Preface
Chapter 1: And Introduction to Birds and their Brains
1.1 Birds in the Vertebrate Family Tree
1.2 Phylogeny of Modern Birds
1.3—Avian Brain Size and Neuron Density
1.4—Avian Brain Organization
1.5—Conclusion: Different, yet not so Different
Chapter 2: Daily and Seasonal Rhythms
2.1—Circadian Rhythms
2.2—Sleep in Birds
2.3—Seasonal Changes in Brains and Behavior
Chapter 3: Locomotion and Posture Control
3.1—Flight
3.2—Walking and Running
3.3—Standing Still
Chapter 4: Homing and Migration
4.1—Spatial Orientation and Navigation: Key Concepts
4.2—The Compass Senses of Birds
4.3—Navigational Maps
4.4—Brain Pathways for Orientation and Navigation
4.5—Many Unanswered Questions
Chapter 5: Feeding and Storing Food
5.1—Ground-feeding Birds
5.2—Hunting on the Wing
5.3—Owls Hunting at Night
5.4—Searching for Hidden Food
5.5—Food Storing and Retrieval
5.6—Appetite Regulation
Chapter 6: Sex and Social Behavior
6.1 Sex Determination and Sexual Differentiation
6.2—Sex Differences in the Brain
6.3—Neural Control of Song
6.4—Vocal Control in Non-songbirds
6.5—Non-vocal Displays
6.6—Species, Sex, and Kin Recognition
6.7—Nesting and Parental Care
6.8—To Flock or not to Flock
Chapter 7: Complex Cognition
7.1—The Surprising Complexity of Avian Brains and Cognition
7.2—Memories of What, Where, When
7.3—Feeding Innovations and Tool Use
7.4—Social Intelligence
7.5—An Avian “Prefrontal Cortex”?
7.6—Homology versus Analogy
Chapter 8: The Complex Relationship Between Birds and Us
8.1—Hunting
8.2—Domestication
8.3—Anthropogenic Effects
8.4—Is there a Bright Side?
Appendix: Homologies of the Avian Pallium
A.1–Pallium versus Subpallium
A.2—Hippocampus
A.3—Hyperpallium
A.4—Mesopallium
A.5—Nido- and Arcopallium
A.6—Olfactory Cortex
A.7—Functional Implications
Related Videos and Further Reading
Appendix