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Birds and Habitat
by Robert J. FullerThe successful conservation of bird species relies upon our understanding of their habitat use and requirements. In the coming decades the importance of such knowledge will only grow as climate change, the development of new energy sources and the needs of a growing human population intensify the, already significant, pressure on the habitats that birds depend on. Drawing on valuable recent advances in our understanding of bird-habitat relationships, this book provides the first major review of avian habitat selection in over twenty years. It offers a synthesis of concepts, patterns and issues that will interest students, researchers and conservation practitioners. Spatial scales ranging from landscape to habitat patch are covered, and examples of responses to habitat change are examined. European landscapes are the main focus, but the book has far wider significance to similar habitats worldwide, with examples and relevant material also drawn from North America and Australia.
Birds and Us: A 12,000-Year History from Cave Art to Conservation
by Tim BirkheadFrom award-winning author and ornithologist Tim Birkhead, a sweeping history of the long and close relationship between birds and humansSince the dawn of human history, birds have stirred our imagination, inspiring and challenging our ideas about science, faith, art, and philosophy. We have worshipped birds as gods, hunted them for sustenance, adorned ourselves with their feathers, studied their wings to engineer flight, and, more recently, attempted to protect them. In Birds and Us, award-winning writer and ornithologist Tim Birkhead takes us on a dazzling epic journey through our mutual history with birds, from the ibises mummified and deified by Ancient Egyptians to the Renaissance fascination with woodpecker anatomy—and from the Victorian obsession with egg collecting to today’s fight to save endangered species and restore their habitats.Spanning continents and millennia, Birds and Us chronicles the beginnings of a written history of birds in ancient Greece and Rome, the obsession with falconry in the Middle Ages, and the development of ornithological science. Moving to the twentieth century, the book tells the story of the emergence of birdwatching and the field study of birds, and how they triggered an extraordinary flowering of knowledge and empathy for birds, eventually leading to today’s massive worldwide interest in birds—and the realization of the urgent need to save them.Weaving in stories from Birkhead’s life as scientist, including far-flung expeditions to wondrous Neolithic caves in Spain and the bustling guillemot colonies of the Faroe Islands, this rich and fascinating book is an unforgettable account of how birds have shaped us, and how we have shaped them.
Birds as Individuals
by Len HowardEnter the secret lives of Britain's ordinary garden birds and the brilliant, unconventional woman who opened her doors to them.In the late 1930s, Len Howard packed up her life in London, bought a plot of land in Sussex and built herself a little house there. This was to be Bird Cottage, a place where the doors of the house were open to the birds of the garden – great tits, blue tits, robins, blackbirds, willow warblers and many others. Len lived the rest of her life alongside her bird neighbours, with some sleeping in her bedroom and many flitting in and out all day long.This is the book she wrote about the birds – a study not just of their behaviour but their individual personalities. We learn about their intelligence, emotional lives, and characters, their capacity for play and humour, the range of their song, their likes and dislikes, and their bond with Len.Enchanting, life-enriching, revelatory and completely original, this is a gorgeous evocation of a life lived in intimate contact with nature and a book about birds unlike any other.‘A unique, engaging and elegant insight into the lives of our precious and magical songbirds’ Arthur Parkinson‘A quiet revelation of attentiveness and sympathy. It impressed and moved me very much’ Steven Lovatt, author of Birdsong in a Time of Silence
Birds as Useful Indicators of High Nature Value Farmlands: Using Species Distribution Models as a Tool for Monitoring the Health of Agro-ecosystems
by Federico Morelli Piotr TryjanowskiThis book helps to establish a simple framework to identify and use bird species as a bioindicator for high nature value (HNV) farmlands. This book focuses on suitable methods for monitoring the HNV areas, and presents the results of several case studies. The chapters put forward ways to integrate ecosystems assessment, geographical information systems (GIS) and strategies for conservation of local biodiversity. An innovative framework focuses on the use of species distribution models (SDMs) in order to explore the importance of each characteristic of HNV farmlands. Furthermore, the book examines the relationships among bird species richness, land use diversity and landscape metrics at a local scale in the farmlands.
Birds at Home
by Marguerite HenryIn this narrative book, the author describes the lives of 22 common birds.
Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep
by Roger PasquierA wide-ranging account of how birds spend the quiet half of their livesBirds at Rest is the first book to give a full picture of how birds rest, roost, and sleep, a vital part of their lives. It features new science that can measure what is happening in a bird&’s brain over the course of a night or when it has flown to another hemisphere, as well as still-valuable observations by legendary naturalists such as John James Audubon, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Theodore Roosevelt. Much of what they saw and what ornithologists are studying today can be observed and enjoyed by any birder.From the poles to the tropics, how, when, and where birds sleep reflect the ecology and behavior of each species, as well as their evolution from dinosaur ancestors. Some sleep briefly, their brain half awake, others spend long cold nights in torpor, and a few can sleep while flying. Their roosting habits are also varied. Most birds sleep alone, some in pairs or families, while others in flocks of millions. Birds at Rest explains how each strategy works over the course of a season, a year, or a lifetime by providing protection, mating opportunities, information about food, and other survival benefits.With evocative drawings by artist and illustrator Margaret La Farge, Birds at Rest discusses how environmental challenges such as artificial lights and noise, invasive species, and climate change are disrupting avian sleep and proposes solutions to ensure that birds get the rest they need.
Birds by the Shore: Observing the Natural Life of the Atlantic Coast
by Jennifer AckermanFrom the bestselling author of The Genius of Birds, the revised and reissued edition of her beloved book of essays describing her forays along the Delaware shoreFor three years, Jennifer Ackerman lived in the small coastal town of Lewes, Delaware, in the sort of blue-water, white-sand landscape that draws summer crowds up and down the eastern seaboard. Birds by the Shore is a book about discovering the natural life at the ocean's edge: the habits of shorebirds and seabirds, the movement of sand and water, the wealth of creatures that survive amid storm and surf. Against this landscape's rhythms, Ackerman revisits her own history--her mother's death, her father's illness and her hopes to have children of her own.This portrait of life at the ocean's edge will be relished by anyone who has walked a beach at sunset, or watched a hawk hover over a winter marsh, and felt part of the natural world. With a quiet passion and friendly, generous intelligence, it explores the way that landscape shapes our thoughts and perceptions and shows that home ground is often where we feel the deepest response to the planet.
Birds for Kids: A Junior Scientist's Guide to Owls, Eagles, Penguins, and Other Bird Species (Junior Scientists)
by Melissa MayntzExplore the wild and wonderful world of birds with the Junior Scientists series for kids ages 6 to 9From tiny hummingbirds to powerful eagles and everything in between—our planet is home to so many beautifully feathered friends! This big book of birds is packed with tons of cool facts and colorful photos that offer a fascinating peek into their lives. It's written especially for curious new readers, with engaging trivia and age-appropriate language that lets kids read and explore independently as they learn all about birds!35 birds to meet— Kids will discover a variety of bird species like flamingos, penguins, and barn swallows, and find out what they look like, where they live, what they eat, and more.Fun facts—Keep young readers fascinated with cool facts about how baby birds are born, if birds can get lost when they fly, and which water bird eats baby alligators!Learning in action— You'll even find some activities to try, like helping your child measure their own wingspan, build a nest, and spotting your backyard birds.Get ready for an exciting journey through the lives of our beaked buddies in this ultimate bird book for kids.
Birds in Jeopardy: The Imperiled and Extinct Birds of the United States and Canada
by Paul R. Ehrlich David S. Dobkin Darryl WheyeAs the human population skyrockets and the toxic impact of human society spreads, the natural habitats of birds degrade and diminish and the bird populations decline. Two hundred years ago, when the United States and Canada were home to less than 5 million people, they were also home to some 650 species of birds. Today, more than 280 million people live there, and 33 bird species have already been driven to extinction and well over 150 are in danger of extinction in all. Or parts of their range. This book, organized and written by the authors of The Birder's Handbook, and enriched by 191 strikingly beautiful color paintings illustrating all of the birds treated, is the first concise, authoritative review of the status of the birds currently imperiled in the United States and Canada - those that are federally listed as Endangered or Threatened and those that are listed by the National Audubon Society as suffering local or regional or. Widespread decline. It also treats the birds that have been driven to extinction in the past two centuries, since the stories of their somber fates can help us learn how to save the other birds that are in jeopardy. Because birdwatchers and others are showing increased interest in the tropical birds that survive in Hawaii and Puerto Rico, the book includes separate sections on the imperiled and extinct birds of those areas. Hawaii is of special importance: because it has. Seen so many extinctions just in the years since Cook's arrival (23 species and subspecies), it provides a laboratory for studying the impact of civilization on birds in the wild. The individual texts - written in clear, non-technical language - cover requirements for successful nesting and feeding; worldwide and North American breeding range, wintering range, and imperiled portions of range; current population estimates (for Threatened and Endangered birds); behavioral. And other factors pertinent to conservation; former and/or current threats associated with decline; current status of imperilment; federally funded recovery plans; and the date of last sighting, in those desperate cases where extinction is imminent or already a fact. In the last century, coal miners took canaries into the mines, reasoning that if poisonous gases were present, the birds would give warning by succumbing first. Now birds are serving as miners' canaries once. Again. In the language of ecology, they are good indicator species, warning us that too many people, unbridled consumption of wildlands and other natural resources, faulty technologies, and irresponsible disposal of chemical and other wastes threaten not just birds but ourselves and every other living thing. In our daily lives we seldom see the terrible effects of these forces but they are demonstrated every day by scientific surveys of the environment, around the world.
Birds in Roman Life and Myth (Global Perspectives on Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology)
by Ashleigh GreenThis book explores the place of birds in Roman myth and everyday life, focusing primarily on the transitional period of 100 BCE to 100 CE within the Italian peninsula. A diverse range of topics is considered in order to build a broad overview of the subject. Beginning with an appraisal of omens, augury, and auspices – including the ‘sacred chickens’ consulted by generals before battle – it goes on to examine how Romans farmed birds, hunted them, and kept them as pets. It demonstrates how the ownership and consumption of birds were used to communicate status and prestige, and how bird consumption mirrored wider economic and social trends. Each topic adopts an interdisciplinary approach, considering literary evidence alongside art, material culture, zooarchaeology, and modern ornithological knowledge. The inclusion of zooarchaeology adds another dimension to the work and highlights the value of using animals and faunal remains to interpret the past. Studying the Roman view of birds offers great insight into how they conceived of their relationship with the gods and how they stratified and organised their society. This book is a valuable resource for bird lovers and researchers alike, particularly those studying animals in the ancient world.
Birds in Toyland: Appliqué a Whimsical Christmas Quilt From Piece O' Cake Designs
by Becky Goldsmith Linda JenkinsQuilt a Christmas heirloom in colorful wool and cotton appliqué Get ready for Christmas cuddles with adorable appliqué! The Birds in Toyland quilt from Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins holds all of the whimsy and wonder you’ve come to expect from Piece O’ Cake Designs. Quilters can choose between two merry colorways, working with cozy cotton, felted wool, or a mixture of both. Stitch 13 wintery scenes into a pieced Irish Chain quilt, all framed with a playful appliquéd vintage Christmas light border. Readers will discover bonus instructions for a decorative pillow and a wall hanging in two sizes. A robust project gallery includes color and fabric inspiration. Christmas never looked so cute! Appliqué an Irish chain quilt with holiday trees, lights, and birds Learn to stitch needle-turn and easy wool appliqué the Piece O’ Cake way Bonus holiday quilt projects you can download
Birds in Winter: Surviving the Most Challenging Season
by Roger F. PasquierHow birds have evolved and adapted to survive winterBirds in Winter is the first book devoted to the ecology and behavior of birds during this most challenging season. Birds remaining in regions with cold weather must cope with much shorter days to find food and shelter even as they need to avoid predators and stay warm through the long nights, while migrants to the tropics must fit into very different ecosystems and communities of resident birds. Roger Pasquier explores how winter affects birds’ lives all through the year, starting in late summer, when some begin caching food to retrieve months later and others form social groups lasting into the next spring. During winter some birds are already pairing up for the following breeding season, so health through the winter contributes to nesting success.Today, rapidly advancing technologies are enabling scientists to track individual birds through their daily and annual movements at home and across oceans and hemispheres, revealing new and unexpected information about their lives and interactions. But, as Birds in Winter shows, much is visible to any interested observer. Pasquier describes the season’s distinct conservation challenges for birds that winter where they have bred and for migrants to distant regions. Finally, global warming is altering the nature of winter itself. Whether birds that have evolved over millennia to survive this season can now adjust to a rapidly changing climate is a problem all people who enjoy watching them must consider.Filled with elegant line drawings by artist and illustrator Margaret La Farge, Birds in Winter describes how winter influences the lives of birds from the poles to the equator.
Birds in a Cage: Warburg, Germany, 1941- Four P. O. W. Birdwatchers - The Unlikely Beginning Of British Wildlife Conservation...
by Derek NiemannThis is the inspiring true story of how a passion for birds enabled four young men to escape the horror of internment in a German PoW camp... and brought about an extraordinary moment of cooperation and mutual understanding between them and their captors. Soon after their incarceration at Warburg in 1941, Peter Conder, John Buxton, John Barrett and George Waterston discovered a shared love of birdwatching. Before long, their obsessive quest for information on the nesting habits of chaffinches, redstarts and others took over the whole camp - including some of the German guards, who began to assist the PoWs in their observations at great risk to their own lives. In this tender, revelatory book, Derek Niemann draws on original diaries, letters and drawings, as well as the memories of those...
Birds in the Ancient World from A to Z (The Ancient World from A to Z)
by W. Geoffrey ArnottBirds in the Ancient World from A to Z gathers together the ancient information available, listing all the names that ancient Greeks gave their birds and all their descriptions and analyses. W. Geoffrey Arnott identifies as many of them as possible in the light of modern ornithological studies. The ancient Greek bird names are transliterated into English script, and all that the ancients said about birds is presented in English. This book is accordingly the first complete discussion of ancient bird names that will be accessible to readers without ancient Greek. The only large-scale examination of ancient birds for seventy years, the book has an exhaustive bibliography (partly classical scholarship and partly ornithological) to encourage further study, and provides students and ornithologists with the definitive study of ancient birds.
Birds in the Bronze Age: A North European Perspective
by Joakim GoldhahnThis book provides new insights into the relationship between humans and birds in Northern Europe during the Bronze Age. Joakim Goldhahn argues that birds had a central role in Bronze Age society and imagination, as reflected in legends, myths, rituals, and cosmologies. Goldhahn offers a new theoretical model for understanding the intricate relationship between humans and birds during this period. He explores traces of birds found in a range of archaeological context, including settlements and burials, and analyzes depictions of birds on bronze artefacts and figurines, rock art, and ritual paraphernalia. He demonstrates how birds were used in divinations, and provides the oldest evidence of omens taken from gastric contents of birds - extispicy - ever found in Europe.
Birds in the City (Fountas & Pinnell Classroom, Guided Reading)
by Susan BuckleyNIMAC-sourced textbook
Birds in the Hand: Fiction and Poetry About Birds
by Dylan NelsonA unique anthology of avian literatureFrom the myths of ancient Greece to the fables of Aesop, from Chaucer to contemporary poetry and fiction, birds are central to literature because they connect us intimately to the natural world. Whether we watch birds at our feeders, travel vast distances to identify rare species, or simply pause in a busy day to listen to the coo of a dove or the trill of a warbler, birds sustain us.Birds in the Hand is a collection of contemporary fiction and poetry that explores the complex, often startling ways in which birds shed light upon our lives. In work from a diverse and celebrated group of contemporary authors such as Charles Baxter, T.C. Boyle, Jim Harrison, Flannery O'Connor, Pattiann Rogers, Seamus Heaney, Derek Walcott, Ethan Canin, and Jorie Graham, birds are sources of inspiration, confrontation, and revelation.These stories and poems take us from New York and Hoboken to the Salton Sea and the wilds of Montana, from a hardware store to the westernmost Aleutian island, from a prison to marshes, forests, and seacoasts.Field guides and natural history books cannot capture the essence of why birds thrill us. Birds in the Hand uses the vitality and nuance of fiction and poetry to get at the heart of our mysterious sense of birds and the way they can reflect the brightest and darkest aspects of our own natures.
Birds in the Trees Hanging
by Clare KingslakeThis wall hanging has a lovely naïve folk-art quality. The scene, in fresh spring colours, is filled with birds flitting about and perched in the trees, with flowers and grasses embroidered beneath them. The techniques used include freezer paper appliqué, making appliquéd stems for branches, easy machine stitching and quilting and some fun hand embroidery using thread and silk ribbon.
Birds in the Wilderness: Adventures of an Ornithologist
by George Miksch SuttonTrained as an ornithologist and painter, George M. Sutton recounts a series of adventures with birds in the first decades of the twentieth century. In "Titania and Oberon" he tells the story of raising a pair of baby road-runners. In "The Harris's Sparrow's Eggs" he describes the fierce competition between U.S. and Canadian ornithologists who searched for the nest and eggs of a reclusive bird. In "Kints!" Sutton writes of observing and recording one of the last known nesting pairs of ivory-billed woodpeckers.
Birds of Arizona and New Mexico (A Timber Press Field Guide)
by Melissa Fratello Steven PragerIdentify and discover the inner lives of birds with this easy to use full-color guidebook.Birds of Arizona and New Mexico is a comprehensive field guide to commonly found birds in the American Southwest. Authors Melissa Fratello and Steven Prager speak to a new generation of birders, offering a unique perspective and approach to birding that prioritizes accessibility and inclusion. They also cover the region&’s unique issues, such as birding on tribal land, and birding along the Southern Border. Birds of Arizona and New Mexico will delight both experienced and aspiring birders with: ·Coverage of Arizona, New Mexico, and their border regions ·Illustrated descriptions of nearly 400 bird species ·800+ spectacular photographs of relevant plumages and birds in flight ·Individual range maps showing seasonal and migratory patterns ·And much more!
Birds of Australia: A Photographic Guide
by Iain Campbell Sam Woods Nick LesebergThe best photographic field guide to Australia's birdsAustralia is home to a spectacular diversity of birdlife, from parrots and penguins to emus and vibrant passerines. Birds of Australia covers all 714 species of resident birds and regularly occurring migrants and features more than 1,100 stunning color photographs, including many photos of subspecies and plumage variations never before seen in a field guide. Detailed facing-page species accounts describe key identification features such as size, plumage, distribution, behavior, and voice. This one-of-a-kind guide also provides extensive habitat descriptions with a large number of accompanying photos. The text relies on the very latest IOC taxonomy and the distribution maps incorporate the most current mapping data, making this the most up-to-date guide to Australian birds.Covers all 714 species of resident birds and regularly occurring migrantsFeatures more than 1,100 stunning color photosIncludes facing-page species accounts, habitat descriptions, and distribution mapsThe ideal photographic guide for beginners and seasoned birders alike
Birds of Belize (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)
by Jones H. LeeWith nearly six hundred identified species of birds—and an average of five “new” species discovered annually—Belize is becoming a birding hotspot for amateur and professional birders from around the globe. Thousands of birders visit the country each year to enjoy Belize’s amazing abundance and variety of both temperate and tropical birds in natural habitats that remain largely unspoiled. But until now, despite the growing need for an authoritative identification guide, birders have had to rely on regional field guides that offer only limited information on Belizean birds. Birds of Belize provides the first complete guide to the identification of all currently known species—574 in all. The birds are grouped by families, with an introduction to each family that highlights its uniquely identifying characteristics and behaviors. The species accounts include all the details necessary for field identification: scientific and common names, size, plumage features, thorough voice descriptions, habitat, distribution, and status in Belize. Full color, expertly drawn illustrations by noted bird artist Dana Gardner present male and female, juvenile and adult, and basic and alternate plumages to aid visual identification throughout the year, while 234 range maps show the birds’ distribution and seasonality in Belize. A comprehensive bibliography completes the volume.
Birds of Belize (Corrie Herring Hooks Series)
by H. Lee Jones&“Fills a major gap in the bird identification literature . . . A must for birders planning a trip to this friendly patch of Central America.&” —The Curious Naturalist With nearly six hundred identified species of birds—and an average of five &“new&” species discovered annually—Belize is becoming a birding hotspot for amateur and professional birders from around the globe. Thousands of birders visit the country each year to enjoy Belize&’s amazing abundance and variety of both temperate and tropical birds in natural habitats that remain largely unspoiled. But until now, despite the growing need for an authoritative identification guide, birders have had to rely on regional field guides that offer only limited information on Belizean birds. Birds of Belize provides the first complete guide to the identification of all currently known species—574 in all. The birds are grouped by families, with an introduction to each family that highlights its uniquely identifying characteristics and behaviors. The species accounts include all the details necessary for field identification: scientific and common names, size, plumage features, thorough voice descriptions, habitat, distribution, and status in Belize. Full color, expertly drawn illustrations by noted bird artist Dana Gardner present male and female, juvenile and adult, and basic and alternate plumages to aid visual identification throughout the year, while 234 range maps show the birds&’ distribution and seasonality in Belize. A comprehensive bibliography completes the volume. &“A first-class book that will enable users to identify any bird they encounter in Belize.&” —Victor Emanuel, President, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours
Birds of Berkeley
by Oliver JamesThis charming, full-color field guide to 25 birds easily found in Berkeley proves that even the city's avian residents are a little quirky. Meticulously detailed illustrations capture each bird's distinctive physicality and temperament. A Burrowing Owl faces you in a full-on head shot, perhaps having just raised its raspy, chattering alarm call as you trespass on its last remaining Bay Area foothold at the Marina. The Anna's Hummingbird gives you a coy backward glance to assess if you've properly admired its flashy throat feathers, maybe having just performed its signature J-shaped courtship dive. Even in composition, each bird is strikingly individual, whether depicted in mid-dive or creeping into frame. While descriptions of identification and vocalizations are straightforward, author-illustrator Oliver James takes a delightfully creative approach to his write-ups of each species. He invites you to imagine that a Cooper's Hawk, for example, is Steve McQueen in a '68 Mustang, and you, “a pigeon in a rental car with a poor turning radius,” are fleeing through traffic: “It's all over in a matter of seconds.” A joy to read and pore over, Birds of Berkeley will enchant readers far beyond the city limits with its findings gleaned from painstaking and patient wildlife observation.
Birds of Botswana (Princeton Field Guides)
by Peter Hancock Ingrid WeiersbyeThe definitive field guide to the birds of BotswanaHere is the ultimate field guide to Botswana's stunningly diverse birdlife. Covering all 597 species recorded to date, Birds of Botswana features more than 1,200 superb color illustrations, detailed species accounts, seasonality and breeding bars, and a color distribution map for each species. Drawing on the latest regional and national data, the book highlights the best birding areas in Botswana, provides helpful tips on where and when to see key species, and depicts special races and morphs specific to Botswana. This is the first birding guide written by a Botswana-based ornithologist and the only one dedicated specifically to Botswana.Portable and easy to use, Birds of Botswana is the essential travel companion for anyone visiting this remarkable country.Covers all 597 species of birds found in Botswana, including subspecies and color variants specific to BotswanaFeatures more than 1,200 color illustrations—with more than one illustration for species where the sexes and ages differIncludes detailed species accounts, seasonality and breeding bars, and color distribution mapsDraws on the latest bird data and the expertise of leading birders in Botswana