html
A series of articles on different aspects of bird biology such as feathers, flight, respiration, territoriality, reproduction and metabolism. |
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Vocal Functions - http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Vocal_Functions.html
Songs identify the species of the singing bird. The territorial song of males serves the dual purpose of territorial proclamation directed at other males and of mate attraction directed toward females. |
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Incubation: Heating the Egg - http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Incubation.html
Most birds create the required temperature by sitting on their eggs but some transfer heat through their webbed feet, and the megapodes of Australia bury them in a mound of decaying vegetation. |
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Parental Care - http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Parental_Care.html
The young of passerines when first hatched are naked, blind, and helpless and require much care which involves feeding, training and protection from predators. |
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Vocal Dialects - http://www.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Vocal_Dialects.html
Article describing how the songs of many avian species show geographic variation. |
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Teachers' Domain: Bird Beak Gallery - http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/tdc02/sci/life/stru/beakgallery/index.html
Provides an essay on beaks, and photographs of birds heads and beaks. |
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Flight in Birds - http://www.earthlife.net/birds/flight.html
How do birds fly? An introduction to flight in birds examining wing shape, airflows, flapping flight and gliding. |
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When and How do Birds Migrate - http://www.earthlife.net/birds/migration2.html
Article discussing the varying strategies adopted by birds in finding their way when taking part in their long distance journeys. |
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A Qualitative and Quantitative Study of the Lung of an Ostrich - http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/full/204/13/2313
The colossal body size, the relinquishment of flight and the extreme thermal stresses on the ground make the examination of an ostrich’s lungs rewarding. |
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The Structure of Avian Skin and Feathers - http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/~timn/THE%20STRUCTURE%20OF%20AVIAN%20SKIN%20AND%20FEATHERS.doc
Technical article describing a bird's skin and associated structures, its feathers, beak, claws and spurs. |
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Beak - http://www.ipedia.net/information/Beak
Article describing the anatomy of this distinctive feature of birds which, in addition to eating, can be used for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, probing for food, courtship, and feeding the young. |
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Birdcall synthesis - http://www.obiwannabe.co.uk/tutorials/html/tutorial_birds.html
Article describing how birds use their syrinx, throat and beak to make a wide range of tones without the sophisticated muscle structure possessed by humans. |
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The Normal Moulting Process in Birds - http://www.parrotpassionsuk.com/Advice/Moulting.htm
Talk given by Avian Vet A. K. Jones to a conference of the Association of Avian Veterinarians in August 1998. |
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Avian Reproduction: Anatomy and the Bird Egg - http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/avianreproduction.html
Notes on the bird reproductive system and the development of the embryo, with explanatory drawings and photographs. |
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Avian Reproduction: Clutch Size, Incubation and Hatching - http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/avianreproduction2.html
Notes on clutch size optimization in birds, reproductive success, embryo development, incubation and the hatching process, with links to other similar articles. |
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Animal Files: Birds - http://www.dierinbeeld.nl/animal_files/birds/
Here you can find information on bird biology, bird mythology, symbolism, birds in shamanism and in dreams. |
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The Atlas of Bird Migration - http://www.brownreference.com/php/PDFS/AN_Title_Information/457---Sample_Spreads.pdf
Comprehensive article on the great challenge faced by long distance migrants which have to find their way to winter quarters and return to their breeding grounds in the spring. |
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EcoBirds Behaviour - http://birds.ecoport.org/Behaviour/EBbehaviour.htm
Provides a series of bird articles covering nesting, song, migration and the curious habit of anting. |
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Chicken Embryo - http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artnov04macro/mlchicken.html
A number of fine photographs of the development of a chick inside the egg. |
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The Making of an Egg - http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0021.html
Describes the development of the egg of a bird from the release of a mature ovum to the completed egg with shell being laid. |