Raptors , livre ebook

345

pages

English

Ebooks

2017

Écrit par
L. Bildstein Keith

Publié par
Cornell University Press

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345

pages

English

Ebooks

2017

Lire un extrait

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus

Publié par

Cornell University Press

Date de parution

02 mai 2017

EAN13

9781501707865

Langue

English

Poids de l'ouvrage

5 Mo

Raptors are formally classified into five families and include birds-such as eagles, ospreys, kites, true hawks, buzzards, harriers, vultures, and falcons-that are familiar and recognized by many observers. These diurnal birds of prey are found on every continent except Antarctica and can thrive in seemingly inhospitable spots such as deserts and the tundra. They have powerful talons and hooked beaks for cutting and tearing meat, and keen binocular vision to aid in their hunting prowess. Because of their large size, distinctive feeding habits, and long-distance flight patterns, raptors intrigue humans and have been the subject of much general interest as well as extensive scientific research. Keith L. Bildstein has watched and studied raptors on five continents and is well prepared to explain their critical importance, not only as ecological entities but also as inspirational tokens across natural and human-dominated landscapes. His book offers a comprehensive and accessible account of raptors, including their evolutionary history, their relationships to other groups of birds, their sensory abilities, their general natural history, their breeding ecology and feeding behavior, and threats to their survival in a human-dominated world. Biologically sound but readable, Raptors is a nontechnical overview of this captivating group. It will allow naturalists, birders, hawk-watchers, science educators, schoolchildren, and the general public, along with new students in the field of raptor biology, to understand and appreciate these birds, and in so doing better protect them.

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Publié par

Cornell University Press

Date de parution

02 mai 2017

EAN13

9781501707865

Langue

English

Poids de l'ouvrage

5 Mo

Sciences et techniques

R APTORS

THE CURIOUS NATURE OF DIURNAL BIRDS OF PREY

Keîth L. Bîdsteîn

Comstock Publishing Associates a division of Cornell University Press Ithaca and London

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

First published 2017 by Cornell University Press

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data Names: Bildstein, Keith L., author Title: Raptors : the curious nature of diurnal birds of prey / Keith L. Bildstein. Description: Ithaca ; London : Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of Cornell University Press, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identiﬁers: LCCN 2016044626 (print) | LCCN 2016045611 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501705793 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781501707858 (epub/mobi) | ISBN 9781501707865 (pdf) Subjects: LCSH: Birds of prey. Classiﬁcation: LCC QL677.78. B556 2017 (print) | LCC QL677.78 (ebook) | DDC 598.9—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016044626

Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetablebased, lowVOC inks and acidfree papers that are recycled, totally chlorinefree, or partly composed of nonwood ﬁbers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.

To my ather, Joe, who opened my eyes to the word o bîrds when I was nîne

And to the many dîurna bîrds o prey who have ocked my vîsîon on them sînce

CONTENTS

Preace

1 Introducîng Raptors

2 Form and Functîon

3 Senses and Inteîgence

4 Dîstrîbutîon and Abundance

5 Breedîng Ecoogy

6 Feedîng Behavîor

7 Mîgratîon

8 Raptors and Peope

Appendîx:ScîentîﬁcNamesoRaptors,Ows,and Other Bîrds and theîr Dîstrîbutîons, and the Scîentîﬁc Names o Other Anîmas Cîted în the Text

Gossary

Reerences and Recommended Readîngs by Chapter

Index

Color photographs are at the end of the ebook.

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PREFACE

SCIENTISTS STUDYintrigues them most, and diurnal birds of what prey—those predatory birds active during daylight hours—also known as raptors, have attracted my interest for as long as I can remember. Some of my colleagues have been drawn to study raptors—the hawks, eagles, and falcons of the world—by falconry, others by the more spectacular attributes of the birds themselves, including their ability to successfully capture, subdue, and kill large prey; to migrate long distances; to soar seemingly effortlessly for hours; to see movement much better than we; and to see colors that we can only imagine. As a scientist, my own interest in diurnal birds of prey has focused on their behavioral development and their movement ecology, along with their predatory abilities and social behavior. Over the years, many other scientists have been equally intrigued by raptors. As a result of the work of my contemporaries and predecessors, we know more about raptor biology than we do about that of many other types of birds. And this, of course, is good, particularly when we are try ing to protect them in our modern world. What is not good is that much of our knowledge about them lies hidden in a largely impenetrable morass of writings that we scientists call the technical literature. Consequently, rap tors, although fascinating to many, remain an enigma to many more. The sizes of raptors and their ability to carry off large prey, for example, are frequently misjudged. Their predatory lifestyles are frequently miscon strued by people in ways that often make them more likely to be targeted for human persecution.

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