A renowned engineer reveals the marvel of how birds work--from the tips of their beaks to the sheen of their tailfeathers. With over 150 full-color illustrations, a unique gift book for everyone from the avid birder to the bird beginner.
Consider feathers: They define birds' wings, enabling flight. They insulate against cold. They repel water. They even control sound. And how feathers work is just one aspect of the wonders of birds explained by pathbreaking researcher and lifelong birder Lorna Gibson in
Birds Up Close.
Feathers, bones, bills, eggs, flight: all come in for scrutiny in this engaging book. What produces the iridescence of plumage? How does the internal structure of a bird's bones make them lightweight? How do different birds use their bills and tongues--from woodpeckers penetrating the holes they drill to hummingbirds imbibing nectar, to sandpipers needling the sand, and to phalaropes drawing water droplets containing plankton into their mouths without sucking (no lips!)?
Drawing on her expertise and personal experience in both engineering and ornithology, the author explores the hidden microscopic structures and engineering principles that keep birds aloft and alive--how an egg is formed, how a bird generates lift; how raptors soar and glide, albatrosses fly thousands of miles, hummingbirds hover, puffins and penguins "fly" underwater. She also considers the longer view of birds in their habitats and natural history. Her up-close look at avian mysteries provides a perspective like no other for the expert ornithologist and curious observer alike.
一位知名工程師揭示了鳥類運作的奇妙之處——從牠們的喙尖到尾羽的光澤。這本擁有超過150幅全彩插圖的獨特禮品書，適合從熱愛觀鳥者到初學者的每一個人。
考慮一下羽毛：它們定義了鳥類的翅膀，使飛行成為可能。它們能夠隔絕寒冷。它們能夠排斥水分。甚至能夠控制聲音。而羽毛的運作方式只是由開創性研究者及終身觀鳥者Lorna Gibson在《Birds Up Close》中解釋的鳥類奇觀的一個方面。
羽毛、骨骼、喙、蛋、飛行：這本引人入勝的書中都受到仔細檢視。什麼造成羽毛的虹彩？鳥類骨骼的內部結構如何使其輕盈？不同的鳥類如何使用牠們的喙和舌頭——從啄木鳥穿透牠們鑽出的洞到蜂鳥吸取花蜜，再到沙鷗在沙中戳探，以及斑頭雁如何在不吸吮（沒有嘴唇！）的情況下將含有浮游生物的水滴吸入嘴中？
作者結合她在工程學和鳥類學方面的專業知識及個人經驗，探索了使鳥類能夠飛翔和生存的隱藏微觀結構和工程原則——蛋是如何形成的，鳥類如何產生升力；猛禽如何翱翔和滑翔，信天翁如何飛行數千英里，蜂鳥如何懸停，海雀和企鵝如何在水下“飛行”。她還考慮了鳥類在其棲息地和自然歷史中的長期觀點。她對鳥類奧秘的近距離觀察，為專業鳥類學家和好奇的觀察者提供了獨特的視角。
Lorna J. Gibson is the Matoula S. Salapatas Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and a MacVicar Faculty Fellow at MIT. Her research interests have focused on the mechanics of materials with a cellular structure such as engineering honeycombs and foams, natural materials such as wood, leaves and bamboo, as well as medical materials for regenerating damaged tissues. A lifelong birder, Gibson is a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
