Table of Contents

Preface
1: Acquisition of knowledge
2: The flight apparatus
3: Feathers for flight
4: Aerodynamics
5: Evolution of bird flight
6: Bird flight modes
7: The bird flight engine
8: Energy required for flight
9: Comparing the metabolic costs of flight

About the Author

John J Videler holds two academic positions, Professor of Evolutionary Mechanics at Leiden University, and Professor of Marine Zoology at Groningen University, The Netherlands.

Reviews

...this is an expertly written introduction into all aspects of bird flight. What makes it even better is that Videler's narrative emphasis is not so much on the mechanical minutiae of avian flight, but rather on explaining and describing what makes it all work...His writing style, moreover, is enthusiastic and colourful. PalArch's Journal of Vetebrate Palaeontology, 2007 The strength of the book is its comprehensive coverage of the field...Videler tells us about old work that is still enlightening as well as about the newest and most fashionable research. Ethology, 2006 Videler is an enthusiast in every sense of the word, and this is a book for enthsiasts...a key achievement of Videler's book, in reviewing the current state of our knowledge, is to reveal how many lacunae remain. Ibis Regardless, the book does a splendid job of conveying the reasons for the author's entusiasm for studying avian flight...the book will serve as an excellent foundation for seminars for advanced undergraduates or graduates and as an essential motivational tool for all avian biologists. JEB, Bret W. Tobalske, University of Portland ...the book is lucidly written, with clear explanations British Birds, Vol 99