Poyser Monographs – serie

The Pied Flycatcher is one of Europe's best-studied species.The first detailed work on it was begun in the 1930s by German ornithologists, but it was Lars von Haartman's Finnish study that both established long-term research on the species and founded many of the central themes of modern ornithology. Soon after, in the late 1940s, Bruce Campbell set up an intensive project in southwest England, which also still runs to this day. Many other eminent ornithologists followed and in 1979 Arne Lundberg and Rauno Alatalo started their own work in Sweden, Finland and latterly the north of England.A Palaearctic migrant, the Pied Flycatcher is notable for its very variable male plumage and complex territorial and polygynous breeding system. They take readily to nest boxes and have provided excellent opportunities for the study of a wide range of biological problems.This broad review of the species provides not only a detailed biology of this fascinating little bird, but a commentary on many of the most interesting problems in bird behaviour and ecology.Illustrated by Tomas Part.

This book looks at the penguins - an enduringly popular and fascinating group of birds.Penguins are associated in the public consciousness with the icecap of the south pole, and we are all familiar with images of male Emperor Penguins clustered together through the long night of the Antarctic winter as they incubate the single egg on their feet. However, several species occur in warmer regions further north, in southern Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand and even the Galapagos. All are flightless but are beautifully adapted swimmers and divers, and many are able to travel at high speeds on dry land by means of spectacular leaps and belly-slides.Most species breed in close-knit colonies and exhibit a complex system of social behaviour. This book looks at all aspects of penguin evolution, biology, ecology and sociobiology, as well as conservation issues affecting the group. It is illustrated with line drawings and black and white photographs, and has a full-colour photographic section.

The Barn Swallow is a familiar and popular bird throughout the world. It is one of the most widely distributed bird species, breeding in North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa and wintering in South America, southern Africa, southern Asia and even northern Australia. Its habit of nesting close to human habitation has made this elegant bird a part of farmyard and village life and a welcome herald of spring.This book examines all aspects of the life of this endearing bird, with chapters on its flying skills and feeding habits, mate choice, breeding strategies, nest sites, eggs and incubation, nestling rearing, productivity and survival, migratory behaviour and population dynamics. It also considers changes in populations and behaviour in relation to intensive agriculture and climate change.The Barn Swallow is both engaging and authoritative; birdwatchers will enjoy amazing insights into the life of the species, such as the importance of tail feathers when finding a mate, or the sinister way that some birds kill of the chicks of rivals. Academic scholars will appreciate the book's broad overview of current research on this species.

A detailed monograph on an iconic bird of tropical wetlands around the world, the flamingo.With their curious feeding behaviour, peculiar elongated body, gregarious social lives and exotic pink plumage, flamingos are among the most familiar and popular of all the world's birds. They have inspired artists, poets and amateur naturalists for centuries, but until 50 years ago very little was known about their biology.A growing number of scientists have directed their attention to these magnificent birds over recent years; this book summarises current understanding of flamingo biology, with detailed discussion of population dynamics, ecology, movements, feeding, breeding biology and conservation, with emphasis placed on the authors' work on the famous population of Greater Flamingos in the Camargue region of southern France.There is also a detailed guide to breeding areas, and an outline of future challenges for research.

WINNER OF THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY'S 'BEST SCIENCE BOOK 2006' AWARDThis book is the first monograph on one of the most beautiful and admired birds in the world. The Gyrfalcon is the world's largest and most powerful falcon - a truly awe-inspiring bird which inhabits the ferociously inhospitable Arctic taiga, from Greenland and Iceland right across Siberia and northern Canada. Its plumage varies from a dark mottled grey to pure white - the white birds in particular are coveted by birders and falconers. Like other titles in the series, it covers all aspects of the species' biology, taxonomy, distribution, status and historical associations with mankind. The result is an exhaustively researched and enthrallingly readable biography of a spectacular bird, illustrated throughout with photographs and line drawings.

This classic Poyser title, now in its third revised edition, discusses in depth the various ways in which weather conditions influence bird behaviour.Weather conditions affect food and water availability, decisions about when and how to migrate, timing and success of reproduction, flight style, and physical comfort.Birds display many adaptations in form and behaviour that help them to cope with changing weather conditions, and this fascinating book uses a great variety of examples to explore the subject in depth. The text is enhanced throughout with evocative line drawings, there are many useful tables and figures, and there is also an 8pp colour photograph section.

A detailed, authoritative yet highly readable monograph on one of Britain's best-loved farmland birds, the Lapwing.With its striking green-black and white plumage and distinctive pee-wit call, the Lapwing is one of Britain's best-known birds. Lapwings depend on agricultural land to breed and are considered a barometer of the health of this habitat; the population has crashed over recent decades, partly due to changes in farming practices. In winter, Lapwings switch to coastal areas and to wetlands, including those in suburban areas, where large, noisy flocks can gather. Michael Shrubb's The Lapwing is a thorough review of Lapwing biology contains sections on population dynamics, feeding ecology, habitat use, migration, and conservation; there is an impressively detailed review of our current understanding of breeding biology, plus discussion of some other species in the genus. The Lapwing is a superb addition to the Poyser list. Of interest to both amateur naturalists, who will enjoy insights into the birds' lives, and to academics, who will appreciate the broad overview of current research, this title will remain the definitive work on the species for many years to come.

This guide is fascinating reading for everyone who has an interest in migration and vagrancy in Britain, has made the journey to see any of the birds concerned, or has ever dreamed of finding a 'first' of their own.Britain's position on the edge of the Western Palearctic means that it receives a relatively high number of vagrant birds from both east and west. The islands to the extreme north and west, and the full length of the east coast, are particularly favoured, and the many 'twitchers' who patrol key sites in these places during migration time are hoping to find rarities - but most of all each would like to find a bird never before recorded in Britain - a 'first'. Since 1980, a total of 76 bird species have been found for the first time in Britain. Each individual, although hopelessly lost and quite possibly doomed, has brought birding celebrity for its finder, and a swarm of admirers to view the bird itself.This new book is the successor to Birds New to Britain and Ireland by Sharrock and Grant (Poyser, 1982), which covered the new birds discovered between 1958 and 1980. The accounts of each new bird's finder are reproduced from their original sources (mainly from British Birds and Birding World).

An authoritative yet highly readable monograph on one of Britain's rarest yet most spectacular breeding birds, the Golden Oriole. One of Britain's rarest breeding birds, the Golden Oriole is also one of its most charismatic. Females are a vivid green, while the males of this species are a stunning yellow and black, with an extraordinary and unforgettable song. A long-distance migrant, the orioles return to breed in early May at just a few sites, almost all of which are in Suffolk. Jake Allsop and Paul Mason's The Golden Oriole looks in detail at the biology of this spectacular species, with sections on breeding biology, feeding ecology, evolution, population dynamics, mimicry, migration and conservation, as well as a discussion of the biology of other species in the genus. A colour section showcases this photogenic species to full effect, complemented by high-quality black-and-white illustrations throughout. The fascinating history of the bird's distribution is also covered extensively, stemming from the authors' first-hand experience of the battle to help the species retain a toehold in Britain. The Golden Oriole is a much-admired bird, sought by serious and casual birders alike for the beauty of its plumage and song, as well as for its rarity, and this book brings the biology of this elusive species to light.

A comprehensive monograph of the beautiful Snowy Owl, famed for its elegant, all-white plumage. The Snowy Owl needs little introduction. This massive white owl breeds throughout the Arctic, wherever there are voles or lemmings to hunt, from Scandinavia through northern Russia to Canada and Greenland. Southerly movements in winter see North American birds travel as far south as the northern United States, while infrequent vagrants on the Shetlands and other northern isles are a magnet for birders. The Snowy Owl gives this popular bird the full Poyser treatment, with sections on morphology, distribution, palaeontology and evolution, habitat, breeding, diet, population dynamics, movements, interspecific relationships and conservation, supported by some fabulous photography.The award-winning author team also had access to Russian research literature, which is generally out of reach for Western scientists.

Using a fresh approach that classifies birds according to their bioclimatic characteristics, Clive Finlayson views the history and distribution of Palearctic birds from a radical new angle.History and chance events play a central role in a story that has its origins before the asteroid impact that finished off the dinosaurs. In this book, Finlayson shows that the avifauna of the Palearctic long predates the glaciations of the last two million years, and had established itself gradually during the turbulent times of the Miocene and Pliocene, the lifting of Tibet and the drying of the continents having a major influence on these birds. Those that made it to the start of the glaciations were equipped to deal with whatever the climate could throw at them. They were the avian survivors, and they are still here with us today. Packed with figures and with a rich colour section, Avian Survivors tells the definitive story of the birds of the Palearctic, across space and time.

An authoritative overview of the biology of the Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla.Returning to its breeding sites in the spring after a winter spent far out at sea, the Kittiwake is a familiar sight around the coasts of Britain and Europe. A pale, medium-sized gull with a 'gentle' expression and bright yellow bill, the Kittiwake has been the subject of behavioural research since the late 1950s - one of the longest running studies in the world.In this Poyser Monograph, John Coulson summarises these decades of research, revealing amazing insights into the life of these gulls, with wider implications for the behavioural ecology of all colonial birds. There are sections on life at sea, nest-site selection, breeding biology, feeding ecology, colony dynamics, moult, survivorship and conservation.This book is essential for academics working on colonial species, and is also of great interest to birders who want to learn more about these elegant cliff-dwelling birds.

‘Based on many years of personal research, and a thorough knowledge of the European literature, the authors provide an eminently readable account of the biology of the Common Buzzard. Whatever your interests in birds, I can recommend this book for its content of information and insight.’ – Professor Ian Newton OBE, FRS, FRSESoaring majestically on thermals with broad wings raised, the Common Buzzard is a familiar sight for many people across Eurasia. In fact, thanks to a remarkable ability to adapt to local conditions, it is now one of the most abundant hawks in the world. The Common Buzzard can exploit a variety of nest sites, and has an eclectic diet that ranges from earthworms and voles to woodpigeons and even deer carcasses. This is a species rich in paradoxes. Why does a hawk evolved for hunting small mammals thrive on invertebrates and carrion? How can a raptor renowned for dramatic territorial displays occur at such high densities? And why does such a large bird that can travel long distances spend so much time in small areas? Sean Walls and Robert Kenward delve deep into the ecology of the Common Buzzard to provide answers to these questions and many more, as well as examining the conservation conundrums raised by this bird. Bringing together a wealth of research on the species’ origins, feeding behaviour and breeding, along with information on movement and survival from the authors’ own studies, The Common Buzzard provides an invaluable insight into exactly what has enabled this marvellous raptor to return to old haunts to impress, inspire and connect people with nature.

A monograph of the Common Eider, a large and familiar duck with a long and fascinating cultural history.A common sight around the more northerly shores of the British Isles, the Common Eider is the largest duck in the northern hemisphere. The eider is particularly well adapted to cold-water environments; the insulating properties of eider down are iconic.The species is taxonomically interesting, with a range of well-marked subspecies reflecting the patterns of ice coverage during ancient glaciations, and these ducks have also provided the focus for a number of important behavioural studies, especially on feeding ecology and energy budgets.Eiders have a long association with humans, and have deep cultural significance in many societies. However, modern lifestyles are exposing these ducks to a wide range of new pressures.This monograph provides a comprehensive portrait of the Common Eider; authors Chris Waltho and John Coulson bring together an extensive and diverse international literature, with sections on taxonomy, habitats, breeding biology, population dynamics, diet and foraging, dispersal and migration, and conservation.

This book looks at the world''s naturalised (successfully introduced)species of bird. Many species have been introduced to countries outsidetheir natural range by people, either deliberately or accidentally,with varied consequences for both those species themselves and thenative fauna of their ''new'' homes. In Britain, the introduced CanadaGoose has quickly become ubiquitous at every lake and riverside, whilethe Golden Pheasant remains a scarce and unobtrusive inhabitant of afew scattered, remote woodlands. The House Sparrow and Common Starling,both in decline over parts of their native range, are thriving in anaturalised state in North America and elsewhere in the world.Naturalised populations of Mallard in various parts of the world arethreatening a total of seven other duck species with extinction throughhybridisation.

This book discusses each species in turn, describing how, why, whenand where its introduction took place, how it became established, andthe ecological and economic impacts its presence has had in the countryor countries it is naturalised in. Each account has a map, showingnatural and introduced range, and there is a wealth of beautiful linedrawings of the species concerned.