Peter P. Marra - Böcker

A state-of-the-art migratory atlas of North American birds—the first resource of its kindMore than 70 percent of North American bird species are migratory, traveling annually between separate breeding and nonbreeding areas. While we know the overall ranges of species, we have lacked an understanding of where specific populations move to across seasons and regions—but these limitations are rapidly disappearing. Thanks to the contributions of thousands of bird banders and researchers over the past century and recent efforts to develop and deploy ever smaller tracking devices, it is now possible to map where different breeding populations migrate and spend the nonbreeding season. The Atlas of North America’s Migratory Birds brings these findings together in one place, presenting a treasure trove of data for hundreds of species along with detailed range maps derived from eBird data for each species.Covers nearly 600 speciesCompiles diverse data types from thousands of contributorsBrings together banding data collected over the past century with information gathered using the latest tracking technology, stable isotopes, and genetic toolsFeatures eBird maps for every species, published here for the first timeAn essential and definitive resource for ornithologists, conservationists, and birdwatchers

In 1894, a lighthouse keeper named David Lyall arrived on Stephens Island off New Zealand with a cat named Tibbles. In just over a year, the Stephens Island Wren, a rare bird endemic to the island, was rendered extinct. Mounting scientific evidence confirms what many conservationists have suspected for some time--that in the United States alone, free-ranging cats are killing birds and other animals by the billions. Equally alarming are the little-known but potentially devastating public health consequences of rabies and parasitic Toxoplasma passing from cats to humans at rising rates. Cat Wars tells the story of the threats free-ranging cats pose to biodiversity and public health throughout the world, and sheds new light on the controversies surrounding the management of the explosion of these cat populations. This compelling book traces the historical and cultural ties between humans and cats from early domestication to the current boom in pet ownership, along the way accessibly explaining the science of extinction, population modeling, and feline diseases.It charts the developments that have led to our present impasse--from Stan Temple's breakthrough studies on cat predation in Wisconsin to cat-eradication programs underway in Australia today. It describes how a small but vocal minority of cat advocates has campaigned successfully for no action in much the same way that special interest groups have stymied attempts to curtail smoking and climate change. Cat Wars paints a revealing picture of a complex global problem--and proposes solutions that foresee a time when wildlife and humans are no longer vulnerable to the impacts of free-ranging cats.