Paul Johnsgard (1931-2021)

     Paul Johnsgard ornithologist and prolific author of more than 100 books, mainly on waterfowl, gamebirds, and cranes, died on 28 May 2021, one month short of his 90th birthday. Below are three of his more recently published titles from Zea Books/ University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries.

 

 

1) The Abyssinian Art of Louis Agassiz Fuertes in the Field Museum. 2020. Paperback: 139 pages. Price: $50.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: This book documents the paintings and drawings executed by Louis Agassiz Fuertes during the Field Museum of Natural History's seven-month expedition to Ethiopia (Abyssinia) in 1926-27. During that time Fuertes completed 70 field watercolors of 55 species of birds and four species of mammals, 34 pencil drawings of 13 species of mammals and 11 species of birds. This book identifies and describes the biology of all 69 species of birds and mammals illustrated by Fuertes and includes 32 color reproductions of Fuertes's watercolors that were published as a limited-edition album in 1930 by the Field Museum. The 60,000-word text provides brief summaries of all these species' ecology, behavior, and reproductive biology as well as information about their current populations and conservation status. It reviews Fuertes's life, his influence on modern bird and wildlife art, and his participation in the Field Museum's Abyssinian Expedition, with more than 250 bibliographic citations.

 

 

2) The North American Grouse: Their Biology and Behavior. 2016. Paperback: 174 pages. Price: $60.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: This book summarizes the ecology, reproductive biology, and social behavior of all ten of the extant North American grouse species. It also describes the current status of grouse populations, some of which are perilously close to extinction. The social behavior of grouse is of special biological interest because among these ten species there is a complete mating system spectrum, from seasonally monogamous pairbonding to highly promiscuous mating patterns. The latter group illustrates the strong structural and behavioral effects of sexual selection resulting from nonmonogamous mating. These influences reach a peak in the development by some grouse species of engaging in mating "leks," arenalike competitions performed by males while attempting to attract fertile females, and also provide opportunities for females to select optimum mating partners. The book includes 16 range maps, 37 line drawings, and 38 photographs by the author, as well as nearly 1,400 literature citations.

 

 

3) The North American Sea Ducks. 2016. Paperback: 255 pages. Price: $25.00 U.S. 

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The 21 species of sea ducks are one of the larger subgroups (Tribe Mergini) of the waterfowl family Anatidae, and the 16 species (one historically extinct) that are native to North America represent the largest number to be found on any continent. This book is an effort to summarize succinctly our current knowledge of sea duck biology and to provide a convenient survey of the vast technical literature on the group, with over 900 literature references. It includes 90,000 words of text (more than 40 percent of which is new), 15 updated range maps, 31 photographs, over 30 ink drawings, and nearly 150 sketches. Lastly, the North American sea ducks include the now extinct Labrador duck, the only northern hemisphere waterfowl species to have gone extinct in modern times. Considering recent population crashes in other sea ducks, such as the Steller's eider and spectacled eider, it should also offer a sobering reminder of the fragility of our natural world and its inhabitants, including us.

RECOMMENDATION: Of these three books, I like the Sea Ducks volume the best!