Thursday, July 28, 2022

New Titles

 


1) Bartley, Glenn and Andy Swash. Hummingbirds: A Celebration of Nature's Jewels. 2022. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 288 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: With their glorious colors, glittering iridescence, astonishing powers of flight, and many characteristics unique in the world of birds, hummingbirds are extraordinary―true jewels of nature. This beautiful book is a celebration of all aspects of hummingbirds and their world. It features hundreds of the most spectacular photographs of hummingbirds ever taken, exquisite illustrations, and a lively, readable text that presents the latest scientific information and includes up-to-date details about every species.

     A familiar sight across much of the Americas, hummingbirds have long captured the imagination and played an important part in myths, legends, and other aspects of human culture. Today, hummingbirds are among the most popular of all birds, sought after by serious and casual birders alike. They inspire questions in anyone lucky enough to see them. How can they fly like that? Why are they so colorful? How many are there? Where and how do they live? How do they survive? This book answers these and many other questions, providing an enlightening and enjoyable guide to hummingbirds that can only deepen their wonder.

  • A definitive yet accessible account of all aspects of hummingbird life
  • More than 540 spectacular color photographs, illustrating all 101 hummingbird genera and over two-thirds of the world’s 369 species
  • Specially commissioned illustrations revealing details of anatomy and behavior
  • Meticulously researched facts and figures on status, population, distribution, and conservation designations of all the world’s hummingbirds 

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for hummingbird fans!

 



2) Latta, Steven et al.. Field Guide to the Birds of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. 2022. Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 228 pages. Price: $24.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Field Guide to the Birds of the Dominican Republic and Haiti is the essential guide to birdwatching in these tropical countries. This completely revised and updated edition provides thorough accounts for more than 300 species, including details on new and endemic species.

     Now conveniently organized by facing pages, the book features a wealth of images that includes 150 new illustrations by renowned artist Dana Gardner and range maps based on the most current data. Species descriptions present facts about key field marks, similar species, voice, habitats, geographic distribution, status, range, and local names used in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The guide underscores the importance of promoting the conservation of migratory and resident birds, and building support for environmental measures.

  • Fully up-to-date text and maps
  • Superb images include 150 new illustrations
  • Facing-page treatment features more than 300 species

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone birding the Dominican Republic and Haiti!

 


 

3) Davis, Jack E.. The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America's Bird. 2022. Liveright. Hardbound: 417 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The bald eagle is regal but fearless, a bird you’re not inclined to argue with. For centuries, Americans have celebrated it as “majestic” and “noble,” yet savaged the living bird behind their national symbol as a malicious predator of livestock and, falsely, a snatcher of babies. Taking us from before the nation’s founding through inconceivable resurgences of this enduring all-American species, Jack E. Davis contrasts the age when native peoples lived beside it peacefully with that when others, whether through hunting bounties or DDT pesticides, twice pushed Haliaeetus leucocephalus to the brink of extinction.

      Filled with spectacular stories of Founding Fathers, rapacious hunters, heroic bird rescuers, and the lives of bald eagles themselves―monogamous creatures, considered among the animal world’s finest parents―
The Bald Eagle is a much-awaited cultural and natural history that demonstrates how this bird’s wondrous journey may provide inspiration today, as we grapple with environmental peril on a larger scale.

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an interest in the Bald Eagle!

 


 

4) Farquhar, C. Craig and Clint W. Boal. Raptors of Texas: A Natural History of Diurnal Birds of Prey. 2022. Texas A&M University Press. Hardbound: 319 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Diurnal raptors—birds of prey that hunt during the day—include easily recognizable birds like eagles, hawks, or falcons. They may be seen perched on highway signs, electrical poles, or soaring overheard in urban and rural spaces across North America. Here, avian ecology and raptor experts C. Craig Farquhar and Clint W. Boal present the first comprehensive volume on these birds of prey in Texas. Given the state’s size, location, and biodiversity, it is not surprising that Texas leads other states in the documented number of raptor species.   

     The introductory chapters of Raptors of Texas provide information on raptor ecology, evolution, behavior, morphology, and the unique conservation challenges raptors face in Texas and elsewhere. Detailed species descriptions of Texas’ regularly occurring diurnal raptors come next, illustrated with life-like graphite drawings and accompanied by unique, up-to-date range maps. Additionally, shorter entries for rare raptors sighted in the state are provided.

      This reference is a must-have for serious birders, ornithologists, avian ecologists, and wildlife professionals who want to know more about these birds of prey and the important roles they play in our urban and rural environments alike.
 

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an interest in the diurnal raptors of Texas!

 


 

5) Martinho-Truswell, Antone. The Parrot in the Mirror: How evolving to be like birds makes us human. 2022. Oxford University Press. Hardbound: 213 pages. Price: $24.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: We humans are not like other mammals. We look like them, but we don't act like them. In fact, many of our defining human traits: our longevity, intelligence, monogamy and childrearing, and learning and language, all deep parts of what it means to be human, are far more similar to birds than to our fellow mammals. These similarities originate not from shared ancestors but from parallel histories. Our evolutionary stories have pushed humans and birds to the same solutions. In this book, Antone Martinho-Truswell explores these similarities to argue that we can learn a great deal about ourselves by thinking of the human species as 'the bird without feathers'.

     This is also a book about convergent evolution - evolution that drives very different species to very similar outcomes and behaviours. The traits we share with birds but not mammals are the result of similar, specific pressures that demanded similar solutions - and exploring these similarities can help us understand both why we evolved to be the way we are, and also how very unusual some of our behaviours are in the animal kingdom, Drawing on a rich array of examples across the natural world, Martinho-Truswell also demonstrates the ways in which parrots are our biological mirror image; an evolutionary parallel to ourselves. In contemplating what we share with the birds, and especially the parrots, we understand how close nature came to creating another lineage of radical intelligence on Earth, and we also come to better understand ourselves. 

RECOMMENDATION:  A must read for anyone with an interest in bird/Human behavior.




6) Rose, Sarah. Spiders of North America. 2022. Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 611 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Of the more than 49,000 species of spider worldwide, some 4,000 are in North America. Spiders of North America explores more than 500 of the most common and interesting spiders found in this region of the world. This richly illustrated guide begins with an overview of spiders―what they are exactly, how they can be found, how they develop, and why they are important. The book features information on all the major spider guilds: sensing web weavers, sheet web weavers, orb web weavers, space web weavers, ambush hunters, ground active hunters, other active hunters, and spider hunters. Chapters contain accessible descriptions for identifying members of each spider family, including helpful tips for distinguishing members of similar families, and details at the genus and species levels. Stunning color photographs and informative distribution maps accompany the text.

  • Useful descriptions for identification of each spider family
  • Stunningly detailed macro and in-situ photographs
  • Information on all the major spider guilds
  • Handy distribution maps

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an interest in the spiders of North America!
 

7) Prothero, Donald R.. Fantastic Fossils: A Guide to Finding and Identifying Prehistoric Life. 2022. Columbia University Press. Paperback: 323 pages. Price: $25.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Nothing fills us with a sense of wonder like fossils. What looks at first like a simple rock is in fact a clue that reveals the staggering diversity of ancient environments, the winding pathways of evolution, and the majesty of a vanished earth. But as much as one might daydream of digging a hole in the backyard and finding a Tyrannosaurus, only a few places contain these buried treasures, and when a scientist comes across a remnant of prehistoric life, great care must be taken. What do budding paleontologists need to know before starting their search?

     In
Fantastic Fossils, Donald R. Prothero offers an accessible, entertaining, and richly illustrated guide to the paleontologist’s journey. He details the best places to look for fossils, the art of how to find them, and how to classify the major types. Prothero provides expert wisdom about typical fossils that an average person can hope to collect and how to hunt fossils responsibly and ethically. He also explores the lessons that both common and rarer discoveries offer about paleontology and its history, as well as what fossils can tell us about past climates and present climate change. Captivating illustrations by the paleoartist Mary Persis Williams bring to life hundreds of important specimens. Offering valuable lessons for armchair enthusiasts and paleontology students alike, Fantastic Fossils is an essential companion for all readers who have ever dreamed of going in search of traces of a lost world.
RECOMMENDATION: A must have for anyone with an interest in fossils!

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