RSPB Spotlight Woodpeckers

RSPB Spotlight Woodpeckers
Author: Gerard Gorman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2018-10-04
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1472951174

Woodpeckers are fascinating birds, filling our forests with their unmistakable drumming, and capturing our imaginations with their incredible ability to drill holes in trees and their bright, colourful plumage. Three species of woodpecker are resident in the UK: the Green Woodpecker, often seen on lawns and in fields; the Great Spotted Woodpecker, a frequent visitor at garden bird-feeders; and the tiny Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, sadly now in decline. The Wryneck – which twists its neck 'like a snake' when threatened – also passes through the UK on its yearly migration and has captivated people throughout the ages. Gerard Gorman provides a close-up look at the lives of these birds, from their anatomy, diet and nesting habits to their iconic drumming behaviour. He also explores the relationship that humans have enjoyed with woodpeckers for centuries, in folklore, myth and conservation, and gives tips on how to observe these wonderful birds in the wild. The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives and behaviour of our favourite animals with eye-catching colour photographs and informative expert text.

The Pocket Book of Bird Anatomy

The Pocket Book of Bird Anatomy
Author: Marianne Taylor
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 380
Release: 2020-05-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1472976916

What is a bird? To answer that, we must understand how birds are different from all other living things and how they fit into the diversity of life on Earth. This excellent RSPB guide to bird anatomy looks at the avian body, system by system, how it evolved, and how it functions. Chapters explore traits that are unique to birds, including their remarkable one-way breathing cycle, their trimmed-down skeleton, how feathers permit flight, provide weather-proofing and add beauty, and the avian bill – a lightweight replacement for both teeth and food-handling forelimbs. Each chapter tackles a particular body system and includes detailed anatomical illustrations, from cells and organs to skeletons and muscles, to show how birds' anatomical adaptations enable all their physical feats and fascinating behaviour. Feature spreads offer more in-depth analysis on topics like birdsong, temperature control, ornamentation, unusual diets, social behaviour, nocturnal adaptations, mutation and natural selection. Featuring more than 300 diagrams and colour photos, this fascinating new book also looks at the human impact on the avian world and reveals how behaviour and anatomy work together to produce these vibrant living beings that delight and inspire us so much.

RSPB Spotlight Kingfishers

RSPB Spotlight Kingfishers
Author: David Chandler
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2017-05-23
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1472933672

RSPB Spotlight Kingfishers is packed with eye-catching, informative color photos and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist.

RSPB Spotlight Swifts and Swallows

RSPB Spotlight Swifts and Swallows
Author: Mike Unwin
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2018-06-28
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1472950097

RSPB Spotlight: Swifts and Swallows is packed with eye-catching, informative colour photos, and features succinct, detailed text written by a knowledgeable naturalist. People all over Britain and Europe have long welcomed the arrival of swifts and swallows as a promise of summer being just around the corner. And with their similar long wings and dashing flight, it is perhaps understandable that we often confuse the two birds. After all, they have much in common: both feed on flying insects, both breed around buildings, and both are long-distance migrants that spend winter in Africa. But appearances can be deceptive. Swifts and swallows are completely unrelated birds that have adapted through evolution to survive in similar ways. In Spotlight: Swifts and Swallows, Mike Unwin reveals their fascinating lifestyles, explains how and why they have acquired their similarities, and ways in which we can help protect them. The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives and behaviour of our favourite animals with eye-catching colour photography and informative expert text.

Woodpeckers of the World

Woodpeckers of the World
Author: Gerard Gorman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 1249
Release: 2014-06-19
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1408147165

Woodpeckers remain one of the most popular families of birds, and they are certainly one of the more unusual. Their legendary ability to excavate holes in wood is well known, and they are uniquely adapted for living in trees - though a few species have become more adapted to ground-dwelling. The family ranges from the tiny piculets of tropical forests to the mighty Imperial Woodpecker of Mexico, sadly now extinct. In between there is a considerable variety of species, all of a roughly similar shape and design, inhabiting forests and woodlands through the world except Australasia and Antarctica. Covering 239 species, this book is the first definitive photographic guide to woodpeckers. Detailed text looks in detail at the biology of the birds, with particular emphasis on field identification, along with voice, habitat, status, racial variation and distribution. The text is accompanied by a series of high-quality photographs – more than 750 images, carefully selected to highlight identification criteria. Each species entry is completed by an accurate colour range map. A sister to Owls of the World in the Helm Photographic Guides series, Woodpeckers of the World is an informative, fact-filled and beautifully illustrated guide to a group beloved by all birders.

Reed and Bush Warblers

Reed and Bush Warblers
Author: Peter Kennerley
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 713
Release: 2010-09-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0713660228

Bradypterus, Locustella, Hippolais, Cettia.

Woodpecker

Woodpecker
Author: Gerard Gorman
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2017-10-15
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1780238932

Woodpeckers are among the most remarkable birds in the avian world, having evolved a unique anatomy that enables them to peck and bore into solid timber both to find food and to create nesting cavities. The birds are key indicators of forest health and perform an important ecological role, providing holes that many other animals use. Woodpeckers have been considered symbols of fertility, security, strength, power, prophecy, magic, rhythm, medicine, and carpentry, and have been esteemed across cultures as the guardians of woodlands, tree surgeons, fire-bringers, weather forecasters, and boat-builders. In this charming volume, avian expert Gerard Gorman delves into the natural and cultural history of woodpeckers, exploring their origins and habitats and the ways they have fascinated humankind throughout history. Gorman finds woodpeckers everywhere—from ancient Babylon, Greece, and Rome, to the jungles of Amazonia and Borneo, to our modern-day Woody Woodpecker cartoon. Richly illustrated with images from both nature and culture, Woodpecker will appeal to everyone who is interested in these extraordinary birds.

In Search of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

In Search of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
Author: Jerome A. Jackson
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2006-05-09
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780060891558

In Search of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is a complete natural history of one of the most exciting and rare birds in the world. Noted ornithologist Jerome A. Jackson takes the reader on his fantastic and personal quest, providing detailed insights into the bird's lifestyle, habitat, and cultural significance, examining its iconic status from the late 1800s to the present in advertising, conservation, and lore. As he relates searches for the bird by John James Audubon, Alexander Wilson, and others, Jackson offers anecdotal tales illuminating the methods of early naturalists, including how one captive ivory-bill destroyed a naturalist's hotel room in a desperate attempt to escape. Jackson's search for one of the few remaining ivory-bills takes him across the United States and into Cuba. A new epilogue disputes the putative rediscovery of the bird in April 2005.

The Black Woodpecker

The Black Woodpecker
Author: Gerard Gorman
Publisher: Lynx Edicions
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2011
Genre: Pets
ISBN: 9788496553798

Esta monografía cubre todos los aspectos de la vida de uno de los más grandes y llamativos pájaros carpinteros del planeta. Características morfológicas, rasgos de identificación, manifestaciones vocales y sonidos, área de distribución y todos los aspectos de su biología, son los temas que se tratan en los trece capítulos del libro. El texto se completa con dos láminas en color, ilustraciones originales en blanco y negro, gráficos especiales para describir las voces y el característico tamborileo de estas aves, mapas detallados y magníficas fotografías en color. Asimismo, se incluye una bibliografía extensa con trabajos en diferentes idiomas. Gerard Gorman ha aprovechado sus largas horas en compañía del picamaderos negro junto con una amplia investigación bibliográfica para producir una detallada monografía sobre esta especie. The Black Woodpecker es un relato personal escrito para todos aquellos interesados en los pájaros carpinteros y las aves forestales, tanto profesionales como aficionados.

Night Parrot

Night Parrot
Author: Penny Olsen
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2018-09-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1486302998

For well over a century, the Night Parrot lured its seekers into Australia's vast, arid outback. From the beginning it was a mysterious bird. Fewer than 30 specimens were collected before it all but disappeared, offering only fleeting glimpses and the occasional mummified body as proof of its continued existence. Protected by spinifex and darkness, the parrot attained almost mythical status: a challenge to birdwatchers and an inspiration to poets, novelists and artists. Night Parrot documents the competitiveness and secrecy, the triumphs and adventures of the history of the bird and its followers, culminating in the recent discovery of live birds at a few widely scattered locations. It describes what we are now unravelling about the mysteries of its biology and ecology and what is still left to learn. Complemented by guest essays, illustrations and photographs from a wide variety of sources, this book sheds light on Australia's most elusive bird.