Birds of the Darwin Region

Birds of the Darwin Region
Author: Niven McCrie
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2015-09
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1486300359

Birds of the Darwin Region is the first comprehensive treatment of the avifauna of Darwin, a city located in Australia's monsoon tropics, where seasons are defined by rainfall rather than by temperature. With its mangrove-lined bays and creeks, tidal mudflats, monsoon rainforests, savanna woodlands and freshwater lagoons, Darwin has retained all of its original habitats in near-pristine condition, and is home or host to 323 bird species. Unlike other Australian cities, it has no established exotic bird species. Following an introduction to the history of ornithology in the region and a detailed appraisal of its avifauna, species accounts describe the habitats, relative abundance, behaviour, ecology and breeding season of 258 regularly occurring species, based on over 500 fully referenced sources, and original observations by the authors. Distribution maps and charts of the seasonality of each species are presented, based on a dataset comprising almost 120,000 records, one-third of which were contributed by the authors. Stunning colour photographs adorn the accounts of most species, including some of the 65 species considered as vagrants to the region. This book is a must-read for professional ornithologists and amateur birders, and an indispensable reference for local biologists, teachers and students, and government and non-government environmental agencies, as well as other people who just like to watch birds.

Birds of the Darwin Region

Birds of the Darwin Region
Author: Niven McCrie
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Total Pages: 683
Release: 2015-09-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1486300367

Birds of the Darwin Region is the first comprehensive treatment of the avifauna of Darwin, a city located in Australia's monsoon tropics, where seasons are defined by rainfall rather than by temperature. With its mangrove-lined bays and creeks, tidal mudflats, monsoon rainforests, savanna woodlands and freshwater lagoons, Darwin has retained all of its original habitats in near-pristine condition, and is home or host to 323 bird species. Unlike other Australian cities, it has no established exotic bird species. Following an introduction to the history of ornithology in the region and a detailed appraisal of its avifauna, species accounts describe the habitats, relative abundance, behaviour, ecology and breeding season of 258 regularly occurring species, based on over 500 fully referenced sources, and original observations by the authors. Distribution maps and charts of the seasonality of each species are presented, based on a dataset comprising almost 120,000 records, one-third of which were contributed by the authors. Stunning colour photographs adorn the accounts of most species, including some of the 65 species considered as vagrants to the region. This book is a must-read for professional ornithologists and amateur birders, and an indispensable reference for local biologists, teachers and students, and government and non-government environmental agencies, as well as other people who just like to watch birds.

The Birds of Groote Eylandt

The Birds of Groote Eylandt
Author: Richard Alfred Noske
Publisher:
Total Pages: 187
Release: 2002-01-01
Genre: Birds
ISBN: 9781876248680

Groote Eylandt is Australias fourth largest island, nestled in the Gulf of Carpentaria, some 45 kilometres from the coast of Arnhem Land in the remote tropical north of Australia. Arguably the most pristine island off the Northern Territory coast, Groote Eylandt is a refuge for birds and other wildlife from the introduced livestock and predators, and frequent fires, that have so altered the natural environment of the mainland.The authors have combined thorough research with extensive fieldwork to produce a comprehensive reference describing th relative abundance, habitats and regional distribution of each of the 228 bird species that have been reported for the island over 80 years of visitation by ornithologists.Whilst the land avifauna of Groote Eylandt is predictably similar to that of north-eastern Arnhem Land, many open forest and woodland species that occur on the adjacent mainland have not succeeded in colonising the island. On the other hand, the island supports several monsoon rainforest and mangrove-specialised species that are not yet known to occur on the adjacent mainland, or are rare further south in the West Gulf.Richard Noske has been birdwatching since he was 10 years old, and has written or co-written over 60 publications on birds. After gaining his doctorate in New South Wales, he took up a lecturing position at the Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University) in 1985. He was President of the NT Field Naturalists Club during 1988-1991, then editor of its journal, NT Naturalist, for five years. His main interest is the ecology and conservation of wildlife in tropical Australia and South-east Asia, and he currently edits Kukila, the journal of the Indonesian Ornithological Society.Graham Brennan was a wandering jack-of-all-trades until he arrived on Groote Eylandt in 1985 and settled down as a mining operator for he Groote Eylandt Mining Company. An abiding amateur interest in natural history and a critical inspection of the literature soon led to the realisation that very little was known about the birds of this region. So he started recording his observations of birds on the island, particularly the months in which species were seen. After 17 years on the Eylandt, Graham has retired to a secluded pocket of forest in south-east Queensland, where he hopes to become self-sufficient.

Ten Thousand Birds

Ten Thousand Birds
Author: Tim Birkhead
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 545
Release: 2014-03-01
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1400848830

Ten Thousand Birds provides a thoroughly engaging and authoritative history of modern ornithology, tracing how the study of birds has been shaped by a succession of visionary and often-controversial personalities, and by the unique social and scientific contexts in which these extraordinary individuals worked. This beautifully illustrated book opens in the middle of the nineteenth century when ornithology was a museum-based discipline focused almost exclusively on the anatomy, taxonomy, and classification of dead birds. It describes how in the early 1900s pioneering individuals such as Erwin Stresemann, Ernst Mayr, and Julian Huxley recognized the importance of studying live birds in the field, and how this shift thrust ornithology into the mainstream of the biological sciences. The book tells the stories of eccentrics like Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen, a pathological liar who stole specimens from museums and quite likely murdered his wife, and describes the breathtaking insights and discoveries of ambitious and influential figures such as David Lack, Niko Tinbergen, Robert MacArthur, and others who through their studies of birds transformed entire fields of biology. Ten Thousand Birds brings this history vividly to life through the work and achievements of those who advanced the field. Drawing on a wealth of archival material and in-depth interviews, this fascinating book reveals how research on birds has contributed more to our understanding of animal biology than the study of just about any other group of organisms.

Birds and Animals of Australia's Top End

Birds and Animals of Australia's Top End
Author: Nick Leseberg
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2015-07-14
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1400866006

One of the most amazing and accessible wildlife-watching destinations on earth, the "Top End" of Australia's Northern Territory is home to incredible birds and animals—from gaudy Red-collared Lorikeets to sinister Estuarine Crocodiles and raucous Black Flying-foxes. With this lavishly illustrated photographic field guide, you will be able to identify the most common creatures and learn about their fascinating biology—from how Agile Wallaby mothers can pause their pregnancies to why Giant Frogs spend half the year buried underground in waterproof cocoons. The Top End stretches from the tropical city of Darwin in the north, to the savannas of Mataranka in the south, and southwest across the vast Victoria River escarpments to the Western Australian border. The region includes some of Australia's most popular and impressive tourist destinations, such as Kakadu, Litchfield, Nitmiluk, and Gregory national parks, and is visited by more than two hundred thousand tourists every year. An essential field guide for anyone visiting the Top End, this book will vastly enhance your appreciation of the region's remarkable wildlife. Features hundreds of stunning color photographs Includes concise information on identification and preferred habitat for each species Provides a summary of each species' life history, including interesting habits, and suggestions on where to see it Offers valuable tips on searching for wildlife in the Top End An essential guide for visitors to the Top End, from Darwin south to Katherine and Kununurra, including Kakadu, Litchfield, Nitmiluk and Gregory national parks

Where Song Began

Where Song Began
Author: Tim Low
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 437
Release: 2016-09-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0300226802

An authoritative and entertaining exploration of Australia’s distinctive birds and their unheralded role in global evolution Renowned for its gallery of unusual mammals, Australia is also a land of extraordinary birds. But unlike the mammals, the birds of Australia flew beyond the continent’s boundaries and around the globe many millions of years ago. This eye-opening book tells the dynamic but little-known story of how Australia provided the world with songbirds and parrots, among other bird groups, why Australian birds wield surprising ecological power, how Australia became a major evolutionary center, and why scientific biases have hindered recognition of these discoveries. From violent, swooping magpies to tool-making cockatoos, Australia’s birds are strikingly different from birds of other lands—often more intelligent and aggressive, often larger and longer-lived. Tim Low, a renowned biologist with a rare storytelling gift, here presents the amazing evolutionary history of Australia’s birds. The story of the birds, it turns out, is inseparable from the story of the continent itself and also the people who inhabit it.

Multi-ethnic Bird Guide of the Sub-antartic Forests of South America

Multi-ethnic Bird Guide of the Sub-antartic Forests of South America
Author: Ricardo Rozzi
Publisher: University of North Texas Press
Total Pages: 237
Release: 2010
Genre: Birdsongs
ISBN: 1574412825

Presents a cultural ethnography and a guide to the forest birds of southern Chile and Argentina. This title includes entries on fifty bird species, such as the Magellanic Woodpecker, Rufous-Legged Owl, Ringed Kingfisher, Buff-Necked Ibis, Giant Hummingbird, and Andean Condor.

The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2020

The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2020
Author: Stephen T. Garnett
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Total Pages: 952
Release: 2021-12-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 148631192X

The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2020 is the most comprehensive review of the status of Australia's avifauna ever attempted. The latest in a series of action plans for Australian birds that have been produced every decade since 1992, it is also the largest. The accounts in this plan have been authored by more than 300 of the most knowledgeable bird experts in the country, and feature far more detail than any of the earlier plans. This volume also includes accounts of over 60 taxa that are no longer considered threatened, mainly thanks to sustained conservation action over many decades. This extensive book covers key themes that have emerged in the last decade, including the increasing impact of climate change as a threatening process, most obviously in Queensland's tropical rainforests where many birds are being pushed up the mountains. However, the effects are also indirect, as happened in the catastrophic fires of 2019/20. Many of the newly listed birds are subspecies confined to Kangaroo Island, where fire destroyed over half the population. But there are good news stories too, especially on islands where there have been spectacular successes with predator control. Such uplifting results demonstrate that when action plans are followed by action on the ground, threatened species can indeed be recovered and threats alleviated.