This book presents a comprehensive biological and ecological information about owls in the neotropic area. In addition the book covers topics such as threats and conservation strategies for these nocturnal birds of prey from 18 Neotropical countries. Owls are a good example of diversification processes and have developed evolutionary characteristics themselves. These species are found almost everywhere in the world but most of them are distributed in tropical areas and about a third of them live in the Neotropics. This biogeographic region has a high biodiversity and even share lineages of species from other continents because at some point all were part of Pangea. Although we still have much to know and understand about this diverse, scarcely studied and threatened group this work aims to be a precedent for future and further research on the subject.
Until recently, surprisingly little has been known about the biology and behavior of tropical forest raptors, including such basic aspects as diets, breeding biology, habitat requirements, and population ecology, information critical to the development of conservation efforts. The Peregrine Fund conducted a significant eight-year-long research program on the raptor species, including owls, in Tikal National Park in Guatemala to learn more about Neotropical birds of prey. Impressive and unprecedented in scale, this pioneering research also involved the development of new methods for detecting, enumerating, and studying these magnificent but often elusive birds in their forest home. Beautifully illustrated with photographs of previously little-known species, the resulting book is the most important single source for information on the lowland tropical forest raptor species found in Central America.Neotropical Birds of Prey covers twenty specific species in depth, including the Ornate Hawk-Eagle, the Barred Forest-Falcon, the Bat Falcon, and the Mexican Wood Owl, offering thorough synopses of all current knowledge regarding breeding biology and behavior, diet, habitat use, and spatial needs. Contributors to this landmark work also show how the populations fit together as a community with overlapping habitat and prey needs that can put them in competition with reptiles and mammalian carnivores as well, yet differ from one another in their nesting or feeding behaviors and population dynamics. The work's substantive original data offer interesting comparisons between tropical and temperate zone species, and provide a basis for establishing conservation measures based on firsthand research. Making available for the first time new data on the biology, ecology, behavior, and conservation of the majestic owls and raptors of the New World tropics, this book will appeal to a wide ornithological readership, especially the many raptor enthusiasts around the world.
From Belize to Brazil, the forests of the American neotropics are home to an astonishing array of birds—over 3,700 different species, or nearly 40 percent of all the birds on earth. Because of this overwhelming abundance, birders come from all over the world to try to catch glimpses of species that can be found nowhere else, such as toucans and antbirds, motmots and manakins, bellbirds and cocks-of-the-rock, and practically all of the planet's hummingbirds. Two such birding enthusiasts are Vera and Bob Thornton, who have spent fifteen years photographing these special and exotic birds in the rainforests of eleven different countries of Central and South America. In this book, you'll find more than a hundred spectacular color photographs they took during their travels, along with a highly entertaining account of their adventures—and misadventures—in chasing these exotic neotropicals. The birds pictured here are among the Thorntons' personal favorites—birds that, in their words, "either dazzled us with their beauty, or charmed us by their behavior, or, in a few cases, simply challenged us by the mystique of their rarity." This latter category includes such elusive and sought-after birds as the Black-crowned Antpitta, the Zigzag Heron, the Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, the Bare-necked Umbrellabird, and the monkey-eating Harpy Eagle. In the accompanying text, Bob Thornton engagingly describes the challenges as well as the magic of negotiating the neotropical rainforests in search of colorful birds to photograph. For those who would like to follow in the Thorntons' footsteps, there are also helpful tips about photographic gear and techniques, preferred places to see the birds, lodging, and guides. For everyone who enjoys excellent nature photography, Chasing Neotropical Birds is a must-have volume on the coffee table or in the library.
Thrushes, warblers, vireos, and tanagers are probably the most familiar of the Neotropical migrants—birds that breed in the United States and Canada, then journey to spend the winter in the Caribbean, Mexico, or southward. But this extraordinary group actually comprises a large number of diverse species, including waterfowl, shorebirds, terns, hawks, flycatchers, and hummingbirds. In their compendious review of information on these birds, Richard M. DeGraaf and John H. Rappole illuminate the need for a thorough understanding of the ecology of each species, one that exte4nds throughout the entire life cycle. The authors argue convincingly that conservation efforts must be based on such an understanding and carried out across a species' range—not limited to the breeding grounds. This book is the first to summarize in one volume much-needed practical data about the distribution and breeding habitat requirements of migratory birds in North and South America. The body of the book consists of natural history accounts of more than 350 species of Neotropical migrants, including a brief description of each bird's range, status, habitats on breeding grounds, nest site, and wintering areas. The authors provide a complete range map of each species' distribution in the Western Hemisphere as well as notes on the distribution—basic data that until recently have largely been unavailable in usable form to ornithologists and land and resource managers. An appendix lists species that are increasing or decreasing at significant rates in various physiographic regions of North America.
This volume assesses the current status of neotropical migratory birds in the USA, and analyzes the methods and strategies for conserving migrant populations.
Widely praised, "A Neotropical Companion" is an extraordinarily readable introduction to the American tropics, the lands of Central and South America, their rainforests and other ecosystems, and the creatures that live there. 177 color illustrations.
The acclaimed guide to the ecology and natural history of the American tropics—now fully updated and expanded The New Neotropical Companion is the completely revised and expanded edition of a book that has helped thousands of people to understand the complex ecology and natural history of the most species-rich area on Earth, the American tropics. Featuring stunning color photos throughout, it is a sweeping and cutting-edge account of tropical ecology that includes not only tropical rain forests but also other ecosystems such as cloud forests, rivers, savannas, and mountains. This is the only guide to the American tropics that is all-inclusive, encompassing the entire region's ecology and the amazing relationships among species rather than focusing just on species identification. The New Neotropical Companion is a book unlike any other. Here, you will learn how to recognize distinctive ecological patterns of rain forests and other habitats and to interpret how these remarkable ecosystems function—everything is explained in clear and engaging prose free of jargon. You will also be introduced to the region's astonishing plant and animal life. Informative and entertaining, The New Neotropical Companion is a pleasurable escape for armchair naturalists, and visitors to the American tropics will want to refer to this book before, during, and after their trip. Covers all of tropical America Describes the species and habitats most likely to be observed by visitors Includes every major ecosystem, from lowland rain forests to the high Andes Features a wealth of color photos of habitats, plants, and animals
Molt is an important avian life history event in which feathers are shed and replaced. The timing, duration, seasonality, extent and pattern of molt follows certain strategies and this book reviews and describes these strategies for nearly 190 species based on information gathered from a 30-year study of Central Amazonian birds. Most species accounts are illustrated with several color photos focusing on wing and tail feather molt, molt limits, and how to use these patterns to accurately age birds. Published in collaboration with and on behalf of the American Ornithological Society, this volume in the highly-regarded Studies in Avian Biology series is a rich source of life history information for ornithologists working on tropical birds.
"With detailed information about identification, calls, habitat, breeding, nesting, and behavior, this reference guide has the most up-to-date information about natural history, taxonomy, biology, ecology, migration and conservation status."--Book jacket.
