Download or read book Avian Brood Parasitism written by Manuel Soler and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-05-02 with total page 566 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brood parasitism has become one of the most flourishing areas of research in evolutionary ecology and one of the best model systems for investigating coevolution. This subject has undergone remarkable advances during the last two decades, but has not been covered by any book in the 21st century. This book offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the fascinating field of avian brood parasitism. The topics covered include conspecific brood parasitism; evolution and phylogenetic history of avian brood parasites; parasitic behaviour used by brood parasites; adaptations and counter-adaptations of brood parasites and their hosts at every stage of the breeding cycle (before laying, egg, chick and fledgling stages); factors affecting the evolution of host defences and parasitic attacks; the role of phenotypic plasticity in host defences; mechanisms driving egg recognition and rejection; evolution of nest sharing or nest killing by brood parasite chicks; begging behaviour in parasitized nests and food delivery by host adults; and recognition of conspecifics by juvenile brood parasites. This volume provides a comprehensive reference resource for readers and researchers with an interest in birds, behaviour and evolution, as well as a source of hypotheses and predictions for future investigations into this dynamic subject.

Download or read book Ecology and Management of Cowbirds and Their Hosts written by James N. M. Smith and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2014-09-05 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the past two centuries, cowbirds have increased in numbers and extended their range across North America, while many of the native songbird species whose nests they parasitize to raise their young have declined. This timely book collects forty essays by most of the principal authorities on the biology and management of cowbirds. The book's goals are to explore the biology of cowbirds, the threats they pose to host species and populations, and the management programs that are being undertaken to minimize these threats. The book is organized into five sections, each with an extended editors' introduction that places the contributions in a broad, up-to-date setting. The sections cover: The changing abundance of cowbirds and the ways in which their numbers can be estimated. Host choice by cowbirds, the negative effects of cowbirds on particular host species, and the daily patterns of cowbird behavior. Behavioral interactions between cowbirds and specific host species. Patterns of cowbird abundance and host use across varying landscapes. Management programs designed to control cowbirds and protect threatened songbirds.

Download or read book Lives of North American Birds written by Kenn Kaufman and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 1996 with total page 708 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The bestselling natural history of birds, lavishly illustrated with 600 colorphotos, is now available for the first time in flexi binding.

Download or read book The Brown headed Cowbird and Its Riparian dependent Hosts in New Mexico written by Sara H. Schweitzer and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Cowbirds and Other Brood Parasites written by Catherine P. Ortega and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 1998-09 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Brown-headed Cowbird is known to use the nests of more than 200 other bird species, and cowbirds in general are believed to play a role in the decline of some migratory songbird populations. These brood parasites—birds that lay their eggs in the nests of others—have long flourished in North America. In this timely book, Catherine Ortega summarizes and synthesizes a wealth of information on cowbirds from around the world that has appeared since the publication of Herbert Friedmann's classic 1929 monograph on these birds. Most of this information has appeared in the last quarter-century and reflects advances in our understanding of how brood parasitism influences, and is influenced by, host species. Ortega shows that in order to manage cowbirds without further damaging delicate balances in host-parasite relationships, it is necessary to understand such factors as behavior, reproduction, population dynamics, and response to landscape patterns. She examines and explains the origin, evolution, and costs of brood parasitism, and she discusses the philosophical and ecological considerations regarding the management of cowbirds—a controversial issue because of their perceived influence on threatened and endangered birds. Because brood parasitism has evolved independently in various bird families, information on this adaptive strategy is of great ecological interest and considerable value to wildlife management. Cowbirds and Other Brood Parasites is an important reference on these creatures that enhances our understanding of both their behavior and their part in the natural world.

Download or read book The Love Lives of Birds written by Laura Erickson and published by Storey Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2020-10-27 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ornithologist Laura Erickson combines her bird expertise with a touch of romance writing in this exploration of the courtship and mating rituals of 35 bird species, from the tiny ruby-throated hummingbird to the mighty great blue heron.

Download or read book The Winged written by Kaitlyn Moore Chandler and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Investigates social interactions between Native American groups and birds along the upper Missouri River in all their tangible and intangible expressions"--Provided by publisher.

Download or read book Into the Nest written by Laura Erickson and published by Storey Publishing. This book was released on 2015-04-21 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: See the intimate lives of birds as never before! Laura Erikson and Marie Read document the family lives of more than 50 common North American birds through breathtaking close-up photography. Stunning images of hummingbirds, owls, tanagers, and more showcase different stages of avian development and capture the loving bond that exists within each bird family. Bird enthusiasts of all feathers will cherish these beautiful images of courting, nest construction, eggs, nestlings, feeding time, and much more.

Download or read book The Cowbirds written by Herbert Friedmann and published by . This book was released on 1929 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Backyard Bird Feeding written by Heidi Hughes and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book How to Be a Better Birder written by Derek Lovitch and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-03-25 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains the best practices for bird identification including using the weather, geography, and radar.

Download or read book Cuckoo written by Nick Davies and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2015-04-07 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A gifted biologist's careful and beguiling study of why cuckoos have got away with tricking other birds into hatching and raising their young for thousands of years. The familiar call of the common cuckoo, “cuck-oo,” has been a harbinger of spring ever since our ancestors walked out of Africa many thousands of years ago. However, for naturalist and scientist Nick Davies, the call is an invitation to solve an enduring puzzle: how does the cuckoo get away with laying its eggs in the nests of other birds and tricking them into raising young cuckoos rather than their own offspring? Early observers who noticed a little warbler feeding a monstrously large cuckoo chick concluded the cuckoo's lack of parental care was the result of faulty design by the Creator, and that the hosts chose to help the poor cuckoo. These quaint views of bad design and benevolence were banished after Charles Darwin proposed that the cuckoo tricks the hosts in an evolutionary battle, where hosts evolve better defenses against cuckoos and cuckoos, in turn, evolve better trickery to outwit the hosts. For the last three decades, Davies has employed observation and field experiments to unravel the details of this evolutionary “arms race” between cuckoos and their hosts. Like a detective, Davies and his colleagues studied adult cuckoo behavior, cuckoo egg markings, and cuckoo chick begging calls to discover exactly how cuckoos trick their hosts. For birding and evolution aficionados, The Cuckoo is a lyrical and scientifically satisfying exploration of one of nature's most astonishing and beautiful adaptations.

Download or read book Brown headed Cowbird written by and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Bird Brains written by Budd Titlow and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2013-09-03 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through a hundred short vignettes accompanied by stunning avian portraits, Bird Brains takes a look at the antics, behaviors, and idiosyncrasies of wild birds from the viewpoint of a professional wildlife biologist and award-winning wildlife photographer. Titlow understands the often wild and wacky lives of birders--those who are always ready and willing to drop everything at a moment’s notice and "twitch off" to some exotic locations just to add another checkmark to their life lists. His engaging stories, complemented by vivid images, provide a fascinating compendium of wild bird lore perfectly suited to the 65-million-plus birders across the United States.

Download or read book The Migration Ecology of Birds written by Ian Newton and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2023-12-02 with total page 725 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Migration Ecology of Birds, Second Edition covers all aspects of this absorbing subject, including migratory processes, problems of navigation and vagrancy, timing and physiological control of migration, large-scale movement patterns, the effects of recent climate change, the problems that migrants face, and the factors that limit their populations. This book provides a thorough and in-depth review of the state of the science, with the text supplemented by abundant tables, maps and diagrams. Written by a world-renowned avian ecology and migration researcher, this book reveals the extraordinary adaptability of birds to the variable and changing conditions across the globe. This book represents the most updated and detailed review of bird migration, its evolution, ecology and bird physiology. Written in a clear and readable style, it will appeal not only to migration researchers in the field and ornithologists, but to anyone with an interest in this fascinating subject. - Features updated and trending ecological aspects, including various types of bird movements, dispersal and nomadism, and how they relate to food supplies and other external conditions - Contains numerous tables, maps, diagrams, a glossary, and a bibliography of more than 3,000 up-to-date references - Written by an active researcher with a distinguished career in avian ecology, including migration research

Download or read book Bird Love written by Wenfei Tong and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-24 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A stunningly illustrated look at the mating and parenting lives of the world's birds Bird Love looks at the extraordinary range of mating systems in the avian world, exploring all the stages from courtship and nest-building to protecting eggs and raising chicks. It delves into the reasons why some species, such as the wattled jacana, rely on males to do all the childcare, while others, such as cuckoos and honeyguides, dump their eggs in the nests of others to raise. For some birds, reciprocal promiscuity pays off: both male and female dunnocks will rear the most chicks by mating with as many partners as possible. For others, long-term monogamy is the only way to ensure their offspring survive. The book explores the wide variety of ways birds make sure they find a mate in the first place, including how many male birds employ elaborate tactics to show how sexy they are. Gathering in leks to display to females, they dance, pose, or parade to sell their suitability as a mate. Other birds attract a partner with their building skills: female bowerbirds rate brains above beauty, so males construct elaborate bowers with twig avenues and cleared courtyards to impress them. Looking at the differing levels of parenting skills across species around the world, we see why a tenth of bird species, including the fairy-wrens of Australia, have helpers at the nest who forgo their own reproduction to assist the breeding pair; how brood parasites and their hosts have engaged in evolutionary arms races; and how monogamous pairs share—or relinquish—their responsibilities. Illustrated throughout with beautiful photographs, Bird Love is a celebration of the global diversity of avian reproductive strategies.

Download or read book Life Histories of North American birds Wild fowl written by Arthur Cleveland Bent and published by . This book was released on 1925 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: