In this text, ornithologist John Terres explains the process by which eagles, hawks, hummingbirds, and other birds fly, soar and hover.

This guide brings together, for the first time within a single volume, a comprehensive review of all the world's pheasants, partridges, quails, grouse, turkeys, guineafowl, buttonquails, sandgrouse, and the enigmatic Plains-wanderer--over 250 species in all. The group includes some of the world's most familiar and beautiful birds, such as the Indian peafowl and the stunning tragopans, as well as some of the rarest and most threatened. This book concentrates on detailed identification and distribution, but also highlights conservation issues where relevant. The seventy-two color plates, by leading bird illustrators, show male, female, juvenile, and subspecies plumages, and form the finest set of illustrations of these birds to date. There is also a color distribution map for each species.

"Pheasants, Partridges, and Grouse" is a landmark volume in the literature of this attractive and vulnerable group of birds. Comprehensive identification guide to over 250 species of pheasants, partridges, and grouse throughout the world Detailed text covering identification, description, geographical variation, voice, status, habitat and behavior, distribution, movements, and measurements 72 color plates depicting male, female, juvenile, and subspecies plumages Information on conservation issues Glossary, index, reference, and bibliography

The ultimate must-have guide for identifying migrant raptors, Hawks at a Distance is the first volume to focus on distant raptors as they are truly seen in the field. Jerry Liguori, a leading expert on North American raptors, factors in new information and approaches for identifying twenty-nine species of raptor in various lighting situations and settings. The field guide's nineteen full-color portraits, 558 color photos, and 896 black-and-white images portray shapes and plumages for each species from all angles. Useful flight identification criteria are provided and the accompanying text discusses all aspects of in-flight hawk identification, including flight style and behavior. Concentrating on features that are genuinely observable at a distance, this concise and practical field guide is ideal for any aspiring or experienced hawk enthusiast. * The first guide to focus on distant raptors as they are viewed in the field * New information and approaches for identifying distant raptors * Illustrates twenty-nine species in various lighting situations and settings *558 color photos and 896 black-and-white images depicting plumage and shape characteristics * All aspects of in-flight hawk identification, including flight style and behavior

The Birds of Ecuador comprehensively treats the nearly 1600 species of birds that can be found in mainland Ecuador. The authors describe Ecuador this way: "One of the wonders of the natural world. Nowhere else is such incredible avian diversity crammed into such a small country.... Birds are, happily, numerous in many parts of Ecuador: even the downtown parks of the big cities such as Quito and Guayaquil host their complement." Volume I, Status, Distribution, and Taxonomy, contains detailed information on the ecology, status, and distribution of all species. Introductory chapters deal with geography, climate, and vegetation; bird migration in Ecuador; Ecuadorian ornithology; endemic bird areas in Ecuador; and conservation. Individual species accounts treat habitat, distribution, and taxonomy. Volume II, Field Guide, contains 96 full-color plates and facing pages of descriptive text, a color map of Ecuador, 2 line drawings of bird anatomy, 115 silhouette outlines, and nearly 1600 distribution maps. All species are illustrated in full color, including migrants and vagrants and visually distinctive subspecies. The text focuses on the field identification aspects of each species, including their behavior, vocalizations, and nest appearance. The two volumes are available separately or may be purchased as a slipcased set.

More than 600 lush, stunning photos grace this comprehensive handbook to the birdlife of the Mid-Atlantic region. A Great Blue Heron wades in the shallows of the Potomac River, scanning for unsuspecting prey. Sunlight turns the water translucent as a small school of fish rises to the water's surface. The heron strikes and moments later is swallowing its quarry-predation in action! This handsome Great Blue Heron is but one of the more than 400 bird species found in Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. It shares the mid-Atlantic with kingfishers, eagles, mergansers, wood warblers, and many more. Exploring backyard birds, birds of prey, and birds of the open ocean, Smithsonian ornithologist Bruce Beehler and premier nature photographer Middleton Evans have crafted a comprehensive volume unparalleled in its beauty and captivating storytelling. Birds of Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia invites readers to experience the birds' lives as they live them: where they nest, how they forage, their various behaviors, and the natural environments they need to survive. Beehler offers practical advice on bird-watching, including how to find, attract, and even garden for birds, as well as the best places to see them in season. He also discusses the best birding apps, websites, and gear; provides advice on planning a birding field trip; and recommends ornithological institutions that will help you cultivate a lifelong birding hobby. Finally, Beehler challenges the reader to think about conservation efforts to preserve local bird populations. With striking color photographs of more than 400 species, this book is a bonanza for nature lovers. A wealth of images immerse the reader in the world of these wonderful creatures. Marvel at the majesty of Ospreys, navigate the ocean with storm-petrels, and nest with Mourning Doves, all while learning about the richness of the birds' lives, the complexities of their habits, and how we can help keep their populations vibrant and aloft for generations to come.

Find solace, hope and happiness this winter through 12 fascinating birds whose song is never far away - if only we know where to look . . . 'A lyrical and life-affirming book that teaches us as much about birds as it does ourselves - a balm for the soul' Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path 'Charlie has opened my eyes to the constant joy of the sights and sounds of the birds that surround us. It is a book that really will save lives' Dr Richard Shepherd, author of Unnatural Causes 'An enchanting book. I knew at once this was something special' Lady Glenconner 'This is no ordinary ornithology, but one that portrays the very essence of each bird through a very human lens and shows us that both solace and joy can be ours by merely observing with an open eye and an open heart' John Wright, author of The Forager's Calendar 'A wonderful blend of the lyrical and practical. Charlie shows us that our relationship with birds and the natural world is not only healing, but an important part of our cultural heritage worth protecting' Adam Henson _________ Can you recognise the cheerful chirrups of the house sparrow? A song thrush singing out at winter's darkest hour? Or the beautiful haunting call of the curlew? At a time of great anxiety and uncertainty, while coping with the untimely death of his mother, Charlie Corbett realised his perspective on life was slipping. In a moment of despair, he found himself lying on the side of a hill in the rain, alone with his thoughts. Suddenly he hears the song of a skylark - that soaring, tinkling, joyous sound echoing through the air above - and he is transported away from his dark thoughts. Grounded by the beauty of nature, perspective dawns. No longer the leading role in his own private melodrama, merely a bit part in nature's great epic. Through twelve characterful birds, Charlie shows us there is joy to be found if we know where to look, and how to listen. From solitary skylarks to squabbling sparrows, he explores the place of these birds in our history, culture and landscape, noting what they look like and where you're most likely to meet them. By reconnecting with the wildlife all around him and learning to move with the rhythms of the natural world, Charlie discovered nature's powerful ability to heal. In this life-affirming and joyful guide to the birds living all around us, it might just heal you too.

Falcons are stunning and iconic birds. Australia has six falcon species, with two endemic to the continent and two others endemic to the Australasian region. They are important indicators of the health of our ecosystems, due to their position at the top of the food chain. But several species are declining, with two species threatened in some states. In Australian Falcons: Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation, Dr Stephen Debus provides a 30-year update of knowledge on these six species, as well as a falcon-like hawk, the Black-shouldered Kite. This book is based partly on the author's field studies, as well as being a supplement to the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds (HANZAB) and recent global treatises. It offers up-to-date information on the Australian species, including their behaviours, ecology and biology. It reviews their population status and threats, and suggests what needs to be done to ensure the future of these spectacular birds. Australian Falcons is an invaluable resource for raptor biologists, birdwatchers, wildlife rescuers and carers, raptor rehabilitators and zookeepers. FEATURES Covers the biology, ecology, behaviour, conservation and management of the six falcon species, and one falcon-like hawk. Reviews the population status and threats of the Australian falcons. First comprehensive book on Australian falcons since the 1993 publication of HANZAB Volume 2. Features striking colour photos by photographer David Whelan.

This revised and expanded edition of "Birds of Western Africa" is now the most up-to-date field guide available to the 1,285 species of birds found in the region--from Senegal and southern Mauritania east to Chad and the Central African Republic and south to Congo. It now features all maps and text opposite the plates for quick and easy reference. The comprehensive species accounts have been fully updated and expanded, and the color distribution maps have been completely revised. This premier guide also includes more than 3,000 illustrations on 266 stunning color plates.

Compact and lightweight, this new edition of "Birds of Western Africa" is the must-have field guide to one of the most exciting birding regions in the world.The premier field guide to West African birds--now completely revised and expandedCovers all 1,285 species found in the regionFeatures fully updated maps and text opposite the plates for easy referenceIncludes more than 3,000 illustrations on 266 color plates

Trudy, daughter of Ralph Edwards, continues the Lonesome Lake story. She, her husband and daughter carried on the work with the trumpeter swans that Ralph had begun. The book tells of their life on the isolated farm they built for themselves in the Chilcotin wilderness. Trudy's father is Ralph Edwards, a pioneer settler, who came to public attention in the early 20's when he spotlighted the plight of the Trumpeter Swans which were then in danger of extinction. He was appointed bird warden by the Canadian Wildlife Service. This work is now carried on by his daughter, Trudy. The lives of Trudy, her husband Jack, and their daughter Susan, now 17, complete the trio whose adventures and experiences are recounted in this fascinating story.

This new field guide offers a complete identification reference to all of the sandpipers, plovers, stints and other waders found in Europe, Asia and North America. The superb plates show birds at rest and in flight, in every plumage variant likely to be encountered in the region. Species have been grouped, especially on the flight plates, so that similar species are shown close to each other. Facing text summarises key identification pointers to complete a quick-reference, field-friendly guide to this difficult and challenging group.

The Lapwing once had many regional names; the Loon has a British-American identity crisis and the respectable-sounding Apostlebird is often called a Lousy Jack. Why do bird names, both common and scientific, change over time and why do they vary so much between different parts of the English-speaking world? Wandering through the scientific and cultural history of ornithology takes us to the heart of understanding the long relationship between birds and people. Lapwings, Loons and Lousy Jacks uncovers the stories behind the incredible diversity of bird names, explains what many scientific names actually mean and takes a look at the history of the system by which we name birds. Ray Reedman explores the natural history and folklore behind bird names, in doing so unlocking the mystery of the name Scoter, the last unexplained common name of a British bird species.

Renowned for their dazzling plumages and elaborate courtship displays, birds of paradise and bowerbirds exhibit some of the most astonishing behaviors in the natural world. Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds is the ultimate identification guide to these marvelous birds. This beautiful book features stunning color plates that depict all 108 recognized taxa in these two groups along with more than 200 color photos that showcase a broad range of racial and age-related plumage varieties. The comprehensive text covers identification, taxonomy, and ecology, and is accompanied by detailed distribution maps. Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds is the product of more than two decades of research and field observations, and is a must-have guide for birders, ornithologists, and anyone interested in these sensational birds. The ultimate identification guide to these marvelous birds of New Guinea and Australia Features stunningly illustrated color plates that depict all 108 recognized taxa Covers identification, taxonomy, and ecology Includes hundreds of color photos and detailed distribution maps Based on more than two decades of research and original field observations

A new, updated version of the celebrated 1968 title, Galapagos: Islands of Birds, by the renowned late ornithologist Bryan Nelson, with additional, previously unpublished reminiscences and lively and irreverent memories from his wife June. This timely reissue breathes new life into a classic work of natural history that will appeal to bird-lovers and Galapagos-lovers alike. It is as memorable for its groundbreaking descriptions of Galapagos wildlife as for June's naked appearance in the News of the World accompanied by a quote from the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1964 the late Bryan Nelson, a zoologist, and his wife June spent a year living on two uninhabited, waterless Galapagos islands studying the three species of booby ('we couldn't resist also studying the great frigatebird and waved albatross, too' says June). Bryan's book, Galapagos: Islands of Birds was published in 1968 and, although by necessity a scientific study, his light touch and the extraordinary hardships and delights of living in total isolation with no means of rescue should things go wrong, make it an exceptionally good read. Now, nearly 60 years later, June Nelson has extracted the story of that extraordinary year and complemented it with her own recollections. The couple's research and findings remain relevant and interesting, so plenty of wildlife descriptions are retained, but it is the mischievous mocking birds and friendly sea lions which will captivate the reader as much as the famous blue-footed boobies and waved albatrosses. At the end of their stay on Hood, when their clothes were literally in tatters and they went barefoot, they had news of the imminent visit of The Duke of Edinburgh and the Royal Yacht Britannia. June's description of this visit and their lunch on board with Prince Philip, make a surreal ending to a year of deteriorating food: 'Now our flour had around 50 maggots or beetles per pound... Dried beans would have three or four beetles per bean... In spaghetti a black shadow meant beetle, a grey one maggot. It took a long time, breaking out each shadow, to make a meal.'

The fossil record of giant flightless birds extends back to the Late Cretaceous, more than 70 million years ago, but our understanding of these extinct birds is still incomplete. This is partly because the number of specimens available is sometimes limited, but also because widely different approaches have been used to study them, with sometimes contradictory results. This book summarizes the current knowledge of the paleobiology of seven groups of giant flightless birds: Dinornithiformes, Aepyornithiformes, Dromornithidae, Phorusrhacidae, Brontornithidae, Gastornithidae and Gargantuavis. The first chapter presents the global diversity of these birds and reviews the tools and methods used to study their paleobiology. Chapters 2 to 8 are each dedicated to one of the seven groups of extinct birds. Finally, a conclusion offers a global synthesis of the information presented in the book in an attempt to define a common evolutionary model.

Infectious Diseases of Wild Mammals and Birds in Europe is a key resource on the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases in European wildlife that covers the distinctive nature of diseases as they occur in Europe, including strains, insect vectors, reservoir species, and climate, as well as geographical distribution of the diseases and European regulations for reporting, diagnosis and control. Divided into sections on viral infections, bacterial infections, fungal and yeast infections, and prion infections, this definitive reference provides valuable information on disease classification and properties, causative agents, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and implications for human, domestic and wild animal health.

Key features: - Brings together extensive research from many different disciplines into one integrated and highly useful definitive reference.- Zoonotic risks to human health, as well as risks to pets and livestock are highlighted.- Each disease is covered separately with practical information on the animal species in which the disease has been recorded, clinical signs of the disease, diagnostic methods, and recommended treatments and vaccination.- Wildlife vaccination and disease surveillance techniques are described.- Examines factors important in the spread of disease such as changing climate, the movement of animals through trade, and relaxations in the control of wide animal populations.

How similar are your choices, behaviours, and lifestyle to those of a parrot? We humans are not like other mammals. We look like them, but we don't act like them. In fact, many of our defining human traits: our longevity, intelligence, monogamy and childrearing, and learning and language, all deep parts of what it means to be human, are far more similar to birds than to our fellow mammals. These similarities originate not from shared ancestors but from parallel histories. Our evolutionary stories have pushed humans and birds to the same solutions. In this book, Antone Martinho-Truswell explores these similarities to argue that we can learn a great deal about ourselves by thinking of the human species as 'the bird without feathers'. This is also a book about convergent evolution - evolution that drives very different species to very similar outcomes and behaviours. The traits we share with birds but not mammals are the result of similar, specific pressures that demanded similar solutions - and exploring these similarities can help us understand both why we evolved to be the way we are, and also how very unusual some of our behaviours are in the animal kingdom, Drawing on a rich array of examples across the natural world, Martinho-Truswell also demonstrates the ways in which parrots are our biological mirror image; an evolutionary parallel to ourselves. In contemplating what we share with the birds, and especially the parrots, we understand how close nature came to creating another lineage of radical intelligence on Earth, and we also come to better understand ourselves.

The human history of depicting birds dates to as many as 40,000 years ago, when Paleolithic artists took to cave walls to capture winged and other beasts. But the art form has reached its peak in the last four hundred years. In The Art of the Bird, devout birder and ornithologist Roger J. Lederer celebrates this heyday of avian illustration in forty artists' profiles, beginning with the work of Flemish painter Frans Snyders in the early 1600s and continuing through to contemporary artists like Elizabeth Butterworth, famed for her portraits of macaws. Stretching its wings across time, taxa, geography, and artistic style--from the celebrated realism of American conservation icon John James Audubon, to Elizabeth Gould's nineteenth-century renderings of museum specimens from the Himalayas, to Swedish artist and ornithologist Lars Jonsson's ethereal watercolors--this book is feathered with art and artists as diverse and beautiful as their subjects. A soaring exploration of our fascination with the avian form, The Art of the Bird is a testament to the ways in which the intense observation inherent in both art and science reveals the mysteries of the natural world.

Emily Dickinson's poem "Split the Lark" refers to the "scarlet experiment" by which scientists destroy a bird in order to learn more about it. Indeed, humans have killed hundreds of millions of birds-for science, fashion, curiosity, and myriad other reasons. In the United States alone, seven species of birds are now extinct and another ninety-three are endangered. Conversely, the U.S. conservation movement has made bird-watching more popular than ever, saving countless bird populations; and while the history of actual physical human interaction with birds is complicated, our long aesthetic and scientific interest in them is undeniable. Since the beginning of the modern conservation movement in the mid-nineteenth century, human understanding of and interaction with birds has changed profoundly. In Scarlet Experiment, Jeff Karnicky traces the ways in which birds have historically been seen as beautiful creatures worthy of protection and study and yet subject to experiments-scientific, literary, and governmental-that have irrevocably altered their relationship with humans. This examination of the management of bird life in America from the nineteenth century to today, which focuses on six bird species, finds that renderings of birds by such authors as Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, Don DeLillo, and Christopher Cokinos, have also influenced public perceptions and actions. Scarlet Experiment speculates about the effects our decisions will have on the future of North American bird ecology.

China covers about 7% of the earth's land surface and encompasses a hugely diverse range of habitats. As a result, it boasts a rich and diverse avifauna, including some of the most spectacular and fascinating birds to be found anywhere in the world. Building on the enormous popularity and reputation of the original A Field Guide to the Birds of China (2000), John MacKinnon's fully updated and refreshed work remains a truly comprehensive, taxonomically modern, fully illustrated, and authoritative field guide. 1484 bird species are richly illustrated in 164 annotated colour plates, which are closely integrated with up-to-date colour distribution maps, QR codes providing easy access to birdcalls, IUCN Red List status indicators and new, concise descriptions. These descriptions feature key observations as well as conveying crucial changes to species distributions resulting from climate change and landscape transformation. Guide to the Birds of China will appeal to an international and growing audience of professional and amateur ornithologists and birding enthusiasts, academic researchers and students, wildlife photographers, and conservationists.

A ten year study began in 1972 in West Greenland to investigate the breeding biology of the peregrine falcon. Data on nesting gyrfalcons were also collected. Thirty-four peregrine nesting sites were examined in the 6050 km2 inland study area near Sondre Stromfjord. Limited research also centered in Disko Bugt and Frederikshab. Peregrines were found nesting predominantly on high, south-facing cliffs, which overlooked large areas. The mean minimum distance between peregrine eyries was 7.7 km for the inland area (1972 and 1973) and 55 km for the coast (1974). Approximately 60 percent of the inland nesting sites were occupied each year. A ten-year average production of 1.90 young per occupied site and 2.78 young per successful site was determined. Lapland longspurs, snow buntings, wheatears, and redpolls comprised 90 percent of the peregrines diet. Raven nests and prey availability may be the most significant factor affecting falcon density. Addled peregrine eggs, eggshell fragments, and peregrine prey species were collected. Whole eggs averaged 14.3 ppm wet weight (305 ppm lipid weight ) DDE, while eggshell measurements showed a 16 percent thinning compared with pre-1940 eggs from Greenland. Prey species carried low levels of DDE. The peregrine population appears to be at a near critical contamination level, and a small increase in DDE level could contribute to a population decline. No indication of a decline has been observed during the study, and the population appears stable. The project banded 185 peregrines, from which 8 recoveries occurred. The recoveries suggest peregrines migrate south to winter in South America.

THE BTO/BRITISH BIRDS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020 A brand-new, completely revised second edition of Jenni and Winkler's classic guide, updated and improved for the next generation of ringers and professional ornithologists. The moult strategies of birds exert an important influence on their behaviour and energetics, and also provide the basis of valuable tools for study. A proper understanding of how feathers are replaced and the precise differences in the appearance of the various feather generations can allow ringers, scientists and keen birdwatchers to age individual birds, and to distinguish between first-year and adult birds. Understanding the moult strategy of a species also provides insights into its general and migration ecology, and allows detailed studies of many aspects of its population dynamics. Lukas Jenni and Raffael Winkler have studied moult across a wide range of bird species for decades, and in this book bring their observations together to produce a valuable reference for both professional ornithologists and bird ringers. This second edition has been completely updated and revised, with 16 new species accounts added, bringing the total covered to 74. The first part of the book provides an up-to-date summary of the moult strategies and moult sequences of European passerines, and discusses the ecological consequences of moult. Throughout the book, the authors draw on the enormous amount of data on moult that they have collected over 40 years of study and which, combined with data from the literature, allow them to present a thorough synthesis of the subject. The second part is of particular value to ringers. Following a general introduction to ageing, detailed moult profiles are given for 74 European passerine species, illustrating all of the major moult strategies and including useful summary statistics, schematic diagrams of the extent of moult and indications of the variation within each species. The main moult strategies are illustrated with schematic graphs, and the moult strategies and extent of moult of every European passerine species are summarised in tabular form. The crowning feature of this book is its collection of more than 600 full-colour photographs of extended wings, which show the entire range of moult patterns and plumage-ageing criteria. An appendix gives supplementary information on ageing birds by the degree of pneumatisation of the skull. Large in format, packed with high-quality photography and lavish in production specifications, this second edition of Moult and Ageing in European Passerines is both a major reference for ornithologists, zoologists, bird ringers and dedicated birdwatchers, and a work of great scholarship and beauty.

RSPB Spotlight: Ospreys is packed with eye-catching, informative colour photos, and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist. A hunting Osprey is one of the great sights of the natural world, and its fishing prowess is admired and revered around the globe. However, its penchant for taking fish from trout ponds resulted in a drastic decline in the UK with the species wiped out by human persecution and habitat loss. Thanks to concerted conservation efforts, it has made an encouraging comeback in recent decades, giving people across the country the chance to see this majestic hunter in action once again. This easy-to-read text explores all aspects of the Osprey's biology and ecology, including a detailed overview of the adaptations that make it such a skilled and proficient hunter. There is also a chapter dedicated to Osprey migration with a summary of the findings of groundbreaking satellite tracking research. Tim Mackrill also explores the relationship between humans and Ospreys, from the days of Shakespeare to the recent rise of Osprey tourism. The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives and behaviour of our favourite animals with eye-catching colour photographs and informative expert text.

The tropical islands of Trinidad and Tobago enjoy a rich diversity of bird species, including visitors from the nearby mainland and others travelling the migratory flyway from North America. With beautiful colour illustrations and concise descriptions, this new and comprehensive field guide covers every species known to occur on the islands. - 115 colour plates illustrating all the relevant plumages of over 480 species - Concise descriptions of every species, highlighting plumage variation and distinctions from similar species - Up-to-date information on where to watch birds in Trinidad & Tobago - Includes an overview of the geography, climate and habitats of the islands