Author: Paul Carson Publisher: Paul Carson ISBN: Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 271
Book Description
Turkey Vultures: The Secret Lives of Black and Turkey Vultures offers readers an in-depth exploration of two of North America's most fascinating and misunderstood scavengers. Delving into the unique traits, behaviors, and vital ecological roles of both turkey vultures and black vultures, this book uncovers the complexities of these birds of prey, dispelling common myths and misconceptions. By blending science, history, and cultural insights, it highlights the vultures' indispensable contribution to maintaining healthy ecosystems. Through captivating details, readers will learn how vultures have evolved to become nature's cleanup crew, playing a crucial role in disease control and ecosystem health. The book's journey begins with an introduction to the vultures' place in the animal kingdom, comparing the turkey vulture and black vulture side by side. It examines their distinct roles in the food chain, their importance as scavengers, and the fascinating ecological adaptations that make them thrive in their respective environments. The differences between Old World and New World vultures are also explored, offering readers a comprehensive look at how these birds have evolved over millions of years to specialize in scavenging across the globe. Next, Turkey Vultures: The Secret Lives of Black and Turkey Vultures delves into their physical characteristics, habitats, and geographic ranges. From the turkey vulture's remarkable sense of smell to the black vulture's sharper eyesight, the book details how these physical traits aid in locating carrion across vast distances. Readers will also discover how these birds have adapted to diverse environments, from forests and wetlands to suburban areas. The migration patterns of both species, as well as their ability to adapt to habitat changes caused by human activity, offer a glimpse into the challenges they face in a rapidly changing world. One of the book's key focuses is on the social behaviors of these vultures, revealing the differences in group dynamics and feeding habits. Black vultures are known for their strong social bonds and group foraging, while turkey vultures tend to be more solitary. The complex feeding hierarchies at scavenging sites, cooperation and competition among vultures, and their non-verbal communication methods are covered in detail, giving readers a better understanding of how these birds interact with each other and their environment. In the final chapters, Turkey Vultures: The Secret Lives of Black and Turkey Vultures addresses critical conservation efforts and the threats vultures face from habitat loss, lead poisoning, and climate change. The book emphasizes the importance of vultures in controlling disease outbreaks and maintaining ecosystem health. It also highlights the legal protections in place for vultures and explores ongoing efforts to restore declining populations. Through a combination of scientific research, technological advances, and public advocacy, readers will learn how they can contribute to the conservation of these vital species. This compelling book is an essential resource for bird enthusiasts, wildlife conservationists, and anyone interested in understanding the crucial role vultures play in the environment. With thorough research and engaging storytelling, Turkey Vultures: The Secret Lives of Black and Turkey Vultures provides a fascinating window into the lives of these remarkable birds. Tags: Turkey vulture facts, Vultures in North America, Ecological role of vultures, Vulture scavengers, Black vulture behavior, Birds that eat carrion, Vulture conservation efforts
Author: Danielle J. Whittaker Publisher: JHU Press ISBN: 1421443481 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 195
Book Description
The untold story of a stunning discovery: not only can birds smell, but their scents may be the secret to understanding their world. The puzzling lack of evidence for the peculiar but widespread belief that birds have no sense of smell irked evolutionary biologist Danielle Whittaker. Exploring the science behind the myth led her on an unexpected quest investigating mysteries from how juncos win a fight to why cowbirds smell like cookies. In The Secret Perfume of Birds—part science, part intellectual history, and part memoir—Whittaker blends humor, clear writing, and a compelling narrative to describe how scent is important not just for birds but for all animals, including humans. Whittaker engagingly describes how emerging research has uncovered birds' ability to produce complex chemical signals that influence their behavior, including where they build nests, when they pick a fight, and why they fly away. Mate choice, or sexual selection—a still enigmatic aspect of many animals' lives—appears to be particularly influenced by smell. Whittaker's pioneering studies suggest that birds' sexy (and scary) signals are produced by symbiotic bacteria that manufacture scents in the oil that birds stroke on their feathers when preening. From tangerine-scented auklets to her beloved juncos, redolent of moss, birds from across the world feature in Whittaker's stories, but she also examines the smelly chemicals of all kinds of creatures, from iguanas and bees to monkeys and humans. Readers will enjoy a rare opportunity to witness the twisting roads scientific research can take, especially the challenging, hilarious, and occasionally dangerous realities of ornithology in the wild. The Secret Perfume of Birds will interest anyone looking to learn more about birds, about how animals and humans use our senses, and about why it can sometimes take a rebel scientist to change what we think we know for sure about the world—and ourselves.
Author: Nathanael Johnson Publisher: Rodale Books ISBN: 1623363861 Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 258
Book Description
It all started with Nathanael Johnson’s decision to teach his daughter the name of every tree they passed on their walk to day care in San Francisco. This project turned into a quest to discover the secrets of the neighborhood’s flora and fauna, and yielded more than names and trivia: Johnson developed a relationship with his nonhuman neighbors. Johnson argues that learning to see the world afresh, like a child, shifts the way we think about nature: Instead of something distant and abstract, nature becomes real—all at once comical, annoying, and beautiful. This shift can add tremendous value to our lives, and it might just be the first step in saving the world. No matter where we live—city, country, oceanside, or mountains—there are wonders that we walk past every day. Unseen City widens the pinhole of our perspective by allowing us to view the world from the high-altitude eyes of a turkey vulture and the distinctly low-altitude eyes of a snail. The narrative allows us to eavesdrop on the comically frenetic life of a squirrel and peer deep into the past with a ginkgo biloba tree. Each of these organisms has something unique to tell us about our neighborhoods and, chapter by chapter, Unseen City takes us on a journey that is part nature lesson and part love letter to the world’s urban jungles. With the right perspective, a walk to the subway can be every bit as entrancing as a walk through a national park.
Author: Robin Brown Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield ISBN: 1683340728 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 97
Book Description
This tale of two deep springs in Florida that began as sinkholes about 13,000 years ago and the story of the precious water they contained, reveals the recent and prehistoric story of what is now the Sunshine State and the importance of its natural resources to its people. The mineral-charged spring water sustained Florida's earliest human populations--roaming hunter-gatherers who discovered the springs about 10,000 years ago and revisited them for thousands of years--in dry times and preserved their bones and artifacts for thousands of years. These dramatic tales based on the history of Florida's first people offer new perspectives on Florida's long history. The second time-period is recent and factual. Often outrageously stranger than fiction, it follows recent events int he history of the springs - the remarkable people who dived in the deep water-filled holes and put together the picture of human life-ways 10,000 years ago at the end of the Pleistocene Era. DNA analysis by world renown Svante Paabo revealed that these first Floridians were unrelated to the Native Americans living in North America today
Author: Pierre Gingras Publisher: ISBN: Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 228
Book Description
Examines the habits and characteristics of birds, including nesting and grooming habits, courtship and mating rituals, young rearing practices, and physical capabilities.
Author: Keith Ronald Skene Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 042961909X Category : Computers Languages : en Pages : 278
Book Description
A radical and challenging book which argues that artificial intelligence needs a completely different set of foundations, based on ecological intelligence rather than human intelligence, if it is to deliver on the promise of a better world. This can usher in the greatest transformation in human history, an age of re-integration. Our very existence is dependent upon our context within the Earth System, and so, surely, artificial intelligence must also be grounded within this context, embracing emergence, interconnectedness and real-time feedback. We discover many positive outcomes across the societal, economic and environmental arenas and discuss how this transformation can be delivered. Key Features: Identifies a key weakness in current AI thinking, that threatens any hope of a better world. Highlights the importance of realizing that systems theory is an essential foundation for any technology that hopes to positively transform our world. Emphasizes the need for a radical new approach to AI, based on ecological systems. Explains why ecosystem intelligence, not human intelligence, offers the best framework for AI. Examines how this new approach will impact on the three arenas of society, environment and economics, ushering in a new age of re-integration.
Author: Paul Carson
Author: Sammy Franco
Author: Danielle J. Whittaker
Author: Nathanael Johnson
Author: Robin Brown
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Author: Pierre Gingras
Author: Keith Ronald Skene
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Author: April Pulley Sayre