Author: C.J. Barnard
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400948646
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 315
Book Description
In the early years of this century a Scottish doctor speculated on the evolutionary origin of human tears. It seemed to him that with the increase in brain size and cognitive powers of our early ancestors many events in the struggle for existence would be just too distressing to observe. How comforting then, for the mother, distraught by the sight of her child being devoured by a lion, to cloud her vision with a flood of tears! Just so, though if the good doctor had pondered further, the following picture might have occurred to him, comfortable in his speculative armchair, and given him some pause for thought. ' ~ . . . . ~ . . ~ ~ . . •. . u" . . , ~- . ' _ . . . . . . . vii viii SERIES EDITOR'S FOREWORD These stories do not, of course, get us very far in understanding the evolution of tears or anything else, but they do remind us how far the study of behavioural adaptation has come this century. This is, in fact, an exciting time for students of behaviour. The last twenty years have seen a great advance in the theoretical armoury for tackling questions of behavioural evolution and adaptation, and a parallel expansion in empirical studies, particularly in the field. The concepts of inclusive fitness and the evolutionarily stable strategy, for example, have helped to explain major features of social behaviour and have generated entirely new questions and predictions for the field worker to examine.
Gulls and Plovers
Author: C.J. Barnard
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400948646
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 315
Book Description
In the early years of this century a Scottish doctor speculated on the evolutionary origin of human tears. It seemed to him that with the increase in brain size and cognitive powers of our early ancestors many events in the struggle for existence would be just too distressing to observe. How comforting then, for the mother, distraught by the sight of her child being devoured by a lion, to cloud her vision with a flood of tears! Just so, though if the good doctor had pondered further, the following picture might have occurred to him, comfortable in his speculative armchair, and given him some pause for thought. ' ~ . . . . ~ . . ~ ~ . . •. . u" . . , ~- . ' _ . . . . . . . vii viii SERIES EDITOR'S FOREWORD These stories do not, of course, get us very far in understanding the evolution of tears or anything else, but they do remind us how far the study of behavioural adaptation has come this century. This is, in fact, an exciting time for students of behaviour. The last twenty years have seen a great advance in the theoretical armoury for tackling questions of behavioural evolution and adaptation, and a parallel expansion in empirical studies, particularly in the field. The concepts of inclusive fitness and the evolutionarily stable strategy, for example, have helped to explain major features of social behaviour and have generated entirely new questions and predictions for the field worker to examine.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400948646
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 315
Book Description
In the early years of this century a Scottish doctor speculated on the evolutionary origin of human tears. It seemed to him that with the increase in brain size and cognitive powers of our early ancestors many events in the struggle for existence would be just too distressing to observe. How comforting then, for the mother, distraught by the sight of her child being devoured by a lion, to cloud her vision with a flood of tears! Just so, though if the good doctor had pondered further, the following picture might have occurred to him, comfortable in his speculative armchair, and given him some pause for thought. ' ~ . . . . ~ . . ~ ~ . . •. . u" . . , ~- . ' _ . . . . . . . vii viii SERIES EDITOR'S FOREWORD These stories do not, of course, get us very far in understanding the evolution of tears or anything else, but they do remind us how far the study of behavioural adaptation has come this century. This is, in fact, an exciting time for students of behaviour. The last twenty years have seen a great advance in the theoretical armoury for tackling questions of behavioural evolution and adaptation, and a parallel expansion in empirical studies, particularly in the field. The concepts of inclusive fitness and the evolutionarily stable strategy, for example, have helped to explain major features of social behaviour and have generated entirely new questions and predictions for the field worker to examine.
Waiting for a Warbler
Author: Sneed B. Collard III
Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers and Cadent Publishing
ISBN: 0884488543
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 42
Book Description
Short listed for the Green Earth book award In early April, as Owen and his sister search the hickories, oaks, and dogwoods for returning birds, a huge group of birds leaves the misty mountain slopes of the Yucatan peninsula for the 600-mile flight across the Gulf of Mexico to their summer nesting grounds. One of them is a Cerulean warbler. He will lose more than half his body weight even if the journey goes well. Aloft over the vast ocean, the birds encourage each other with squeaky chirps that say, “We are still alive. We can do this.” Owen’s family watches televised reports of a great storm over the Gulf of Mexico, fearing what it may mean for migrating songbirds. In alternating spreads, we wait and hope with Owen, then struggle through the storm with the warbler. This moving story with its hopeful ending appeals to us to preserve the things we love. The backmatter includes a North American bird migration map, birding information for kids, and guidance for how native plantings can transform yards into bird and wildlife habitat.
Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers and Cadent Publishing
ISBN: 0884488543
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 42
Book Description
Short listed for the Green Earth book award In early April, as Owen and his sister search the hickories, oaks, and dogwoods for returning birds, a huge group of birds leaves the misty mountain slopes of the Yucatan peninsula for the 600-mile flight across the Gulf of Mexico to their summer nesting grounds. One of them is a Cerulean warbler. He will lose more than half his body weight even if the journey goes well. Aloft over the vast ocean, the birds encourage each other with squeaky chirps that say, “We are still alive. We can do this.” Owen’s family watches televised reports of a great storm over the Gulf of Mexico, fearing what it may mean for migrating songbirds. In alternating spreads, we wait and hope with Owen, then struggle through the storm with the warbler. This moving story with its hopeful ending appeals to us to preserve the things we love. The backmatter includes a North American bird migration map, birding information for kids, and guidance for how native plantings can transform yards into bird and wildlife habitat.
Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds
Author: Christopher M. Perrins
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 662
Book Description
A comprehensive guide to more that 100 bird families including: global distribution, habitat, plumage, voice, diet, mating rituals, nesting habits, historical significance, evolutionary development and conservation status.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 662
Book Description
A comprehensive guide to more that 100 bird families including: global distribution, habitat, plumage, voice, diet, mating rituals, nesting habits, historical significance, evolutionary development and conservation status.
Bird Families of the World
Author: David Ward Winkler
Publisher:
ISBN: 9788494189203
Category : Birds
Languages : en
Pages : 599
Book Description
This volume is a synopsis of the diversity of all birds. It distills the voluminous detail of the 17-volume Handbook of Birds of the World into a single book. Based on the latest systematic research and summarizing what is known about the life history and biology of each group, this volume is the best single-volume entry to avian diversity available.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9788494189203
Category : Birds
Languages : en
Pages : 599
Book Description
This volume is a synopsis of the diversity of all birds. It distills the voluminous detail of the 17-volume Handbook of Birds of the World into a single book. Based on the latest systematic research and summarizing what is known about the life history and biology of each group, this volume is the best single-volume entry to avian diversity available.
Avian Architecture
Author: Peter Goodfellow
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 069114849X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 83
Book Description
Examines the nests that birds build around the world, including illustrations of each nest type's construction, descriptions of the materials and techniques used during the process, and case studies on specific birds' habitats.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 069114849X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 83
Book Description
Examines the nests that birds build around the world, including illustrations of each nest type's construction, descriptions of the materials and techniques used during the process, and case studies on specific birds' habitats.
Biology of Marine Birds
Author: E. A. Schreiber
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1420036300
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 706
Book Description
Biology of Marine Birds provides the only complete summary of information about marine birds ever published. It analyzes their breeding biology, ecology, taxonomy, evolution, fossil history, physiology, energetics, and conservation. The book covers four orders of marine birds in detail and includes two summary chapters that address the biology of shorebirds and wading birds and their lives in the marine environment. Summary tables give detailed information on various aspects of their life histories, breeding biology, physiology and energetics, and demography. It provides a guide to ornithologists and students for research projects.
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1420036300
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 706
Book Description
Biology of Marine Birds provides the only complete summary of information about marine birds ever published. It analyzes their breeding biology, ecology, taxonomy, evolution, fossil history, physiology, energetics, and conservation. The book covers four orders of marine birds in detail and includes two summary chapters that address the biology of shorebirds and wading birds and their lives in the marine environment. Summary tables give detailed information on various aspects of their life histories, breeding biology, physiology and energetics, and demography. It provides a guide to ornithologists and students for research projects.
Life Traces of the Georgia Coast
Author: Anthony J. Martin
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253006023
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 715
Book Description
Have you ever wondered what left behind those prints and tracks on the seashore, or what made those marks or dug those holes in the dunes? Life Traces of the Georgia Coast is an up-close look at these traces of life and the animals and plants that made them. It tells about how the tracemakers lived and how they interacted with their environments. This is a book about ichnology (the study of such traces) and a wonderful way to learn about the behavior of organisms, living and long extinct. Life Traces presents an overview of the traces left by modern animals and plants in this biologically rich region; shows how life traces relate to the environments, natural history, and behaviors of their tracemakers; and applies that knowledge toward a better understanding of the fossilized traces that ancient life left in the geologic record. Augmented by illustrations of traces made by both ancient and modern organisms, the book shows how ancient trace fossils directly relate to modern traces and tracemakers, among them, insects, grasses, crabs, shorebirds, alligators, and sea turtles. The result is an aesthetically appealing and scientifically grounded book that will serve as source both for scientists and for anyone interested in the natural history of the Georgia coast.
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253006023
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 715
Book Description
Have you ever wondered what left behind those prints and tracks on the seashore, or what made those marks or dug those holes in the dunes? Life Traces of the Georgia Coast is an up-close look at these traces of life and the animals and plants that made them. It tells about how the tracemakers lived and how they interacted with their environments. This is a book about ichnology (the study of such traces) and a wonderful way to learn about the behavior of organisms, living and long extinct. Life Traces presents an overview of the traces left by modern animals and plants in this biologically rich region; shows how life traces relate to the environments, natural history, and behaviors of their tracemakers; and applies that knowledge toward a better understanding of the fossilized traces that ancient life left in the geologic record. Augmented by illustrations of traces made by both ancient and modern organisms, the book shows how ancient trace fossils directly relate to modern traces and tracemakers, among them, insects, grasses, crabs, shorebirds, alligators, and sea turtles. The result is an aesthetically appealing and scientifically grounded book that will serve as source both for scientists and for anyone interested in the natural history of the Georgia coast.
Tracks and Signs of the Animals and Birds of Britain and Europe
Author: Lars-Henrik Olsen
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691157537
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 275
Book Description
An indispensable color-illustrated field guide to the tracks and signs of Europe's animals and birds This beautifully illustrated field guide enables you to easily identify the tracks and signs left by a wide variety of mammal and bird species found in Britain and Europe, covering behaviors ranging from hunting, foraging, and feeding to courtship, breeding, and nesting. Introductory chapters offer detailed drawings of footprints and tracks of large and small mammals, which are followed by sections on mammal scat, bird droppings, and the feeding signs of animals on food sources such as nuts, cones, and rose hips. The book then describes specific mammal species, providing information on size, distribution, behavior, habitat, and similar species, as well as more specific detail on tracks and scat. Distribution maps are also included. This indispensable field guide covers 175 species of mammals and birds, and features a wealth of stunning color photos and artwork throughout. Helps you easily identify the tracks and signs of a variety of mammals and birds Covers 175 species Illustrated throughout with photos, drawings, and artwork Includes informative descriptions of mammal species along with distribution maps
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691157537
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 275
Book Description
An indispensable color-illustrated field guide to the tracks and signs of Europe's animals and birds This beautifully illustrated field guide enables you to easily identify the tracks and signs left by a wide variety of mammal and bird species found in Britain and Europe, covering behaviors ranging from hunting, foraging, and feeding to courtship, breeding, and nesting. Introductory chapters offer detailed drawings of footprints and tracks of large and small mammals, which are followed by sections on mammal scat, bird droppings, and the feeding signs of animals on food sources such as nuts, cones, and rose hips. The book then describes specific mammal species, providing information on size, distribution, behavior, habitat, and similar species, as well as more specific detail on tracks and scat. Distribution maps are also included. This indispensable field guide covers 175 species of mammals and birds, and features a wealth of stunning color photos and artwork throughout. Helps you easily identify the tracks and signs of a variety of mammals and birds Covers 175 species Illustrated throughout with photos, drawings, and artwork Includes informative descriptions of mammal species along with distribution maps
Birds of the Pacific Northwest
Author: John Shewey
Publisher: Timber Press
ISBN: 1604697857
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 561
Book Description
Ideal for birders, hikers, and foragers, the Timber Press Field Guides are the perfect tools for loving where you live. Birds of the Pacific Northwest is a comprehensive field guide to commonly found birds in the region, including common favorites and rare curiosities. This full-color guide includes precise descriptions of voices, behaviors, and habitats and details the top birding sites across the Pacific Northwest. Range maps for each species provide valuable information for identification. Covers Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia Describes and illustrates nearly 400 bird species 870 spectacular photographs of relevant plumages and birds in flight Individual range maps, showing seasonal and migratory patterns Easy to use for beginners and experts alike
Publisher: Timber Press
ISBN: 1604697857
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 561
Book Description
Ideal for birders, hikers, and foragers, the Timber Press Field Guides are the perfect tools for loving where you live. Birds of the Pacific Northwest is a comprehensive field guide to commonly found birds in the region, including common favorites and rare curiosities. This full-color guide includes precise descriptions of voices, behaviors, and habitats and details the top birding sites across the Pacific Northwest. Range maps for each species provide valuable information for identification. Covers Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and British Columbia Describes and illustrates nearly 400 bird species 870 spectacular photographs of relevant plumages and birds in flight Individual range maps, showing seasonal and migratory patterns Easy to use for beginners and experts alike
Birder's Eye View
Author: Diana Churchill
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780982749104
Category : Bird watching
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
Birder's Eye View: Savannah & the Low Country is a collection of essays about Low Country birds, organized to give the reader a season by season introduction to the area's resident and migratory bird populations. Ms. Churchill's articles are written to entertain and amuse, as well as to provide useful information about the area and its feathered friends. The book is illustrated with more than 500 of Diana's own color photographs.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780982749104
Category : Bird watching
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
Birder's Eye View: Savannah & the Low Country is a collection of essays about Low Country birds, organized to give the reader a season by season introduction to the area's resident and migratory bird populations. Ms. Churchill's articles are written to entertain and amuse, as well as to provide useful information about the area and its feathered friends. The book is illustrated with more than 500 of Diana's own color photographs.