This is just to say that I sat down and devoured this gem about the natural engineering feats that are birds. Utterly fascinating book!

This book was fantastic! It has chapters that cover every aspect of bird life.

We learn about how feathers help birds, about the bone structure, how birds breathe, their muscle and circulatory systems, eggs, and so much more. Every aspect of bird biology is covered in detail in its own chapter.

The illustrations are great. I found enough detail in them and each was appropriate to the accompanying text.

You don't have to be a birder to appreciate this book. Anyone who is curious about birds will find something here. It's also a good resource to have on hand if you are learning ornithology or just curious about birds in general. I think it would be a great introductory textbook for a class on birds at the high school level. It can also be used as a reference source for details about the various systems in a bird's body and how they function.

I think the only thing that I didn't like about it was that it ended so quickly. There was not really a concluding wrap-up chapter; it just ended. I thought that was rather abrupt. But it doesn't detract from the usefulness of the rest of the information in this book. Just my perception. If it is used as a reference source, then there really is no need for a concluding chapter, is there?

Thoroughly enjoyable and easy to read. Chock full of fascinating details. It held my attention and increased my knowledge of birds. Definitely worth five stars.

Excellently laid out and paced book to introduce the anatomy of birds, as well as some fascinating adaptations.

Magnificent scientific information book about birds!

Birds are majestic and beautiful animals, they appeared on this precious planet 150 million years ago, therefore they have adapted evolutionarily to many habitats / ecosystems. We are fascinated by its ability to fly, its colorful feathers, exquisite songs. It is surprising to see how there are species with so many different habits, day and night, migratory, diver, fisher, raptor, runner, and others. They can be very smart and use tools to feed themselves. Did you know that they have more neurons and neural connections in their brains than mammals, giving them great cognitive processing power!

Marianne Taylor explains very clearly the biological characteristics that make Birds so successful. If you want to deepen your knowledge about birds, do not miss reading this magnificent book, with a fluid narrative and easy-to-understand diagrams (nothing like an overwhelming academic science book), you will understand the physiological and anatomical characteristics that allow them to be so spectacular.

My sincere appreciation to the Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review the book

I only skim read sections from this book as it was much, much more comprehensive than I was expecting from the cover! But by no means is that a bad thing. Taylor takes an in-depth look at the various biological systems in a bird and how they're unique, as well as chapters that extensively-but-simply spell out aspects such as bird development, evolution, and plumage. There were no references, however, so I was disappointed it couldn't be used as a jumping off point for more in-depth research. However, as an introductory bird biology guide this was surprisingly comprehensive and interesting! If I ever get my hands on a physical copy, I will be sure to read it more extensively than I had the time to for the ARC.

I'd definitely consider myself a birder, and I thought this was really engaging and helpful. Alongside David Sibley's new book, I think this is a great primer for casual birders to better understand the avian beauties they watch.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This is a really cool book about birds and a great gift for any birdwatcher.. There’s historical information, interesting information, great pictures and excellent illustrations about birds. Kids will really like this one as will adults.

How Birds Work is an adept technical examination of birds and the mechanisms they have developed to interact with and survive in their environment. Released 28th April 2020 by The Experiment, it's 224 pages and available in flexibound and ebook formats.

This isn't a field guide or just a collection of facts. Each of the entries contains isometric drawings and line art showing the engineering concepts and principles behind many of the functional physiological characteristics of different types of birds.

The layout is logical and easy to follow. The introductory chapter covers the ancient bird-like animals and dinosaurs - the family tree of modern day birds including convergent evolutionary lines and extinct oddities without comparable modern day equivalents. The following chapters "build up" the bird structurally from the inside out: the skeleton, muscles, nervous system, sensory organs, circulatory system, respiratory, and digestive systems and more. Each is thoroughly represented, accurate, and very well illustrated and interesting.

This would make a nice choice for all ages, bird watchers, students of nature and biology, as well as artists and readers interested in technical drawing. Note: no drawing tutorials or instructions are included, but there are numerous well illustrated exploded drawings to study.

Five stars, very impressive.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is a stunning book that covers everything about birds, from their history to their feathers and everything in-between. The twelve chapters each focus on a specific area. Within each chapter there is a wealth of information in various formats. The scientific knowledge is readable and informative, not dense academic language or overly basic. The photos are varied and wonderful. The illustrations, diagrams, and charts add to each system and help to enhance comprehension. While avian focused, key science topic sidebars also help the reader learn about differences of a bird's system.

Taylor's illustrated guide covers key avian systems and helps you to understand How Birds Work. It can be enjoyed by a variety of readers -- as a picture book, as a basic text to understand key science concepts, as one to refresh memory. It deserves a space on your bookshelf. I hope to add it to mine soon.

This review was written to late April birdsong.

What a gem of a book! Easy to read, wonderful photos, lavishly illustrated, loaded with interesting information. Even after a lifetime of studying birds, I was still able to learn a lot here. It is really that good! Everything from the evolution of birds, to each of their systems (muscles, nerves, senses, etc). Highly recommend!

Super neat to see bird forms broken down section by section, bit by bit to reveal the function of birds.

This book is fantastic! I am fascinated by the delicate beauty of birds. As far as a full knowledge of species or habits I have to admit I am not knowledgeable. This book was a treasure trove of information I truly learned so much and I really enjoyed reading this book and looking at the pictures and illustrations.

I believe this is an excellent book for any level of bird enthusiast because the detailed information is presented very well. The illustrations are beautiful and the order and way the information is presented is absolutely excellent.

This is a fascinating reference guide fir anyone interested in birdies and would be the perfect gift for bird watchers and enthusiasts alike. I highly recommend this book I loved it.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

I LOVED this book. As someone who likes birds but is not a birder per-say I believe this is an excellent book for any level of bird enthusiast. Gorgeous illustrations and a wonderful flow to the book makes reading this a delight. It's "Popular Mechanics" meets birds and it is just so cool to read. This is the kind of book I would not only read once but also flip through often. I would also see this being a great gift for all ages.

A very easy, informative book about all things avian.

Although it is very easy to read, this does not mean it was not informative, or delve into very intersting aspects of all things birds.

From their feathers, to their bones, to their eyes, there is so much to know about birds.

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Great book to have around when you wonder about anything having to do with birds.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.