Many raptors, the hawks, eagles, and falcons of the world,
migrate over long distances, often in impressively large numbers.
Many avoid crossing wide expanses of water and follow "flyways" to
optimize soaring potential. Atmospheric conditions and landscape
features, including waterways and mountain ranges, funnel these
birds into predictable bottlenecks through which thousands of
daytime birds of prey may pass in a short time. Birders and
ornithologists also congregate at these locations to observe the
river of raptors passing overhead (as did hunters in the United
States in the past and in some countries even today).
Keith L. Bildstein has studied migrating raptors on four
continents and directs the conservation science program at Hawk
Mountain Sanctuary, Pennsylvania, the world's first refuge for
migratory birds of prey. In this book, he details the stories and
successes of twelve of the world's most important raptor-viewing
spots, among them Cape May Point, New Jersey; Veracruz, Mexico;
Kekoldi, Costa Rica; the Strait of Gibralter, Spain; and Elat,
Israel. During peak migration, when the weather is right, the skies
at these sites, as at Hawk Mountain, can fill with thousands of
birds in a single field of view. Bildstein, whose knowledge of the
phenomenon of raptor migration is comprehensive, provides an
accessible account of the history, ecology, geography, science, and
conservation aspects surrounding the migration of approximately two
hundred species of raptors between their summer breeding sites and
their wintering grounds. He summarizes current knowledge about how
the birds' bodies handle the demands of long-distance migration and
how they know where to go.
Migrating Raptors of the World also includes the ecological and
conservation stories of several intriguing raptor migrants,
including the Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Western Honey
Buzzard, Northern Harrier, Grey-faced Buzzard, Steppe Buzzard, and
Amur Falcon.
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