Storm-petrels

Thomas, R.

ISBN 10: 1472985818 / ISBN 13: 9781472985811

Published by Poyser, 2024

About this Item

320, 150 col photos. . HB. NEW. . The definitive work on the European Storm-petrel and its relatives, by one of the world's leading experts on the species.Imagine a bird as small as a sparrow, which lives most of its life on the open ocean yet can survive for decades. It walks on the water, and migrates half way around the world, returning to remote islands to breed underground, often in exactly the same rock crevice each year. To attract a mate it sings like a fairy and smells aromatic, but it vomits oil onto its enemies. It visits its nest by night, lays a single enormous egg, and feeds its chick until the nestling weighs more than both its parents put together. It seems to have little fear of humans, but was itself sometimes feared by ancient seafarers.This might sound like the stuff of legend but is actually the description of a real creature; the European Storm-petrel; walker on water, global wanderer, climate sentinel and open-ocean survivor, and a member of a group of around twenty species that form the Hydrobatidae family.The latest in the Poyser series, with comprehensive text and beautiful illustrations throughout, this follows the remarkable life of the storm-petrel. Focusing on the European species, it tracks their lives from the remote North Atlantic islands, where they breed via the coasts of Africa, to the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean, where they spend the northern winter. There is also some discussion on other members of the storm-petrel family. We learn about their evolution, behaviour, ecology and adaptations to a life in the harsh and unpredictable environment of the open ocean, and discover what these enigmatic seabirds reveal about what humans are doing to our planet. [9781472985811].

Seller Inventory # N56032

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Storm-petrels
• Publisher: Poyser
• Publication Date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1472985818
• ISBN 13: 9781472985811
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: NEW

About this title

Synopsis

The first definitive work on the European Storm-petrel and its relatives, by one of the world's leading experts on the species.

Imagine a bird as small as a sparrow, which lives most of its life on the open ocean yet can survive for decades. It walks on water, and migrates half way around the world, returning to remote islands to breed underground, often in the same rock crevice each year. At night it lays an enormous egg, feeding its chick until the nestling weighs more than both parents put together. It seems to have little fear of humans, but was itself feared by ancient seafarers.

This might sound like the stuff of legend but is actually the description of a real creature, the storm-petrel: walker on water, global wanderer, climate sentinel and open-ocean survivor.

In this beautifully written monograph, Rob Thomas explores the remarkable life of the European Storm-petrel, comparing and contrasting its behaviour and ecology across its range, and with the other storm-petrels of the world. We learn about their evolution, taxonomy, migration and adaptations to a life in the harsh open ocean, while also discovering what these enigmatic seabirds are revealing about what humans are doing to our planet.

Illustrated with 150 photographs, and including the author’s personal anecdotes and observations, Storm-petrels highlights some of the most exciting recent research findings and sets a trajectory for future discoveries.

About the Author

Rob Thomas is a Senior Lecturer in Zoology at Cardiff University, where he has been based for more than 20 years. He specialises in bird behaviour and ecology, particularly the behavioural responses of birds to changing environments. Rob has been involved in storm-petrel studies since he was 16, and his research now takes him to islands in Wales, Scotland and the Faroes to study storm-petrel breeding behaviour, and to the coasts of southern Portugal, where he examines their long-distance migration journeys.