"This book is the first re-appraisal in 50 years of concepts of development in birds. Although much has been written about life history evolution, few systems are as complex or rich in the potential for understanding evolutionary adaptation as the altricial-precocial spectrum of young birds. This book makes use of this rich potential and offers a unique integration of organismal biology, from comparative and functional approaches in phylogeny, morphology, and physiology, to endocrinology, behavioral science, ecology, immunology, and genetics. The comprehensive discussion provides a model system for studying life history evolution and developmental biology on the organism level."--Jacket.