Nature's Flyers: Birds, Insects, and the Biomechanics of Flight
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"Scientifically accurate, up-to-date, and highly accessible, Nature's Flyers will interest not only amateur and professional ornithologists, ecologists, evolutionary biologists, physiologists, and engineers, but also anyone who is curious about the effects of flight on the evolution and diversity of the natural world." -- Biology Digest"Alexander achieves the difficult feat of explaining intrinsically complex phenomena without using mathematical or entomological jargon. As a result, the book is clear, beautifully written, and suitable for people at all levels." -- Physics Today Robert Dudley This book provides a useful popular-level treatment of animal flight, covering not just biomechanical but also ecological and evolutionary aspects of aerial locomotion . . . No comparable treatment of flight exists in the literature.
Foreword1Introduction12How wings work83Gliding and soaring364Flapping and hovering705Staying on course and changing direction1116Fueling flight1407Evolving flyers1658Migrating2179Finding the way24210The global impact of animal flight26111Have the birds and bees taught us anything useful?288
