Bird Behavior and Ornithology Resources

Ornithology is the branch of zoology involving the study of birds. Ornithologists study anatomy, evolution, bird behavior, the role birds in the environment, and many other aspects of birds. You can better appreciate the birds who visit Monticello Park if you understand their component parts, their evolutionary history, and how they fit into the natural world.

Birds of the World is a comprehensive source of ornithological information about all bird species in the world. Each account examines factors such as appearance, distribution, diet, behavior, breeding, conservation status, and more. Before this resource became available, the principal source of information about the life histories of American birds was a series compiled by Arthur Cleveland Bent and his successors between 1919 and 1968. The Bent life histories are now in the public domain and available for free online.

• Birds of the World ($)
• Arthur Cleveland Bent Life Histories

Monticello Park offers excellent opportunities to observe bird behavior at close range. A great many sources exist with information about bird behavior and the minds of birds:

• The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior David Allen Sibley, 2009
• What It's Like to Be a Bird David Allen Sibley, 2020
• Stokes Guide to Bird Behavior, Volume 1 Donald Stokes and Lillian Stokes, 1983
• Stokes Guide to Bird Behavior, Volume 2 Donald Stokes and Lillian Stokes, 1983
• Stokes Guide to Bird Behavior, Volume 3 Donald Stokes and Lillian Stokes, 1989
• The Bird Way Jennifer Ackerman, 2020
• The Genius of Birds Jennifer Ackerman, 2017
• Peterson Reference Guide to Bird Behavior John Kricher, 2020
• Understanding Bird Behavior Wenfei Tong, 2020
• Bird Behavior Robert Burton, 1985
• What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World Jon Young, 2013
• The Life of Birds David Attenborough, 1998
• The Fascination of Birds: From the Albatross to the Yellowthroat William Young, 2014
• The Minds of Birds Alexander F. Skutch, 1996
• Bird Brain: An Exploration of Avian Intelligence Nathan Emery, 2016
• A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World's Smartest Birds of Prey Jonathan Meiburg, 2021
• Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans John Marzluff, 2013
• Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays Candace Savage, 2017
• Mind of the Raven Bernd Heinrich, 1999
• Bird Sense: What It's Like to Be a Bird Tim Birkhead, 2013
• Birds Asleep Alexander F. Skutch, 1989

These resources examine bird migration behavior:

• A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds Scott Weidensaul, 2021
• How Birds Migrate Paul Kerlinger, 2008
• The Migration of Birds: Seasons on the Wing Janice M. Hughes, 2009
• Atlas of Bird Migration: Tracing the Great Journeys of the World's Birds Jonathan Elphick (Editor), 2015
• The Homing Instinct: Meaning and Mystery in Animal Migration Bernd Heinrich, 2015
• Is Bird Migration Getting More Dangerous? (article in Living Bird) Marc Devokaitis, 2021
• CAPE aMAYzing: The magic of spring and fall birding in Cape May (video) Michael O'Brien & Louise Zemaitis 2013
• Gulf Crossing: Story of Spring (video) Jackson Childs, 2013

These books are about the reproductive behavior of birds:

• The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World — and Us Richard O. Prum, 2017
• Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds Paul J. Baicich and Colin J.O. Harrison, 2005
• Eastern Birds' Nests Hal H. Harrison, 1998
• The Mating Lives of Birds James Parry, 2012
• The Most Perfect Thing: Inside (and Outside) a Bird's Egg Tim Birkhead, 2017
• Parent Birds and Their Young Alexander F. Skutch, 1976

Here are resources about the study of birds, including books about ornithology and a downloadable checklist of the birds of the world:

• Clements Checklist of Birds of the World
• Ornithology Frank Gill, 2006
• Handbook of Bird Biology Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2016.
• Birds: A Complete Guide to their Biology and Behavior Jonathan Elphick, 2016
• The World of Birds Jonathan Elphick, 2014
• Manual of Ornithology: Avian Structure and Function Noble S. Proctor and Patrick J. Lynch, 1998
• How Birds Work: An Illustrated Guide to the Wonders of Form and Function Marianne Taylor, 2020
• The Bird: A Natural History of Who Birds Are, Where They Came From, and How They Live Colin Tudge, 2014
• Watching Birds: An Introduction to Ornithology Roger Pasquier, 1977
• The Nature of Birds Adrian Forsyth, 1988
• Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology since Darwin Tim Birkhead, Jo Wimpenny, and Bob Montgomerie, 2006
• The Birder's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds Paul Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye, 2006
• American Museum of Natural History Birds of North America Paul D. Hess and David Bird, 2016
• 2nd Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia Walter G. Ellison (Editor), 2010
• One Wild Bird at a Time: Portraits of Individual Lives Bernd Heinrich, 2016

The Bird Info section on the Sibley Guides website offers a wealth of information.

These resources are about bird feathers and birds without feathers:

• Bird Feathers: A Guide to North American Species S. David Scott and Casey McFarland, 2010
• Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle Thor Hanson, 2011
• Feathers: A Beautiful Look at a Bird's Most Unique Feature Stan Tekiela, 2014
• The Unfeathered Bird Katrina van Grouw, 2013