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Books about the Ostrich

This page lists books that are totally or partially about the Ostrich. The books are listed in order of publication date with the most recent at the top.



Ostrich

Common Ostrich
Struthio camelus

Five subspecies have been recognised. It has been suggested that one of these, the Somali Ostrich (S. c. molybdophanes) should be considered a full species.

 

The Ostrich Communal Nesting System

Brian C.R. Bertram

Princeton Legacy Library

Princeton University Press

2014

This is a reprint of the original 1992 publication which was part of the series Monographs in Behavior and Ecology.

"As the study of cooperative breeding systems expands, a number of key species form the examples that underpin our general understanding. The ostrich is increasingly becoming such a textbook species, on the basis of the results obtained in Brian Bertram's study of vigilance and egg discrimination in this extraordinary bird. Here Bertram presents new data on the ostrich communal nesting system, in which several females lay in one female's nest, with only one female and the male doing all the work."

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Ostrich

Edgar Williams

Animal series

Reaktion Books

2013

184 pages, 74 colour illustrations, 20 other illustrations

"Edgar Williams has provided a singular, comprehensive insight into this extraordinary, outlandish bird, chronicling its behaviour, history and habitat as well as its effect on our culture. Featuring many striking illustrations drawn from nature and culture, Ostrich will appeal to all those interested in birds and the natural world, as well as anyone who follows fashion, art or ancient history."

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Ratites and Tinamous:Tinamidae, Rheidae, Dromaiidae, Casuariidae, Apterygidae, Struthionidae

Stephen Davies

Colour plates: Michael. J Bamford

Oxford University Press

2002

336 pages, 12 colour plates, numerous maps and tables

"The book covers the evolution, biology and natural history of the group of flightless birds that includes ostriches, emus, cassowaries and kiwis - the Ratites and their relatives, the Tinamous. It reviews the scientific studies that have been made of their ecology, behaviour, physiology, husbandary, evolution, mythology and conservation. Each of the 55 species is described in detail, with maps of the present known distribution, accounts their food and nesting habits, calls, field identification, habitat and relationship with humans, including farming. It is the first such comprehensive account of the groups since 1877, and the first to bring together comprehensive information about the tinamous, little known birds of the America. It reviews the long debated subject of the evolution of these groups, highlighting new evidence that has turned many old theories on their head."

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Dreambirds: The Strange History of the Ostrich in Fashion, Food, and Fortune

Rob Nixon

Picador USA

2000

"The ostrich is one of natures misfits: a gigantic bird that can neither fly nor sing. But the fin-de-sicle fetish for feathers made ostrich plumes more precious than gold. Rob Nixon grew up near the South African desert where ostriches first boomed, and had an early passion for the outsize bird. Later, his rejection of apartheid led him to immigrate to the United States, where he encountered a new wave of ostrich mania: American ranchers were trying to convert the gawky bird into a low-cal cuisine. Part memoir, part travelogue, Dreambirds is a natural history of a fantasy and a beautifully crafted, candid revelation of a man's soul."

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The Ostrich: Biology, Production and Health

Editor: D.C. Deeming

CABI Publishing

1999

"The ostrich is a relatively new agricultural animal in many parts of the world. However, there has been an upsurge of interest in ostrich farming, partly because of its healthy meat. This book reviews the world scientific literature on ostrich biology, production and health."

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The Ostrich Communal Nesting System

Brian C.R. Bertram

Princeton University Press

1992

"As the study of co-operative breeding systems expands, a number of key species form the examples that underpin our general understanding. The ostrich is increasingly becoming such a textbook species, on the basis of the results obtained in Brian Bertram's study of vigilance and egg discrimination in this bird. Here, Bertram presents new data on the ostrich communal nesting system, in which several females lay in one female's nest, with only one female and the male doing all the work. His study unravels the basis of the co-operation observed, and explains how a system involving apparent altruism is maintained by natural selection. It is now possible as never before to explain and quantify the effects of the different choices these birds make and to integrate ecological and morphological factors such as predation and size. Based on three seasons of study in Tsavo West National Park in Kenya, the author recognizes individual birds, detects and monitors well-concealed nests, determines the motherhood of eggs from their surface appearance, and uses time-lapse photography of nests. Key findings are that females can switch rapidly between reproductive strategies, that a nesting female can recognize her own eggs and when necessary discriminate against those of other females, and that the whiteness of ostrich eggs is an adaptation that protects them against overheating but at the cost of greater vulnerability to predation."

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Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 1: Ostrich to Ducks

Edited by Josep Del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott and Jordi Sargatal

Lynx Edicions

1992

640 pages, 67 colour plates, 200 colour photos, 550 distribution maps.

"This volume covers: ostrich, rheas, cassowaries, emu, kiwis, tinamous, penguins, divers, grebes, albatrosses, petrels & shearwaters, storm- and diving-petrels, tropicbirds, pelicans, gannets & boobies, cormorants, darters, frigatebirds, herons, hamerkop, storks, shoebill, ibises and spoonbills, flamingos, screamers, ducks, geese and swans."

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The Birds of Africa, Volume I: Ostriches to Falcons

Editors: Leslie H Brown, Emil K Urban and Kenneth B Newman

Illustrations: Martin Woodcock and Martin Hayman

Poyser

1982 (reprint 2002)

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Catalogue Of The Chenomorphae, Crypturi and Ratitae In The Collection Of The British Museum

Catalogue Of The Birds In The British Museum, Volume XXVII

T. Salvadori

19 colour plates: J. Smit, J.G. Keulemans

Printed By Order Of The Trustees

Sold by: Longman & Co.; B. Quaritch; Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.; and at the British Museum (Natural History)

1895

Preface:

"The numbers of the species of Birds treated of in this Volume, and of the specimens at present in the Collection, are as follows: Chenomorphae, 205; Crypturi, 65; Ratitae. 26. In none of the preceding volumes has the number of desiderata been so small as in the present; only eight species of the Anseres, seven of the Tinamous, and four of the Ratitae being entirely unrepresented by specimens in the Museum. Beside the 67 types of recognized species, the Collection contains 25 other typical specimens which are now regarded as referable to species previously named and described. The unrivalled collection of Tinamous formed by Messrs. Godman and Salvin, and supplemented by the loan of numerous specimens from Continental Museums, has enabled the author to discriminate considerably more species than his predecessors were inclined to admit. The Hon. Walter Rothschild, whose collection of Apteryx far surpasses that in the British Museum, has given most valuable assistance in the preparation of this Catalogue by lending these as well as other specimens to the author. The present volume concludes the series of the 'Catalogue of Birds.' Thanks to the energy with which Count Salvadori has applied himself to the work, its publication precedes that of Volumes 24, 25, and 26. However, it will be followed immediately by Volume 25, which contains the Gulls and Petrels, while it is a matter of regret that no such prospect can be held out as regards the other two volumes. In a final volume it is intended to give a supplementary list of the species described since the publication of the several volumes, and an Index to the whole work."
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Last updated September 2011