1) Dyer, Dale and Steve N. G. Howell. Birds of Costa Rica. 2023. Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 456 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A state-of-the-art illustrated field guide to the birds of Costa Rica.
Costa
Rica is among the most popular birding destinations in the world, with a
breathtaking diversity of neotropical birdlife and stunningly beautiful
habitats ranging from shady mangrove swamps to mist-enshrouded
mountaintops and verdant rainforest. Birds of Costa Rica
is the essential illustrated pocket guide to this biologically rich
country. It covers all regularly occurring bird species found in the
region and features facing-page plates and text that make field
identification easy. Concise species accounts describe everything from
size and distribution to voice, habitat, and status. This compact guide
also features progressive taxonomy and a wealth of color range maps.
- Covers more than 800 species of birds found in Costa Rica
- Includes more than 200 superb color plates
- Features concise species accounts, facing-page plates and text, and up-to-date range maps
- Its compact size and field-friendly layout make it the ideal travel companion for any birder
- Covers all 783 insect families known to occur in the United States and Canada
- Features more than 3,700 color photos, with nearly every photo identified to species level
- Includes an illustrated glossary for easy reference in the field
- The first field companion of its kind since the publication of the Peterson guide in 1970
- Ideal for entomology courses of all levels
- An invaluable resource for anyone interested in insects
- Covers more than 200 species
- Features more than 1,100 stunning close-up color photos
- Shows multiple images of each species, with arrows indicating key features
- Includes a range map for every species
- Provides silhouette images depicting the actual size of each species
- Describes key identification features, size, phenology, floral preference, nesting, and related species
- Contains a taxonomic key to the bee genera of the region
Enchanted by Daphne
is legendary ecologist Peter Grant’s personal account of his remarkable
life and career. In this revelatory book, Grant takes readers from his
childhood in World War II–era Britain to his ongoing research today in
the Galápagos archipelago, vividly describing what it's like to do
fieldwork in one of the most magnificent yet inhospitable places on
Earth. This is also the story of two brilliant and courageous biologists
raising a family together while balancing the demands of professional
lives that would take them to the far corners of the globe.
In
1973, Grant and his wife, Rosemary, embarked on a journey that would
fundamentally change how we think about evolution. Over the next four
decades, they visited the Galápagos every year to observe Darwin’s
famous finches on the remote, uninhabited island of Daphne Major.
Documenting how eighteen species have diversified from a single
ancestral species, they demonstrated that we could actually see and
measure evolution in a natural setting. Grant recounts the blind alleys
and breathtaking triumphs of this historic research as he and Rosemary
followed in Darwin’s footsteps―and ushered in a new era in ecology.
A wonderfully absorbing portrait of a life in science, Enchanted by Daphne is an unforgettable chronicle of the travels and discoveries of one of the world’s most influential naturalists.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must read for anyone with an interest in Peter Grant's career.
5) Campbell, Michael O'Neal. The Great Eagles: Their Evolution, Ecology and Conservation. 2022. CRC Press. Hardbound: 623 pages. Price: $325.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: This book examines the current literature and knowledge on the evolution and ecology of all the birds named as eagles, with particular emphasis on the larger species. It also examines the past and current relations between eagles and people, including habitat change and conservation issues. Eagle ecologies and conservation are currently seriously impacted by human activities such as industrialization, urbanization, pollution, deforestation and hunting. Some eagle species have consequently experienced extreme population changes. There are, however, some positive developments. Eagles have a strong, historic bond with human civilization, due to their status as the world’s most charismatic birds. Conservation policies have also been successful in repopulating some ecosystems with breeding eagles. Therefore, despite the complexity of this relationship, there may yet be hope for this unique species group, frequently rated as the kings of birds, and symbolic of human power, ambition, royalty, nationality, and even concepts of God. It is hoped that this book will contribute to the further understanding of these unique and fantastic birds.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must read for anyone with a serious interest in eagles. A paperback version for $88.95 U.S. is due out in September 2023.
6) Clarke, Philip A.. Aboriginal Peoples and Birds in Australia: Historical and Cultural Relationships. 2023. CSIRO Publishing. Paperback: 332 pages. Price: $38.99 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Australia is home to many distinctive species of birds, and
Aboriginal peoples have developed close alliances with them over the
millennia of their custodianship of this country. Aboriginal Peoples and Birds in Australia: Historical and Cultural Relationships provides
a review of the broad physical, historical and cultural relationships
that Aboriginal people have had with the Australian avifauna.
This
book raises awareness of the alternative bodies of ornithological
knowledge that reside outside of Western science. It describes the role
of birds as totemic ancestors and spirit beings, and explores Aboriginal
bird nomenclature, foraging techniques and the use of avian materials
to make food, medicine and artefacts. Through a historical perspective,
this book examines the gaps between knowledge systems of Indigenous
peoples and Western science, to encourage greater collaboration and
acknowledgment in the future.
Features:
- Provides a historical review of the cultural roles of birds and their importance to Aboriginal peoples in Australia.
- Explores Indigenous knowledge, to inform future research in ornithology, anthropology and ethnoscience.
- Illustrated with photos taken by the author over 40 years of fieldwork.
7) Reynolds, R. Graham et al.. Boas of the West Indies: Evolution, Natural History, and Conservation. 2023. Cornell/Comstock. Hardbound: 270 pages. Price: $59.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Boas of the West Indies is a comprehensive survey of boid snakes, commonly known as boas, found on the islands of the Lucayan Archipelago, the Greater Antilles, and the Lesser Antilles. Bringing together the expertise of leading herpetologists R. Graham Reynolds, Robert W. Henderson, Luis M. Díaz, Tomás Michel Rodríguez, and Alberto R. Puente-Rolón, this volume synthesizes established knowledge and new findings on the evolutionary biology, natural history, and conservation statuses of these iconic snakes.
One of the most ecologically diverse snake families, boas have inhabited the West Indies for millions of years. From the Cuban boa, which in many folk legends may grow to over twice a person's height, to the Hispaniolan vineboa, discovered only in 2020 and known to measure less than a meter long, Boas of the West Indies examines the eighteen species extant on these islands along with several others now extinct. Species accounts include details such as phenotypic traits, distribution, and behavior. Introductory chapters discuss the history of human-boa interaction, differences between West Indian and neotropical mainland boids, current conservation efforts, and more.
Illustrated with over a hundred color photographs and range maps, Boas of the West Indies is a benchmark reference for herpetologists, conservationists, and snake hobbyists that expands our knowledge of―and celebrates―these fascinating creatures so integral to the ecology of these islands.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must have for anyone with an interest in Boas!
8) Richardson, Matthew. Threatened and Recently Extinct Vertebrates of the World: A Biogeographic Approach. 2023. Cambridge University Press. Hardbound: 729 pages. Price: $110.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Habitat loss and degradation are currently the main anthropogenic causes of species extinctions. The root cause is human overpopulation. This unique volume provides, for the very first time, a comprehensive overview of all threatened and recently extinct mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes within the context of their locations and habitats. The approach takes a systematic examination of each biogeographic realm and region of the world, both terrestrial and marine, but with a particular emphasis on geographic features such as mountains, islands, and coral reefs. It reveals patterns useful in biodiversity conservation, helps to put it all into perspective, and ultimately serves as both a baseline from which to compare subsequent developments as well as a standardization of the way threatened species are studied.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must have for anyone with a serious interest in biodiversity conservation!
9) Sevigny, Melissa L.. Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon. 2023. W. W. Norton. Hardbound: 290 pages. Price: $30.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The riveting tale of two pioneering botanists and their historic boat trip down the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon.
In the summer of 1938, botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter set off to run the Colorado River, accompanied by an ambitious and entrepreneurial expedition leader, a zoologist, and two amateur boatmen. With its churning waters and treacherous boulders, the Colorado was famed as the most dangerous river in the world. Journalists and veteran river runners boldly proclaimed that the motley crew would never make it out alive. But for Clover and Jotter, the expedition held a tantalizing appeal: no one had yet surveyed the plant life of the Grand Canyon, and they were determined to be the first.
Through the vibrant letters and diaries of the two women, science journalist Melissa L. Sevigny traces their daring forty-three-day journey down the river, during which they meticulously cataloged the thorny plants that thrived in the Grand Canyon’s secret nooks and crannies. Along the way, they chased a runaway boat, ran the river’s most fearsome rapids, and turned the harshest critic of female river runners into an ally. Clover and Jotter’s plant list, including four new cactus species, would one day become vital for efforts to protect and restore the river ecosystem.
Brave the Wild River is a spellbinding adventure of two women who risked their lives to make an unprecedented botanical survey of a defining landscape in the American West, at a time when human influences had begun to change it forever.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must read for anyone with an interest in United States botanical history.