birds of shangri-la chapter 1 - Chapters
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrate animals constituting the class Aves, characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton that retains reptile-like characteristics. Explore more than 800 North American bird species, learn about their lives and habitats, and how climate change is impacting their ability to survive. One of our most popular birds, the Northern Cardinal, is the official state bird of no fewer than seven eastern states.
Understanding the Context
Discover the main types of birds, from common groupings like birds of prey and water birds to the 40 scientific bird orders. Explore examples, classification, and bird diversity worldwide. Birds, members of the class Aves, include more than 10,400 living bird species – more than half being passerine, or “perching” birds. Their feathers distinguish them from all other classes of animal; no other animals on earth have them.
Image Gallery
Key Insights
We believe birds are a gateway to caring for the natural world. Help us spark curiosity and foster learning, starting with the earliest ages, through the college years, and lasting a lifetime. Birds of the World is a powerful resource that brings deep, scholarly content from four celebrated works of ornithology into a single platform where biologists and birders can find comprehensive life history information on birds. Use our Bird Guide to identify birds, learn about the life history, listen to the sounds, and watch bird behavior on video--the most comprehensive guide to Nort eBird transforms your bird sightings into science and conservation. Plan trips, find birds, track your lists, explore range maps and bird migration—all free.