The Atlas of Bird Migration: Tracing the Great Journeys of the World's Birds - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1554072484 ISBN 13: 9781554072484

Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd, 2007

Synopsis

A comprehensive and authoritative guide to the fascinating mysteries of bird migration.

Every year, billions of birds leave their North American breeding grounds for winter quarters farther south. That so many birds migrate so many miles, through life-threatening conditions, and to the same place each year, is simply stunning.

The editor of this important and lavishly illustrated new book has selected a cross-section of both the most typical and the most interesting migrants. Colorful maps, photographs, calendars and fact files, with easy-to-read symbols and abbreviations, present an accurate and up-to-date profile of each species.

The introduction provides comprehensive background on migration and its great mystery: how do the birds know where to go? The latest scientific discoveries are explained here.

The bulk of the book is the directory, which chronicles the routes of more than 500 species, including:

• North American birds of prey
• Hummingbirds, grosbeaks and starlings
• Eurasian shorebirds, storks and cranes
• Winter visitors from the Far North, such as swans, geese and finches
• African, South American and Australasian migrants
• Migratory sea birds, such as penguins, albatrosses and terns.

The results of new satellite tracking methods are covered, as are current environmental threats and conservation initiatives. The book closes with a comprehensive catalog of migrating species from all continents.

About this title

Synopsis

Since the dawn of time people have wondered how birds could navigate from one end of the earth to the other, and back again, year after year, every year returning to the same area - sometimes even to the nesting spot. This edition is a guide to the mysteries of bird migration. The illustrated introduction explains the background to bird migration - flight techniques, navigation, feeding and biology. New sections focus on the current environmental threat to migratory species and conservation initiatives worldwide. Informative text, the liberal use of illustrations and explanatory maps that trace the routes of more than 100 species reveal to the reader the fascinating facts about one of nature's greatest spectacles.

About the Author

Jonathan Elphick is a natural history author and consultant with a 40-year career in ornithology. His many books include the award-winning Birdwatcher's Handbook and Birds: The Art of Ornithology.

Edition details

• Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1554072484
• ISBN 13: 9781554072484
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 176
• Editor: Elphick Jonathan