Avian Architecture: How Birds Design, Engineer and Build

Birds' nests are the best examples of functional design that nature has to offer, suggests Peter Goodfellow, who offers here a heavily illustrated guide to such structures as they appear around the world. Along with information on the basic categories of nests and their identifying traits, the book includes color photographs and scientific drawings of dozens of birds, including the Adélie penguin, Baltimore oriole, golden eagle, burrowing owl, European bee-eater, flamingo, white stork, and acorn woodpecker. Along the way, Goodfellow discusses what considerations influence how and where a bird constructs its nest.