Showing 1–12 of 647 results
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Songs of Love and War: The Dark Heart of Bird Behaviour
Artist/Author: Couzens, Dominic$32.00 Add to cartThe dawn chorus: a single voice cutting through the darkness heralds a breaking wave of sound at the very beginning of the day. It is an iconic natural phenomenon with many familiar performers, yet it is a mysterious event for which there is no complete explanation.
A mass of starlings gathers at the end of a midwinter day. As the sun sets, wave upon wave of bodies rolls in, embarking upon another of nature’s great attempts to show off. The murmuration is another much admired spectacle, but again its purpose is obscure and defies our understanding.
From dawn until dusk, birds do things that that are surprising and mystifying. Songs of Love & War delves into bird behaviour and uncovers its purpose and meaning.
More than just an inside look at how songbirds behave, this book also represents a personal journey of discovery. What starts as a desire to learn more about the birds encountered on a regular father-and-son walk through the woods leads to a realisation that a bird’s life is very far from the idyllic scene that can often be glimpsed by the casual birdwatcher. A bird’s life is often unusual and surprising but above all it is brief and much darker than you might think.
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Endemic Birds of Cuba: A Comprehensive Field Guide: Including West Indian Endemics Residing in Cuba
Artist/Author: Navarro, Nils Pacheco (Author), Loyda Sánchez (Translated by), James W Wiley (Preface By)$95.00 Add to cartPractical information about 48 species of birds: 26 endemic to Cuba and another 22 endemic to the West Indies and which include the Cuban Archipelago in their distribution. A book designed according to the practical needs of those who do field biology as well as for birdwatchers who simply find pleasure in the careful observation of nature. Accounts include current information on identification, food, behavior, habitats, nesting, distribution, maps, threat of extinction status, and the current Cuban regulations concerning the environment and the protection of the flora and fauna. The design provides space for the user to add personal field notes. With up-to-date information and illustrations that present the birds in various typical postures as well as in silhouettes for identification in conditions of poor visibility. Included are maps of how and where to travel in Cuba, important sites for bird observation, identification of habitats, and criteria for management of endangered species. Original full color illustrations and photos by the author.
Additional material includes an overview of the general geographical characteristics of the Cuban archipelago, including basic information on its biodiversity and bird population. Frequently Asked Questions addresses concerns about birding in Cuba. A section of color photos of the Cuban habitats, and another with birds in their habitats, Conservation Status of Threatened Birds in Cuba, Maps, index of localities and index of species, space for notes, and a Checklist of Cuban and other West Indian endemic birds residing in the Cuban Archipelago.
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Flight Lines: Across the Globe on a Journey with the Astonishing Ultramarathon Birds
Artist/Author: Darby, Andrew$34.00 Add to cartAs the sun lowered and turned Gulf St Vincent fiery, they each called a high-pitched ‘peeooowiii!’, flashed their black wing-pits, spread their tail skirts and took flight.
Andrew Darby follows the odysseys of two Grey Plovers, little-known migratory shorebirds, as they take previously uncharted ultra-marathon flights from the southern coast of Australia to Arctic breeding grounds. On these extraordinary flights they chance predators, typhoon weather and exhaustion before they can breed, and maybe return to familiar southern feeding grounds. But the greatest threat to these, and other long-distance migrants on the flyway, is China’s dragon economy, engulfing their vital Yellow Sea staging spots.
The author meets the dedicated people working to save these intrepid birds, from Russia to Alaska, and the rim of the Arctic Sea to the coasts of the Southern Ocean. Out of their hard-won science he finds hope for the birds – a bright light for our times.
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Birds and Climate Change: Impacts and Conservation Responses
Artist/Author: Pearce-Higgins, James, Rhys E Green$94.00 Add to cartFrom the red grouse to the Ethiopian bush-crow, bird populations around the world can provide us with vital insights into the effects of climate change on species and ecosystems. They are among the best studied and monitored of organisms, yet many are already under threat of extinction as a result of habitat loss, overexploitation and pollution. Providing a single source of information for students, scientists, practitioners and policy-makers, Birds and Climate Change begins with a critical review of the existing impacts of climate change on birds, including changes in the timing of migration and breeding and effects on bird populations around the world. The second part considers how conservationists can assess potential future impacts, quantifying how extinction risk is linked to the magnitude of global change and synthesising the evidence in support of likely conservation responses. The final chapters assess the threats posed by efforts to reduce the magnitude of climate change.
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The Pocket Book of Bird Anatomy: Shape, Form and Function in the Natural World
Artist/Author: Taylor, Marianne$32.00 Add to cartWhat is a bird? Which anatomical traits are unique to birds and in what ways are birds diverse? Where do birds fit in the diversity of life on earth? The Pocket Book of Bird Anatomy includes a range of beautiful and intricate anatomical diagrams with comprehensive annotation and analysis of form and function in the avian kingdom. Featuring species from all around the world to provide a truly international appreciation of how birds work, the book is an indispensable guide for bird lovers everywhere.
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A Short Philosophy of Birds
Artist/Author: Dubois, Philippe J, Elise Rousseau$26.00 Add to cartThe greatest wisdom comes from the smallest creatures
There is so much we can learn from birds. Through twenty-two little lessons of wisdom inspired by how birds live, this charming French book will help you spread your wings and soar.
We often need the help from those smaller than us. Having spent a lifetime watching birds, Philippe and Élise – a French ornithologist and a philosopher – draw out the secret lessons that birds can teach us about how to live, and the wisdom of the natural world. Along the way you’ll discover why the robin is braver than the eagle, what the Arctic tern can teach us about the joy of travel, and whether the head or the heart is the best route to love (as shown by the mallard and the penguin). By the end you will feel more in touch with the rhythms of nature and have a fresh perspective on how to live the fullest life you can.
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Bird Bonds: Sex, Mate Choice and Cognition in Australian Native Birds
Artist/Author: Kaplan, Gisela$35.00 Add to cartAustralian birds have a very special place in the evolution of modern birds. They are known to live unusually long lives, form long-lasting bonds and are overall exceptionally intelligent. The question is why this may be so. In this highly compelling new book, Professor Gisela Kaplan explores the evolution of particular cognitive and social abilities that make the emotional and sex lives of birds work to their advantage. How Australian birds actually choose mates makes fascinating reading as the author uncovers motivations and attractions in partner choice that are far more complex than was once believed. She also shows how humans and birds may be more alike in attachment and mating behaviour than we think – despite the enormous evolutionary distance between us. For birdwatchers, researchers and nature lovers alike, and based on a wealth of original and cited research, Bird Bonds is a valuable resource and a beguiling insight into the world of the birds around us.
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Birds of Cyprus (Helm Field Guide)
Artist/Author: Richardson. Colin (Author), Richard Porter (Author), John Gale (Illustrator), Mike Langman (Illustrator), Brian E Small (Illustrator)$58.00 Add to cartCyprus is a great place for birding, and one of the most popular places for birders to visit in Europe. It holds populations of a number of regional scarcities that are very hard to see elsewhere, plus a number of endemic subspecies, and the two jewels in the crown – two full endemics, Cyprus Wheatear and Cyprus Warbler, the latter of which graces the jacket of this new Helm field guide to the island.
Detailed plates are allied to concise identification text, with accurate maps stemming from Colin Richardson’s decades-long programme of population-mapping on the island. Together, these elements make this the definitive guide to Cyprus’s birds, one that no visitor to this beautiful island can be without.
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Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds (Helm Identification Guide)
Artist/Author: Gregory, Phil (Author), Richard Allen (Illustrator)$105.00 Add to cartFor any naturalist, the name ‘New Guinea’ conjures up one group of animals above all others – the sensational birds of paradise, renowned for their dazzling and diverse plumages. Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds, the first comprehensive monograph to the group this century, also includes the bower birds, a group that extends into Australia that is perhaps best known for the males’ construction of ‘bowers’, structures of twigs and sticks used to tempt in females.
This Helm Identification Guide covers the taxonomy, biology and conservation of these birds in great detail, including a series of plates packed with beautiful illustrations from Richard Allen, and hundreds of photographs covering the full range of racial and age-related plumage variety.
The product of almost two decades of research and scholarship and a must-have book for anyone interested in these stunning birds, this will remain the standard reference on birds of paradise for many years to come.
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Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore (Pocket Photo Guide)
Artist/Author: Davison, G.W.H. (Author), Chew Yen Fook (Illustrator)$23.00 Add to cartThis compact and easy-to-use bird identification guide covers more than 250 species, and each bird description is supported by at least one clear colour photograph. The forests and coastline of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore are home to a fantastic and vast array of birds, and offer many outstanding and easily accessible birdwatching locations, many of which are highlighted in the book’s introduction. With easy-to-use thumbnail silhouettes, a regional map showing the best birding localities, up-to-date tips on birdwatching and information on bird biology and behaviour, this guide an invaluable for anyone birdwatching in the region.
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Birds of Peru (Pocket Photo Guide)
Artist/Author: Byers, Clive$24.00 Add to cartA country of huge scenic diversity, Peru is a birdwatcher’s paradise and a popular tourist destination. It is home to about 1,800 different types of birds from the mighty Andean Condor to a dazzling variety of jewel-like hummingbirds. Many birds can be seen in the capital city of Lima, with Vermilion Flycatchers in the parks and gardens, Canary-winged Parakeets in the streets and Inca Terns and Peruvian Pelicans along the shoreline. Deep in the forests of the Amazon basin are birds of great variety and beauty: antpittas, trogons, manakins, motmots and cocks-of-the-rock. This concise and easy-to-use guide features 252 of Peru’s most interesting and spectacular birds, with each illustrated in full colour and with key information on identification, habitat and distribution.
Illustrated with clear colour photography and brief but authoritative descriptions the Pocket Photo Guides highlight the species of birds and animals from each region that the traveller is most likely to see, as well as those that are genuinely endemic (only to be seen in that country or region) or special rarities. The genuine pocket size allow Pocket Photo Guide to the Birds of Peru to be carried around on trips and excursions and will take up minimal rucksack and suitcase space
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Birds of the West Indies (Pocket Photo Guide)
Artist/Author: Flieg, G. Michael, (Author), Allan Sander (Illustrator)$23.00 Add to cartThis is a compact, easy-to-use bird identification guide for any birdwatcher visiting Jamaica and the islands of the West Indies. It provides comprehensive coverage of 252 species of birds that inhabit the islands of the West Indies, with detailed descriptions and a colour photograph for each species. Includes thumbnail family silhouettes, a regional distribution map, up-to-date tips on the best birding localities, and an index of local bird names.
