Author: Les Beletsky
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 332
Get Book Here
Book Description
The Red-winged Blackbird is not only one of North America's commonest birds, but also its best studied. It exemplifies the contribution that in-depth species studies can make to many of the central issues in behavioral ecology. In this book, Les Beletsky calls on 20 years experience of redwings to provide an up-to-date, comprehensive summary of all the major work done with these birds. These studies on the redwings' polygynous breeding system, strong territoriality, complex vocal communications, and broad distribution shed light on many themes of key interest to behaviorists and ecologists interested in the evolution of mate choice and species adaptations to habitats which vary in character in different parts of their range. An extra dimension is added in the consideration of redwings as pests, a widespread and often serious problem in crops of rice and corn. This book is written in an easy style, and will serve as an introduction, to both student and layperson, to redwings and what they can teach us of behavioral ecology. The Red-winged Blackbird provides the research worker with a balanced summary and comprehensive bibliography of one of ornithology's widest and deepest studies. Key Features * Covers perhaps the most studied bird in North America * Presents model species for studies in mating systems, habitat selection, vocal communication, and territorial behavior * Includes a comprehensive bibliography * Presented in an accessible style, ideal for student use
Author: William A. Searcy
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400863937
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 331
Get Book Here
Book Description
The purpose of this book is to explain why red-winged blackbirds are polygynous and to describe the effects of this mating system on other aspects of the biology of the species. Polygyny is a mating system in which individual males form long-term mating relationships with more than one female at a time. The authors show that females choose to mate polygynously because there is little cost to sharing male parental care in this species, and because females gain protection against nest predation by nesting near other females. Polygyny has the effect of intensifying sexual selection on males by increasing the variance in mating success among males. For females, polygyny means that they will often share a male's territory with other females during the breeding season and will thus be forced to adapt to frequent female-female interactions. This work reviews the results of many studies by other researchers, as well as presenting the authors' own results. Studies of red-winged blackbirds have ranged from long-term investigations of reproductive success and demography, to research on genetic parentage based on modern molecular methods, to a variety of experimental manipulations of ecological circumstances and behavior. Since the red-winged blackbird is one of the best studied species of any taxa in terms of its behavior and ecology, the authors have a particularly extensive body of results on which to base their conclusions. Originally published in 1995. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Author: George M. Linz
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 135164355X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 311
Get Book Here
Book Description
Shortlisted for the 2018 TWS Wildlife Publication Awards in the edited book category The various species of new world blackbirds, often intermingled in large foraging flocks and nighttime roosts, collectively number in the hundreds of millions and are a dominant component of the natural and agricultural avifauna in North America today. Because of their abundance, conspicuous flocking behavior, and feeding habits, these species have often been in conflict with human endeavors. The pioneering publications on blackbirds were by F. E. L. Beal in 1900 and A. A. Allen in 1914. These seminal treatises laid the foundation for more than 1,000 descriptive and experimental studies on the life histories of blackbirds as well as their ecology and management in relation to agricultural damage and other conflicts such as caused by large winter roosting congregations. The wealth of information generated in over a century of research is found in disparate outlets that include government reports, conference proceedings, peer-reviewed journals, monographs, and books. For the first time, Ecology and Management of Blackbirds (Icteridae) in North America summarizes and synthesizes this vast body of information on the biology and life histories of blackbirds and their conflicts with humans into a single volume for researchers, wildlife managers, agriculturists, disease biologists, ornithologists, policy makers, and the public. The book reviews the life histories of red-winged blackbirds, yellow-headed blackbirds, common grackles, and brown-headed cowbirds. It provides in-depth coverage of the functional roles of blackbirds in natural and agricultural ecosystems. In doing so, this authoritative reference promotes the development of improved science-based, integrated management strategies to address conflicts when resolutions are needed.
Author: Ed Robinson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781630850081
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Get Book Here
Book Description
A collection of stories and images to celebrate the natural world around us. This book makes a great gift for anyone who loves Maine wildlife. It was written by Harpswell's Ed Robinson. All proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the work of Harpswell Heritage Land Trust to preserve special places in Harpswell and educate and engage our community.
Author: Gordon H. Orians
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691209936
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 313
Get Book Here
Book Description
The variety of social systems among the New World blackbirds (Family Icteridae) and the structural simplicity of their foraging environment provide excellent opportunities for testing theorics about the adaptive significance of their behavior. Here Gordon Orians presents the results of his many years of research on how blackbirds utilize their marsh environments during the breeding season. These results stem from information he gathered on three species during ten breeding seasons in the Pacific Northwest, on Red-winged blackbirds during two breeding seasons in Costa Rica, and on three species during one breeding season in Argentina. The author uses models derived from Darwin's theory of natural selection to predict the behavior and morphology of individuals as well as the statistical properties of their populations. First he tests models that predict habitat selection, foraging behavior, territoriality, and mate selection. Then he considers some population patterns, especially range of use of environmental resources and overlap among species, that may result from those individual attributes. Professor Orianns concludes with an overview of the structure of bird communities in marshes of the world and the relation of these patterns to overall source availability in these simple but productive habitats.
Author: Kenn Kaufman
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780618159888
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 708
Get Book Here
Book Description
The bestselling natural history of birds, lavishly illustrated with 600 colorphotos, is now available for the first time in flexi binding.
Author: Ted Floyd
Publisher:
ISBN: 1426220030
Category : House & Home
Languages : en
Pages : 308
Get Book Here
Book Description
"In this elegant narrative, celebrated naturalist Ted Floyd guides you through a year of becoming a better birder. Choosing 200 top avian species to teach key lessons, Floyd introduces a new, holistic approach to bird watching and shows how to use the tools of the 21st century to appreciate the natural world we inhabit together whether city, country or suburbs." -- From book jacket.
Author: Samuel D. Robbins
Publisher: Univ of Wisconsin Press
ISBN: 9780299102609
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 730
Get Book Here
Book Description
As initially planned in 1939 by Owen J. Gromme, then curator of birds at the Milwaukee Public Museum, Wisconsin Birdlife would not only describe and document every species of bird known to have visited this state, but would also depict each species with his own original paintings. During the next two decades, Gromme concentrated primarily on the latter, resulting in the separate publication in 1963 of his now classic Birds of Wisconsin. Work on the present volume was assumed in the late 1960s by Samuel D. Robbins, whose labors of more than 20 years give us a veritable encyclopedia of the state's ornithological knowledge. A complement and supplement to field guides, picture books, and recordings, the book is designed to enlarge the reader's understanding and appreciation of statewide history, abundance, and habitat preference of every species reliably recorded in Wisconsin. The volume opens with a summary of the ornithological history of the state and an exposition of its ecological setting. The heart of Wisconsin Birdlife ensues: detailed accounts of nearly 400 species, with information on status (population and distribution), habitat, migration dates, breeding data, and wintering presence, followed by extensive discussion and commentary. Dr. James Hall Zimmerman, Senior Lecturer in Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides a special discussion of bird habitats for the book. In addition, Wisconsin Birdlife features a comprehensive status and seasonal distribution chart, a detailed habitat preference chart, and an exhaustive bibliography. The ultimate resource, Wisconsin Birdlife belongs within easy reach of everyone from armchair appreciators and casual birdwatchers to ardent birders and professional ornithologists.
Author: Les D. Beletsky
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226041865
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 328
Get Book Here
Book Description
Drawing on detailed data from their sixteen-year study of red-winged blackbirds in the marshes of Washington's Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, Beletsky and Orians analyze the information redwings use to make breeding-season decisions and the consequences these decisions have for lifetime reproductive success. Because male and female redwings make different, and often independent, decisions—males focus on territory acquisition and maintenance, while females must choose when and where to nest and how much energy to invest in reproduction—the authors have taken the novel approach of studying the sexes separately. Using analyses of observational data combined with field experiments and game-theoretical models, the authors provide new insights into the complex patterns of reproductive decision-making and breeding behavior in redwings. This book will be of interest to all who study social animals, including behavioral ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and ornithologists.
Author: Geoffrey Edward Hill
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 1426205716
Category : Birds
Languages : en
Pages : 256
Get Book Here
Book Description
Why is a cardinal red and a bluebird blue? How has color camouflage evolved? These are just a few of the fascinating questions explored in this work on coloration and plumage, and their key role in avian life. 200 full-color photos.
