Author: Nick Davies
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1620409534
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 374
Book Description
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.
Cuckoo
Author: Nick Davies
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1620409534
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 374
Book Description
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.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1620409534
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 374
Book Description
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.
The Truth About the Cuckoo
Author: Edgar Percival Chance
Publisher: Hassell Street Press
ISBN: 9781013548420
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 264
Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Publisher: Hassell Street Press
ISBN: 9781013548420
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 264
Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Cuckoo
Author: Fiona Roberton
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0857973657
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 37
Book Description
From Fiona Roberton, the best-selling author of the picture books for children,Wanted: The Perfect Pet and The Perfect Present, comes a gorgeous story about finding someone who understands, perfectly. This ebook edition features an audio reading of the text, highlighting of words for children to follow along, and sound effects. Cuckoo hatched, and all was well, until the other birds discovered Cuckoo . . . . . . was different. Cuckoo leaves his nest in search of somebody who will understand him. But try and try as he might, he just can't find that special someone. Then, just when he thinks all hope is lost . . .
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0857973657
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 37
Book Description
From Fiona Roberton, the best-selling author of the picture books for children,Wanted: The Perfect Pet and The Perfect Present, comes a gorgeous story about finding someone who understands, perfectly. This ebook edition features an audio reading of the text, highlighting of words for children to follow along, and sound effects. Cuckoo hatched, and all was well, until the other birds discovered Cuckoo . . . . . . was different. Cuckoo leaves his nest in search of somebody who will understand him. But try and try as he might, he just can't find that special someone. Then, just when he thinks all hope is lost . . .
Cloud Cuckoo Land (Large Print Edition)
Author: Anthony Doerr
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982189673
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1152
Book Description
Follows four young dreamers and outcasts through time and space, from 1453 Constantinople to the future, as they discover resourcefulness and hope amidst peril.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982189673
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1152
Book Description
Follows four young dreamers and outcasts through time and space, from 1453 Constantinople to the future, as they discover resourcefulness and hope amidst peril.
The Sterile Cuckoo
Author: John Nichols
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393349527
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 223
Book Description
“A hilarious, sad . . . all too true novel about the rough underside of a college love affair.”—John Knowles, author of A Separate Peace When eighteen-year-old Jerry Payne first meets Pookie Adams at the Friarsburg, Oklahoma, bus depot, he is hardly aware that this moment marks the beginning of the most memorable love affair of his life. Overwhelmed (and yet secretly enchanted) by her zany, rambling monologue, Jerry is relieved to leave her in St. Louis as he continues to New York. Thinking he’s seen the last of her, he heads off to college, only to be pursued by seventeen lengthy letters, and before he knows it he’s involved with a seemingly crazy, startlingly honest girl who adores him. During the next two years, Pookie helps Jerry leave behind the fun-seeking, beer-blasted fraternity man he has become, as she teaches him to open his heart to her. Then, almost as suddenly as she appeared in his life, she disappears from it, leaving in her wake an eternal trail of love and wonder.
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393349527
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 223
Book Description
“A hilarious, sad . . . all too true novel about the rough underside of a college love affair.”—John Knowles, author of A Separate Peace When eighteen-year-old Jerry Payne first meets Pookie Adams at the Friarsburg, Oklahoma, bus depot, he is hardly aware that this moment marks the beginning of the most memorable love affair of his life. Overwhelmed (and yet secretly enchanted) by her zany, rambling monologue, Jerry is relieved to leave her in St. Louis as he continues to New York. Thinking he’s seen the last of her, he heads off to college, only to be pursued by seventeen lengthy letters, and before he knows it he’s involved with a seemingly crazy, startlingly honest girl who adores him. During the next two years, Pookie helps Jerry leave behind the fun-seeking, beer-blasted fraternity man he has become, as she teaches him to open his heart to her. Then, almost as suddenly as she appeared in his life, she disappears from it, leaving in her wake an eternal trail of love and wonder.
Cuckoo Song
Author: Frances Hardinge
Publisher: ABRAMS
ISBN: 1613127561
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 323
Book Description
“Full of rich language that is reminiscent of an old fairy tale. . . . [a] spine-chilling, creative work [and] a well-wrought fantasy.” —School Library Journal (starred review) Following a mysterious incident that leaves her feverish and sopping wet, Triss awakens to a world that’s eerily off-kilter. Her memories are muddled, her sister despises her, and when she brushes her hair, out come crumbled fragments of leaves. Is she going mad? Or has she endured a nightmarish chain of events? Is this related to the illnesses she’s had since her brother died in the Great War? And why is she so hungry? In her search for the truth, Triss ventures from the shelter of her parents’ protective wings into the city’s underbelly. There she encounters strange creatures whose grand schemes could forever alter the fates of her family, in an unnerving tale of one girl’s struggle to confront her darkest fears. “Few authors can evoke a twinned sense of terror and wonder better . . . Vivid, frightening, and inventive, with narrative twists and turns. . . . A piercing, chilling page-turner.” —Booklist (starred review) “Nuanced and intense.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Quiet but elegant prose moves the story seamlessly from an effectively creepy horror tale to a powerful, emotionally resonant story of regret and forgiveness.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review) “Gorgeously written and disconcerting . . . Hardinge delves deeply into the darker side of family life.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Cuckoo Song transcends its teen-reader designation. The psychological and historical nuances . . . will mesmerize older readers as well.” —BookPage
Publisher: ABRAMS
ISBN: 1613127561
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 323
Book Description
“Full of rich language that is reminiscent of an old fairy tale. . . . [a] spine-chilling, creative work [and] a well-wrought fantasy.” —School Library Journal (starred review) Following a mysterious incident that leaves her feverish and sopping wet, Triss awakens to a world that’s eerily off-kilter. Her memories are muddled, her sister despises her, and when she brushes her hair, out come crumbled fragments of leaves. Is she going mad? Or has she endured a nightmarish chain of events? Is this related to the illnesses she’s had since her brother died in the Great War? And why is she so hungry? In her search for the truth, Triss ventures from the shelter of her parents’ protective wings into the city’s underbelly. There she encounters strange creatures whose grand schemes could forever alter the fates of her family, in an unnerving tale of one girl’s struggle to confront her darkest fears. “Few authors can evoke a twinned sense of terror and wonder better . . . Vivid, frightening, and inventive, with narrative twists and turns. . . . A piercing, chilling page-turner.” —Booklist (starred review) “Nuanced and intense.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Quiet but elegant prose moves the story seamlessly from an effectively creepy horror tale to a powerful, emotionally resonant story of regret and forgiveness.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review) “Gorgeously written and disconcerting . . . Hardinge delves deeply into the darker side of family life.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Cuckoo Song transcends its teen-reader designation. The psychological and historical nuances . . . will mesmerize older readers as well.” —BookPage
The Cuckoo
Author: Oldřich Mikulica
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780995567306
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
We all know Cuckoos as the harbingers of spring - whose haunting calls proclaim the birds own name across fields and reedbeds. A bird much more often heard than actually seen, and often mistaken for a hawk or falcon when briefly glimpsed in flight. Cuckoos are also well known, perhaps even infamous, for their habit of laying their own eggs into the nests of much smaller species, such as reed warblers, who are then doomed to raise the enormous cuckoo chick rather than their own young, and whose eggs are ruthlessly thrown from the nest by the cuckoo hatchling. But how does this complex behaviour act out in nature, and how did it evolve? What are the cuckoo's special tricks and what counter-measures have the host birds developed to resist the depredations of cuckoos? In this book the authors delve into the stories behind what we see, and into the complex and ever evolving evolutionary arms race by which the nest parasite and its hosts constantly try to leapfrog each other into prime position. The natural history of the cuckoo-host struggle is illuminated with detailed explanations of the results of behavioural and ecological research to provide a comprehensive, but highly readable, account in which an insight into one puzzle constantly reveals a new question begging an answer. The whole story is brought vividly to life through the astonishing photographs of Oldo Mikulica, who has watched cuckoos and their various hosts from hides for almost four decades. The result is a unique and beautiful book which both informs and delights.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780995567306
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
We all know Cuckoos as the harbingers of spring - whose haunting calls proclaim the birds own name across fields and reedbeds. A bird much more often heard than actually seen, and often mistaken for a hawk or falcon when briefly glimpsed in flight. Cuckoos are also well known, perhaps even infamous, for their habit of laying their own eggs into the nests of much smaller species, such as reed warblers, who are then doomed to raise the enormous cuckoo chick rather than their own young, and whose eggs are ruthlessly thrown from the nest by the cuckoo hatchling. But how does this complex behaviour act out in nature, and how did it evolve? What are the cuckoo's special tricks and what counter-measures have the host birds developed to resist the depredations of cuckoos? In this book the authors delve into the stories behind what we see, and into the complex and ever evolving evolutionary arms race by which the nest parasite and its hosts constantly try to leapfrog each other into prime position. The natural history of the cuckoo-host struggle is illuminated with detailed explanations of the results of behavioural and ecological research to provide a comprehensive, but highly readable, account in which an insight into one puzzle constantly reveals a new question begging an answer. The whole story is brought vividly to life through the astonishing photographs of Oldo Mikulica, who has watched cuckoos and their various hosts from hides for almost four decades. The result is a unique and beautiful book which both informs and delights.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Author: Ken Kesey
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780141181226
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 316
Book Description
Ken Kesey's bracing, inslightful novel about the meaning of madness and the value of self-reliance, and the inspiration for the new Netflix original series Ratched Boisterous, ribald, and ultimately shattering, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is the seminal novel of the 1960s that has left an indelible mark on the literature of our time. Here is the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially the tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her. We see the struggle through the eyes of Chief Bromden, the seemingly mute half-Indian patient who witnesses and understands McMurphy’s heroic attempt to do battle with the awesome powers that keep them all imprisoned.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780141181226
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 316
Book Description
Ken Kesey's bracing, inslightful novel about the meaning of madness and the value of self-reliance, and the inspiration for the new Netflix original series Ratched Boisterous, ribald, and ultimately shattering, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is the seminal novel of the 1960s that has left an indelible mark on the literature of our time. Here is the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially the tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her. We see the struggle through the eyes of Chief Bromden, the seemingly mute half-Indian patient who witnesses and understands McMurphy’s heroic attempt to do battle with the awesome powers that keep them all imprisoned.
Every Last Cuckoo
Author: Kate Maloy
Publisher: Algonquin Books
ISBN: 9781565126756
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 312
Book Description
A seventy-five-year old widow, Sarah finds new meaning in her life after her home becomes a kind of refuge for her restless granddaughter, an Israeli pacifist, a homeless mother and son, and a victim of domestic violence.
Publisher: Algonquin Books
ISBN: 9781565126756
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 312
Book Description
A seventy-five-year old widow, Sarah finds new meaning in her life after her home becomes a kind of refuge for her restless granddaughter, an Israeli pacifist, a homeless mother and son, and a victim of domestic violence.
China Cuckoo
Author: Mark Kitto
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1742662013
Category : British
Languages : en
Pages : 234
Book Description
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1742662013
Category : British
Languages : en
Pages : 234
Book Description