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This page lists English language bird books and other books that include some bird related content, published by Springer.

The books are arranged by publication date with the most recent at the top.

Avian Reproduction: From Behavior to Molecules

Editor: Tomohiro Sasanami

2017

"Avian Reproduction provides everything from basic knowledge to the recent understandings of avian reproductive physiology, covering many unique aspects. It will inspire avian biologists as well as researchers in varied fields and will offer important steps towards better fertilization success in birds.In spite of the recent remarkable developments in modern technology, a comprehensive understanding of the reproductive mechanisms is still far in the future due to the diverse reproductive tactics in vertebrates. Birds have highly refined reproductive strategies and some of those strategies are unique to birds. However, together with ongoing progress of the genome analysis of birds and the crying need for further increase in meat and egg production, research on avian reproduction is now accelerating and becoming more important.With contributions by leading scientists, Avian Reproduction explains avian primordial germ cells; the sex-determining mechanism; reproductive endocrinology and immunology; sperm, egg, and egg coat; sperm-egg interaction; polyspermic fertilization; seasonal reproduction; social triggers; hormonal and behavioral changes; broodiness; oviductal sperm storage; and biotechnology."

The Biology of the Avian Respiratory System: Evolution, Development, Structure and Function

Editor: John N. Maina

2017

"The central focus of this book is the avian respiratory system. The authors explain why the respiratory system of modern birds is built the way it is and works the way that it does. Birds have been and continue to attract particular interest to biologists. The more birds are studied, the more it is appreciated that the existence of human-kind on earth very much depends directly and indirectly on the existence of birds. Regarding the avian respiratory system, published works are scattered in biological journals of fields like physiology, behavior, anatomy/morphology and ecology while others appear in as far afield as paleontology and geology. The contributors to this book are world-renowned experts in their various fields of study. Special attention is given to the evolution, the structure, the function and the development of the lung-air sac system. Readers will not only discover the origin of birds but will also learn how the respiratory system of theropod dinosaurs worked and may have transformed into the avian one. In addition, the work explores such aspects as swallowing mechanism in birds, the adaptations that have evolved for flight at extreme altitude and gas exchange in eggs."

Birds as Useful Indicators of High Nature Value Farmlands: Using Species Distribution Models as a Tool for Monitoring the Health of Agro-Ecosystems

Editor: Federico Morelli, Piotr Tryjanowski

2017

"Birds as Useful Indicators of High Nature Value Farmlands helps to establish a simple framework to identify and use bird species as bioindicator for high nature values (HNV) farmlands. HNV farming is present in all European countries, with a diversity of types and extensions. The need for measures to prevent the loss and monitoring in real time of the quality of HNV areas and to mitigate the loss of biodiversity is widely recognized, but requires urgent attention."

Avian and Reptilian Developmental Biology

Editor: Guojun Sheng

2017

"This volume discusses recent advances in avian and reptilian biology that have caused this diverse field to re-emerge. The chapters in this book are divided into 4 parts: genomics and transcriptomics, genetic manipulation, stem cells, and new model systems. Part I details how to perform genomic and transcriptomic analyses in birds and reptiles; Part II highlights technological advancements in avian genetic manipulation; Part III focuses on methods to handle pluripotent cells; and part IV looks at the emerging models in avian and reptilian developmental biology. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls."

Neotropical Owls: Diversity and Conservation

Editor: Paula L. Enriquez

2017

(Originally published in Spanish by ECOSUR)

"This book presents a comprehensive biological and ecological information about owls in the neotropic area. In addition the book covers topics such as threats and conservation strategies for these nocturnal birds of prey from 18 Neotropical countries. Owls are a good example of diversification processes and have developed evolutionary characteristics themselves. These species are found almost everywhere in the world but most of them are distributed in tropical areas and about a third of them live in the Neotropics. This biogeographic region has a high biodiversity and even share lineages of species from other continents because at some point all were part of Pangea. Although we still have much to know and understand about this diverse, scarcely studied and threatened group this work aims to be a precedent for future and further research on the subject.

The Galapagos Marine Reserve: A Dynamic Socio-Ecological System

Editor: Judith Denkinger, Luis Vinueza

2014

"This book focuses on how marine systems respond to natural and anthropogenic perturbations (ENSO, overfishing, pollution, tourism, invasive species, climate-change). Authors explain in their chapters how this information can guide management and conservation actions to help orient and better manage, restore and sustain the ecosystems services and goods that are derived from the ocean, while considering the complex issues that affect the delicate nature of the Islands. This book will contribute to a new understanding of the Galapagos Islands and marine ecosystems."

Evolution From The Galapagos: Two Centuries After Darwin

Editor: Gabriel Trueba, Carlos Montúfar

2013

"This volume is a collection of the some of the most significant lectures that well-known experts presented at our two international 'summits on evolution' (2005, 2009) as updated and revised chapters. The meetings took place on one of the large islands of the Galapagos archipelago (San Cristobal) at GAIAS (Galapagos Institute for the Arts and Sciences) of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Ecuador.? The main goal of the two Galapagos Summits on Evolution has been to bring together scientists and graduate students engaged in the study of evolution, from life's origin to its current diversity. Because of their historical significance, the Galapagos are a unique venue for promoting comprehensive research on evolution and ecology and to make the research results available to students and teachers everywhere, but especially from developing countries."

Avian Ancestors: A Review of the Phylogenetic Relationships of the Theropods Unenlagiidae, Microraptoria, Anchiornis and Scansoriopterygidae

Federico L Agnolín and Fernando Emilio Novas

2013

"Although consensus exists among researchers that birds evolved from coelurosaurian theropods, paleontologists still debate the identification of the group of coelurosaurians that most closely approaches the common ancestor of birds. The last 20 years witnessed the discovery of a wide array of avian-like theropods that has considerably amplified the anatomical disparity among deinonychosaurians, some of which resemble Archaeopteryx more than Deinonychus. Among these newly discovered theropods that show remarkable bird-like characteristics are the four-winged theropods Microraptor and Anchiornis, and the unenlagiids Unenlagia, Buitreraptor, and Rahonavis. A bizarre group of minute-sized coelurosaurs, the Scansoriopterygidae, also exhibits some avian similarities that lead some authors to interpret them as more closely related to birds than other dinosaurs. With the aim to explore the phylogenetic relationships of these coelurosaurians and birds, we merged recently published integrative databases, resulting in significant changes in the topological distribution of taxa within Paraves. We present evidence that Dromaeosauridae, Microraptoria, Unenlagiidae, and Anchiornis + Xiaotingia form successive sister taxa of Aves, and that the Scansoriopterygidae are basal coelurosaurians not closely related to birds. The implications in the evolutionary sequence of anatomical characters leading to birds, including the origin of flight, are also considered in light of this new phylogenetic hypothesis."

Distribution Ecology: From Individual Habitat Use to Species Biogeographical Range

Marcelo Hernán Cassini

2013

"This book brings together a set of approaches to the study of individual-species ecology based on the analysis of spatial variations of abundance. Distribution ecology assumes that ecological phenomena can be understood when analyzing the extrinsic (environmental) or intrinsic (physiological constraints, population mechanisms) that correlate with this spatial variation. Ecological processes depend on geographical scales, so their analysis requires following environmental heterogeneity. At small scales, the effects of biotic factors of ecosystems are strong, while at large scales, abiotic factors such as climate, govern ecological functioning. Responses of organisms also depend on scales: at small scales, adaptations dominate, i.e. the ability of organisms to respond adaptively using habitat decision rules that maximize their fitness; at large scales, limiting traits dominate, i.e., tolerance ranges to environmental conditions."

Passerine Migration: Stopovers and Flight

Nikita Chernetsov

2012

"Most birds cannot cover the distance between their breeding and winter quarters in one hop. They have to make multiple flights alternated with stopovers. Which factors govern the birds' decisions to stop, to stop for how long, when to resume flight? What is better – to accumulate much fuel and to make long flights for many hundreds of kilometres, or to travel in small steps? Is it necessary to find habitats similar to the breeding ones or other habitats would do? Are long migratory flights indeed so costly energetically as usually assumed? This monograph summarizes our current knowledge on the ecology of songbird migrants during migratory stopovers and on their behaviour."

Avian Energetics and Nutritional Ecology

Editor: Cynthia Carey

2012

"Avian Energetics and Nutritional Ecology analyzes the extremely energetic lifestyle of birds. Birds invest a large amount of energy flying, migrating, in parental care, and in reproducing. Leading researchers describe energy use by birds, and each chapter discusses the ecological implication of the topic and as far as possible describes the molecular and cellular mechanism behind each adaptation. Included are chapters on nutrition, digestion and feeding, metabolism, thermoregulation, hypometabolism, starvation, flight, moulting, foraging, migratory fattening, reproduction, incubation, embryonic development, post-natal growth, and populational energetics."

Migration on Wings: Aerodynamics and Energetics

Lakshmi Kantha

Springer-Verlag

2012

"This book is an effort to explore the technical aspects associated with bird flight and migration on wings. After a short introduction on the birds migration, the book reviews the aerodynamics and Energetics of Flight and presents the calculation of the Migration Range. In addition, the authors explains aerodynamics of the formation flight and finally introduces great flight diagrams."

Science and Conservation in the Galapagos Islands: Frameworks & Perspectives

Editor: Stephen J. Walsh, Carlos F. Mena

2012

"In this launch of the Galapagos series, this book provides a broad 'framing' assessment of the current status of social and ecological systems in the Galapagos Islands, and the feedback that explicitly links people to the environment. It also highlights the challenges to conservation imposed by tourism in the Galapagos Islands and the attendant migration of people from mainland Ecuador to service the burgeoning tourism industry. Further, there is an emphasize on the status of the terrestrial and marine environments that form the very foundation of the deep attraction to the Islands by tourists, residents, scholars, and conservationists."

South American and Antarctic Continental Cenozoic Birds: Paleobiogeographic Affinities and Disparities

Claudia P Tambussi and Federico J Degrange

2012

From the preface:

"This book is the compilation of nearly 30 years of fascination for fossil birds and their evolution. That fascination has maintained my enthusiasm for research on all aspects of birds to the present day. Fortunately, 10 years ago my colleague Federico 'Dino' Degrange added his own enthusiasm. The purpose of this book is to provide a synthesis of the fossil bird record of South America and Antarctica through Cenozoic, considering the geologic forces and climatic–environmental forces that may have shaped its evolution. The central point is on terrestrial or arboreal birds, but some considerations on aquatic (continental or marine) birds are also made. The temporal focus is on the Paleocene through Pliocene times. The book begins with a preview (Chaps. 1–4), in which the scope, conceptual, geological, and paleogeographic framework are laid out. The rest is arranged into five main sections. Three chapters compile the information about the main fossil localities chronologically organized. The penultimate Chapter deals with the zoophagous guild, analyzing the record of 13 associations and evaluating the possible dominance of zoophagous over other guilds. The final chapter deals with Bio-Connections of South America and Antarctica with Other Continents and therefore addresses some issues on bird biogeography."

Molecular Geometry of Body Pattern in Birds

Antonio Lima-de-Faria

2012

"After having read this book you will never see birds in the same way again. The unexpected patterns displayed by a bird's body have been seen as bizarre events that demanded little attention or were described as ‘amazing curiosities'. None of these surprising features seem to be fortuitous. They appear to be an integral part of a rigid order and a coherent geometry, which is directed by simple gene interactions and molecular cascades occurring at various cellular levels, and at different times, during the organism's development. A novel geometry unfolds in front of your eyes, giving the body configurations another meaning."

Ecology of Faunal Communities on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Editor: K. Venkataraman, C. Raghunathan, C. Sivaperuman

2012

"The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, consist of 572 islands with a land area of 8,249 km2. Their topography is hilly and undulating, with elevations up to 732 m on the Andaman and up to 568 m on the Nicobar Islands. They are known for their rich biodiversity and a very high degree of endemicity in all taxa, especially in plants, reptiles, fishes and corals. Their habitats include bays, mangroves, moist deciduous forests and evergreen forests. Comprising 20 chapters each written by an expert or professional in his/her particular field this book offers new insights into the fascinating faunal communities of these islands and provides the fundamentals for their conservation and environmental management."

The Painted Stork: Ecology and Conservation

A.J. Urfi

2011

"The painted stork is a large, eye-catching, colonially nesting wading bird found across large parts of South and South East Asia, particularly India and Sri Lanka. Listed as near-threatened by various conservation agencies, the painted stork is a flagship of its endangered habitat, wetlands. The Painted Stork: Ecology and Conservation is an exploration of the biology, status, distribution, sexual size dimorphism, mating patterns, growth and development patterns, and food and foraging ecology of this fascinating species. It also addresses stork-human interface and covers many myths and legends associated with storks. Because this bird is a colony nester, it is an ideal model for studies attempting to unravel the mysteries of avian coloniality and its evolution. Finally, the book discusses various conservation aspects, using the Delhi Zoo colony of painted storks as a case study of the potential for a long-term conservation monitoring program in India."

Current Ornithology, Volume 17

Editor: Charles Thompson

2010

Contents:

• Impaired predator evasion in the life-history of birds: behavioural and physiological adaptations to reduced flight ability - J. Lind, S. Jakobsson and C. Kullberg
• Dietary Calcium Availability and Reproduction in Birds - S. J. Reynolds and C. Perrins
• Seasonal Metabolic Variation in Birds: Functional and Mechanistic Correlates- D.L. Swanson
• Assessing Cause-Effect Relationships in Environmental Accidents: Harlequin Ducks and the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill- J. A. Wiens, R. H. Day, S. M. Murphy, and M. A. Fraker

Evolution in Action: Case Studies in Adaptive Radiation, Speciation and the Origin of Biodiversity

Editor: Matthias Glaubrecht

2010

"We have come a long way towards better understanding how new species originate, i.e. speciation, which long remained Darwin's "mystery of mysteries." Since speciation is the underlying mechanism for radiations, it is the ultimate causation for the biological diversity of life that surrounds us. Without a doubt, Charles Darwin's contribution to our understanding of the origin of biodiversity cannot be overestimated. This book is a contribution to both the Darwin Year we celebrated in 2009 and to the Year of Biodiversity and Conservation 2010. The studies and model cases presented show the progress and dynamics of research based on Darwinian theories and sheds light on its implications in the context of current biodiversity crises. The great importance of adaptive (and non-adaptive) radiations for biodiversity is widely accepted, but our understanding of the processes and mechanisms involved is still limited and generalizations need to be based on the accumulation of more evidence from additional case studies. The studies presented in this volume are those urgently needed and focus on a variety of organisms and different aspects of radiations. The scientific results presented therein are excellent examples not only of evolution in action, but also of active research on evolutionary processes and their most apparent outcome – biodiversity."

Paleogene Fossil Birds

Gerald Mayr

2009

"The present book is the first detailed review of the Paleogene avian fossil record on a worldwide scale. Numerous well-preserved fossil bird remains from this geological period, which covers the time span from the end of the Mesozoic era to the beginning of the Miocene, have been described in the past two decades. Some of these not only provide information on morphological transformations in the evolutionary history of the extant avian taxa, but are also of great significance for an understanding of their historical biogeography. Others represent extinct taxa which sometimes show a bizarre morphology not found in modern birds, such as the giant pseudo-toothed birds which reached wingspans up to six meters. The reader is introduced to basic morphological features of the various groups which, as far as possible, are placed into a phylogenetic context in the light of current hypotheses on the interrelationships of extant birds. In a concluding chapter the biogeographical significance of Paleogene fossil birds and possible reasons for faunal changes during the Paleogene are detailed."

Urban Ecology: An International Perspective on the Interaction Between Humans and Nature

Editor: John M. Marzluff, Eric Shulenberger, Wilifried Endlicher, Marina Alberti, Gordon Bradley, Clare Ryan, Ute Simon, Craig ZumBrunnen

2008

"Urban Ecology is a rapidly growing field of academic and practical significance. Urban ecologists have published several conference proceedings and regularly contribute to the ecological, architectural, planning, and geography literature. However, important papers in the field that set the foundation for the discipline and illustrate modern approaches from a variety of perspectives and regions of the world have not been collected in a single, accessible book. Foundations of Urban Ecology does this by reprinting important European and American publications, filling gaps in the published literature with a few, targeted original works, and translating key works originally published in German. This edited volume will provide students and professionals with a rich background in all facets of urban ecology."

Ornithology, Evolution, and Philosophy: The Life and Science of Ernst Mayr 1904-2005

Jurgen Haffer

2007

"This book is the first detailed biography of Ernst Mayr (1904 - 2005). Ernst Mayr was the `architect' of the Synthetic Theory of Evolution, and the greatest evolutionary biologist since Charles Darwin (1809-1882), influential historian and philosopher of biology, outstanding, taxonomist and ornithologist, and naturalist. He is probably one of the most widely known biologists at all. He started his career as an assistant curator at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin (1926-1930) and then went to the US to become curator of ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York for 22 years (1931-1953). His second career started in 1953, when he became Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology at Harvard University."

From Energetics to Ecosystems: The Dynamics and Structure of Ecological Systems

Editor: Neil Rooney, Kevin S. McCann and David L.G. Noakes

2007

"Ecosystems are complex and enigmatic entities that are ultimately our life support systems. Understanding these systems to the point of being able to predict their behaviour in the face of perturbations requires that researchers adopt a number of strategies that vary in both approach and scale. This book, in a sense, is representative of some of the developments that have unfolded when math and physics met ecology. Here, some of the world's leading ecologists examine ecosystems from theoretical, experimental, and empirical viewpoints, from energetics to ecosystems. The book begins with simplifying and synthesizing nature's complex relationships. It then moves on to explore the mapping between food web structure and function and ends with the role of theory in integrating different research areas."

Biogeography, Time and Place: Distributions, Barriers and Islands

Editor: Willem Renema

Springer Verlag

2007

"Biogeography considers the distribution of biological units over a wide range of scales. The units range from genotypes, populations and species to families and higher taxa. Processes can be local, such as the isolation on islands due to sea-level fluctuations, or large-scale tectonic processes that separate continents and create oceans. In all, processes time is an important factor; by combining data on recent patterns with paleontological data the understanding of the distribution of extant taxa can be improved. This volume focuses on speciation due to isolation in island-like settings and the evolution of large-scale diversity as the result of origination, maintenance and extinction."

Biogeography and Ecology of Bulgaria

Editor: Victor Fet and Alexi Popov

2007

"From single-celled organisms in Black Sea sand to endemic cave crustaceans, from mountain glacial relict insects to the most diverse bird fauna in Europe, the fauna of Bulgaria has been a subject of study for more than a century. This is the first English language survey of all vertebrate and many key invertebrate groups of Bulgaria, their faunistics, origin, geographical and ecological distribution, and conservation issues."

The Lung-Air Sac System of Birds: Development, Structure, and Function

John N. Maina

2006

"In biology, few organs have been as elusive as the lung-air sac system of birds. Considerable progress has recently been made to fill the gaps in the knowledge. While summarizing and building on earlier observations and ideas, this book provides cutting-edge details on the development, structure, function, and the evolutionary design of the avian respiratory system. Outlining the mechanisms and principles through which biological complexity and functional novelty have been crafted in a unique gas exchanger, this account will provoke further inquiries on the many still uncertain issues. The specific goal here was to highlight the uniqueness of the design of the avian respiratory system and the factors that obligated it."

Limnology and Aquatic Birds

Editor: Alan R. Hanson and Joseph J. Kerekes

Springer-Verlag

2006

Proceedings of the Fourth Conference Working Group on Aquatic Birds of Societas Internationalis Limnologiae (SIL), Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada, August 3-7, 2003.

Owls (Strigiformes): Annotated and Illustrated Checklist

Friedhelm Weick

2006

"The first systematic owl checklist for over 50 years to include subspecies and synonyms, "Owls (Strigiformes) - Annotated and Illustrated Checklist" provides information on the type locality, habitat and distribution of 220 owl species and 539 taxa, as well as the location of museum collections of skins and mounted specimens, and references to owl illustrations. For each species, detailed, hitherto unpublished, measurements of body length and mass, and wing-, tail-, tarsus- and bill-length are given. In addition to scientific names, the common names of each species in English, German, French and Spanish are listed. The checklist is complemented by many beautiful owl drawings and by watercolours illustrating owl species that have been newly described or rediscoverd within the last 20 years. Reflecting a high level of scientific expertise and the most up-to-date research, this checklist provides an outstanding resource for scientific collections, studies of global biodiversity, and species preservation."

The Physics of Birdsong

Gabriel B Mindlin and Rodrigo Laje

2005

"In recent years birdsong has developed into an extremely interesting problem for researchers in several branches of the scientific community. The reason is that of the approximately 10,000 species of birds known to exist, some 4000 share with humans (and just a few other species in the animal kingdom) a remarkable feature: their acquisition of vocalization requires a certain degree of exposure to a tutor. Between the complex neural architecture involved in the process and the song itself, stands a delicate apparatus that the bird must control with incredible precision. This book deals with the physical mechanisms at work in the production of birdsong, the acoustic effects that the avian vocal organ is capable of generating, and the nature of the neural instructions needed to drive it. The book provides fascinating reading for physicists, biologists and general readers alike."

Avian Navigation: Pigeon Homing as a Paradigm

Hans G. Wallraff

2004

"How migratory birds can navigate home from their wintering grounds to their breeding sites over hundreds and thousands of kilometres has been an admired mystery over more than a century. Profound advances towards a solution of this problem have been achieved with a model bird, the homing pigeon. This monograph summarizes our current knowledge about pigeon homing, about the birds' application of a sun compass and a magnetic compass, of a visual topographical map within a familiar area and - most surprisingly - of an olfactory map using atmospheric chemosignals as indicators of position in distant unfamiliar areas."

Nomadic Desert Birds

W.R.J. Dean

Springer

2003

"There are two basic strategies for coping with life in the desert. The first involves withstanding the extreme conditions using behavioural or physiological tactics. The second strategy is to be a migrant and to opportunistically or seasonally move to where the necessary resources are. Nomadism, i.e. the opportunistic and irregular movements from resource-poor to resource-rich patches, is a tactic that birds, with their mobility, can use, and it is explored by W.R.J. Dean in this volume."

Return of the Crazy Bird: The Sad, Strange Tale of the Dodo Bird

Clara Pinto-Correia

2003

"Clara Pinto-Correia tells us the intriguing tale of a bird that has gone extinct but hasn't gone away. Unlike many of the dodologists before her, Pinto-Correia not only relates the fascinating story of the dodo, but draws a stunning picture of those who discovered, destroyed, immortalized, and, only much later, understood the dodo."

Avian Migration

Editors: P Berthold, E Gwinner and E Sonnenschein

2002

"The reader of this comprehensive presentation benefits from an outstanding overview of all aspects of the fascinating phenomenon of bird migration. The book is written by leading experts from around the world. The text summarises reviews and discussions of the most recent hypotheses. In doing so, it covers the entire research field from phenomenology through to ecology, physiology, control mechanisms, orientation, evolutionary aspects and conservation measures. It also examines the most modern methodological approaches including, satellite tracking, molecular techniques or stable isotope investigations and envisages forthcoming developments in the course of global warming."

Current Ornithology, Volume 16

Editor: Val Nolan and Charles Thompson

2001

Contents:

• Avian colonialty: progress and problems - Charles R. Brown and Mary Bomberger Brown
• Begging in nestling birds - Amber E. Budden and Jonathan Wright
• Ecological aspects of neophobia and neophilia in birds - Russell Greenberg and Claudia Mettke-Hofmann
• Avian quantitative genetics - Juha Merila and Ben C. Sheldon
• Male parental care and paternity - Linda A. Whittingham and Peter O. Dunn
• Physiological ecology and behavoir of desert birds - Joseph B. Williams
• Reproductive energy expenditure, intraspecfic variation and fitness in birds - Tony D. Williams and Francois Vezina

Comparative Hearing: Birds and Reptiles

Editor: Robert J. Dooling, Richard R. Fay and Arthur N. Popper

Springer Verlag

2000

"Birds and reptiles have long fascinated investigators studying hearing and the auditory system. The highly evolved auditory inner ear of birds and reptiles shares many characteristics with the ear of mammals. Thus, the two groups are essential in understanding the form and function of the vertebrate and mammalian auditory systems. Comparative Hearing: Birds and Reptiles covers the broad range of our knowledge of hearing and acoustic communication in both groups of vertebrates. This volume addresses the many similarities in their auditory systems, as well as the known significant differences about hearing in the two groups."

Predation in Vertebrate Communities: The Bialowieza Primeval Forest as a Case Study

B. Jedrzejewska and W. Jedrzejewski

1998

"This volume presents carnivores, raptors and their prey in the complicated net of interrelationships, and shows them against the background of their biotic and abiotic settings. It is based on long-term research conducted in the best preserved woodland of Europe's temperate zone. The role of predation, whether limiting or regulating prey (ungulate, rodent, shrew, bird, and amphibian) populations, is quantified and compared to parts played by other factors: climate, food resources for prey, and availability of other potential resources for predators."

Avian Desert Predators

W.E. Cook

Springer

1997

"Unlike mammals, birds are not particularly well suited to desert life. Among the few types of birds that have successfully adapted to the desert ecosystem are the predators. With individual chapters devoted to each of the different species, the book explores those attributes which make this group suited to desert life, and how they have developed their abilities to cope with the prevailing harsh conditions. This readily accessible volume collates a substantial amount of the latest research on this fascinating subject."

Avian Malaria in the Asian Tropical Subregion

Marshall Laird

1997

"Devoted solely to the species of Plasmodium parasitizing birds, this work updates the subject for a huge tropical part of the globe at the heart of the migration network. The author's findings demonstrate the presence of most of the valid species of bird malaria parasites in the Asian tropical subregion and its eastern and western borders, and thus serve as a source for their identification. Photomicrographs illustrate many of the 536 bird types from the 180 species found in the region."

Ecophysiology of Desert Birds

Gordon Lindsay Maclean

Springer

1995

"The scientific study of birds in arid regions has been conducted more or less intensively for about 40 years. This is an appropriate time to draw together the threads of the diverse research on birds living in such an extreme environment. Topics include: Desert Avifaunas; Food and Energy; Drinking; Water Regulation; Thermoregulation; Timing of Breeding; and Ecology of Breeding."

Aquatic Birds in the Trophic Web of Lakes

Editor: Joseph J. Kerekes

Springer-Verlag

1994

Proceedings of a symposium held in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada, in August 1991.

"Birds are an integral part of most freshwater ecosystems (lakes, rivers, wetlands) but their role in the trophic dynamics of these water bodies has often been overlooked. As a conspicuous part of the biota of water bodies, aquatic birds are indicators of their trophic state both in terms of species composition (quality) as well as occupancy and breeding (quantity). Birds may also influence the trophic state of a water body by importing nutrients (.e.g. resident or migrating birds feeding on adjacent watersheds or the sea). Because of anthropogenic activities, predation or their mobility, birds may not utilize otherwise suitable aquatic habitat. These factors complicate the relationship between aquatic bird production and the trophic status of habitats. As a consequence, the role of aquatic birds in freshwater ecosystems has usually been ignored."

Perception and Motor Control in Birds: An Ecological Approach

Editor: Mark N.O. Davies and Patrick R. Green

1994

"Being both broad - perception and motor organization - and narrow - just onegroup of animals - at the same time, this book presents a new unified framework for understanding perceptuomotor organization, stressing the importance of an ecological perspective. Section I reviews recent research on a variety of sensory and perceptual processes in birds, which all involve subtle analyses of the relationships between species' perceptual mechanisms and their ecology and behaviour. Section II describes the variousresearch approaches - behavioural, neurophysiological, anatomical and comparative - all dealing with the common problem of understanding how the activities of large numbers of muscles are coordinated to generate adaptive behaviour. Section III is concerned with a range of approaches to analyzing the links between perceptual and motor processes, through cybernetic modelling, neurophysiological analysis, and behavioural methods."

Biogeography and Ecology of Turkmenistan

Editor: V. Fet and K.I. Atamuradov

1994

"The book gives a complete account of the biogeography, animal and plant ecology and natural conservation in Turkmenistan. This region within the former USSR borders on Iran and Afghanistan and includes both deserts and arid mountains. Turkmenistan, and especially the mountains of Kopetdagh, is an extremely important region for historical biogeography, as a corridor and filter between the Mediterranean region, the Middle East and the great deserts of Asia. This remote area was studied exclusively by Soviet scientists and all information was published in Russian. This book is the first to bring data on the biogeography and conservation of Turkmenistan to the general scientific community."

Microbiology of the Avian Egg

Editor: V. Fet and K.I. Atamuradov

1994

"There is a marked and most unfortunate dichotomy in the studies of avian eggs and hence in the application of new findings in commerce. Thus over the past twenty years there has been a renewed interest in the contributions of various parts of an egg to embryo development. This is best illustrated by those studies that have explored the diffusion of respiratory gases across the shell and at long last have provided a fundamental definition of a previously nebulous term, porosity. The activity in this general area has led in the past four years to the publication of three major books dealing with many aspects of egg structure, function and embryogenesis. When browsing over these books, two developments are evident. First, the advantages that are to be gained by comparative studies. Thus it is now common to see within a single book articles concerned with the eggs of a range of avian species as well as those of reptiles. Second, it is evident that zoologists and physiologists as well as those employed in large breeding firms are all contributing to an improvement of our knowledge of the egg's role in the breeding biology of birds. Comparative studies are a very uncommon feature of studies concerned with bacterial infection of eggs."

Birds as Monitors of Environmental Change

Editor: R.W. Furness, J.J.D. Greenwood

1993

"Birds as Monitors of Environmental Change looks at how bird populations are affected by pollutants, water quality, and other physical changes and how this scientific knowledge can help in predicting the effects of pollutants and other physical changes in the environment."

Bird Migration: Physiology and Ecophysiology

Editor: E. Gwinner

1991

"This multi-author volume reviews the present state of knowledge about the physiology and ecophysiology of migratory birds. Main aspects are patterns of migration, ecological and behavioural aspects of migration, physiological adaptations to migration, bird flight, and strategies and tactics of migration. Based on papers presented during a symposium, Bird Migration offers both students and senior scientists a comprehensive survey."

Population Biology of Passerine Birds: An Integrated Approach

Editor: J. Blondel, A. Gosler, J-D. Lebreton and R. McCleery

1990

"An up-to-date synthesis of the most recent developments in its field, especially in the framework of modern life history theories. Major topics include quantitative genetics, ecological physiology, the study of social structures using individually marked birds in the wild, and finally biometry, which allows to quantify such important parameters as survival at different stages of life and to create a model of the overall demography of the populations."

Peripheral Hearing Mechanisms in Reptiles and Birds

G.A. Manley

1990

"Reptiles and birds have highly diverse hearing organs. Data on a huge amount of information concerning all aspects of structural, neurophysiological and anatomical aspects are reviewed as published up to mid-1988: in addition a good deal of yet unpublished data from the author's laboratory are included. The literature on hearing is scattered through a great variety of zoological, medical, psychological, psychoacoustical and bioengineering journals: this book condenses all important findings in one source."

Endocrinology of Birds: Molecular to Behavioral

M. Wada, S. Ishii and C.G. Scanes

1990

Vertebrate Flight

U.M. Norberg

1989

"This volume presents the basic principles of animal flight including the main requirements for body functions and morphology and the main correlations between structure, form and function in ecological and evolutionary perspectives. The main topics cover such aspects as flight mechanics and aerodynamics, power requirements for gliding and flapping flights, energy-saving flight modes and calculation of optimal flight speeds and power."

Ovarian Follicles in Reptiles and Birds

Sardul S. Guraya

1989

Physiology of Cold Adaptation in Birds

Editor: Claus Bech and Randi Eidsmo Reinertsen

1988

"Thirty-nine contributions treat the central mechanisms of thermoregulation, heat production, metabolic adaptations, respiration and circulation, physiology of hypometabolism, breeding and incubation, and adaptations to cold in chicks."

Mediterranean Marine Avifauna: Population Studies and Conservation

Editor: X. Monbailliu

1986

Avian Physiology

Editor: P.D. Sturkie

4th edition

1986

Preface: "Since the publication of earlier editions, there has been a considerable increase in research activity ina number of areas, with each succeeding edition including new chapters and an expansion of knowledge in older chapters. The fourth edition contains two new chapters, on muscle and immunophysiology, the latter an area where research on Aves has contributed significantly to our general knowledge of the subject. The new edition has a number of new contributors, who have written on the nervous system, sense organs, muscle, endocrines, reproduction, digestion and immunophysiology. Contributors from previous editions have expanded their offerings considerably. The authors are indebted to various investigators, journals and books for the many illustrations used. Individual acknowledgement is made in the legends and references."

Statistics in Ornithology

Editor: B.J.T. Morgan and P.M. North

Springer-Verlag

1985

Seabird Energetics

Editor: G. Causey Whittow and Hermann Rahn

1984

Avian Navigation

Editor: F. Papi and H.G. Wallraff

1982

"Experimental work on migratory birds raises many difficulties, some of them insuperable, so that many researchers carry out their experiments on the homing pigeon, which is constantly motivated by homesickness and ready to display its ability to flyaway home. Many of the problems connected with bird navigation are still unsolved, but a rapidly growing body of results is being produced along with a variety of new ideas and approaches. A clear majority of the students of bird navigation met in September 1981 in Tirrenia, a seaside resort on the Tyrrhenian coast, where each of them offered new insights into his or her recent investigations. Their contributions have been collected in this volume, which provides an up-to-date conspectus of the stage reached by research in this field."

Osmoregulation In Birds

E. Skadhauge

1981

Biological Rhythms in Birds: Neural and Endocrine Aspects

Y. Tanabe

1980

Respiratory Function in Birds, Adult and Embryonic

Editor: J. Piper

1978

Satellite Symposium of the 27th International Congress of Physiological Sciences, Paris 1977.

Avian Physiology

Editor: P.D. Sturkie

3rd edition

1976

Arctic Life of Birds and Mammals: Including Man

L. Irving

1973