Birds of Tropical America: A Watcher's Introduction to Behavior, Breeding and Diversity

Hilty, Steven L.

ISBN 10: 1881527565 / ISBN 13: 9781881527565

Published by Chapters Pub Ltd, 1994

About this Item

Why are tropical birds like parrots and quetzals so much more colorful than any feathered resident of temperate lands? How can a vulture soaring thousands of feet above the canopy spot a dead rodent no bigger than a mouse on the rainforest floor? What permits sparrow-sized antbirds not only to survive but to thrive among relentless hordes of army ants that devour every other living thing in their path? Steven Hilty has led birding tours to the American Tropics for over three decades. By providing answers to the hundreds of questions asked by participants of these expeditions, Hilty has produced a natural history of the bird life of the New World Tropics that is at once practical, accurate and as endlessly fascinating as the species whose lives it reveals. REVIEWS: "Birds of Tropical America offers a comprehensive look into the lives of some of the most fascinating birds in the world. The book will entertain and educate the amateur birder and professional ornithologist alike and would be a valuable addition to libraries at home and university." - Condor "Hilty, who has led birding expeditions to Central and South America and the Caribbean, supplies not a field guide to species identification but rather a natural history of tropical birds. He writes about tropical diversity, nesting habits, the structure of a rain forest bird community, biogeography, Andean genealogy, bird migration within the tropics, bird color and patterns, seed dispersal, foraging techniques, courtship rituals, and song patterns. This is a fascinating book for enthusiastic birders and stay-at-home naturalists alike." - Booklist "[Hilty.

Seller Inventory # 10151

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Birds of Tropical America: A Watcher's Introduction to Behavior, Breeding and Diversity
• Publisher: Chapters Pub Ltd
• Publication Date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1881527565
• ISBN 13: 9781881527565
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Mimi Hoppe Wolf
• Condition: New
• Weight: 16 ounces

About this title

Synopsis

Why are tropical birds like parrots and quetzels so much more colorful than temperate bird species? How can a vulture soaring thousands of feet above the canopy spot a dead mouse on the rain forest floor? Hilty, zoologist and leader of birding tours throughout South and Central America, offers an interesting, lively discussion of these and other matters touching on rain forest bird communities, migration, courtship rituals and nesting habitats, feather color and patterns, foraging techniques and song patterns. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Reviews

In the fifth in Chapters' splendid Curious Naturalist series, Hilty, who has led birding expeditions to Central and South America and the Caribbean, supplies not a field guide to species identification but rather a natural history of tropical birds. He writes about tropical diversity, nesting habits, the structure of a rain forest bird community, biogeography, Andean genealogy, bird migration within the tropics, bird color and patterns, seed dispersal, foraging techniques, courtship rituals, and song patterns. This is a fascinating book for enthusiastic birders and stay-at-home naturalists alike. George Cohen