The private lives of birds : a scientist reveals the intricacies of avian social life / Bridget Stutchbury.

9780802717467
0802717462

New York : Walker & Co., c2010.

English

249 p., [4] p. of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 25 cm.

QL698.3 .S784 2010

598.156

""With her trademark clarity and humor, Bridget Stutchbury---'bird detective' extraordinaire---reveals avian lives of uncommon drama, rife with adultery, divorce, sibling rivalry, lying, social climbing, and life-or-death marathons---a peek into a world at once familiar and wonderfully different from our own."---Scott Weidensaul, author of Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding" ""Bridget Stutchbury dodges killer bees, wakes before dawn to follow birds through the forest, and peers through a r̀iparia-scope' at hundreds of eggs. Don't miss her stories of personal adventure and her far-reaching scientific synthesis explaining the amazing behaviors of birds and what they mean for the birds' survival and future."---Miyoko Chu, author of Songbird Journeys" ""A treasure-house of insights into the lives of birds and the glorious evolutionary energy that powers their displays and courtship---and their not infrequent infidelities."---Graeme Gibson, author of The Bedside Book of Birds" ""Be warned: Reading The Private Lives of Birds is likely to make you chuck in your present job to become a bird biologist. Who would have known that our beloved wild birds would turn out to be liars, cheats, and bullies? In elegant and lucid prose, Stutchbury explains why birds act the way they do."---Glen Chilton, author of The Curse of the Labrador Duck" "Biologist Bridget Stutchbury takes us along on her escapades as a bird detective, stalking subjects through the woods for hours, mounting miniature tracking devices on their backs, and taking blood samples from nestlings for DNA analysis. She captures several young white-and-brown male purple martins and paints them the darker color of mature males to see if the painted youngsters are more successful than their unaltered peers in wresting away nest sites from older males. They are!".
"The Private Lives of Birds is a treasure trove of fascinating insights into bird behavior, from why some birds readily "divorce" to why parents don't treat their sons and daughters equally, from why females sneak in quick sex with neighboring males to why some adults forgo breeding altogether. In many bird species, including crows and jays, parents are assisted by one or more "extra adults who are temporary live-in nannies, or h̀elpers,' and share the burden of parenting." Do the helpers benefit in some way?" "Understanding the social lives of birds does much more than slake our curiosity. To boost numbers of Atlantic puffins, biologists---aware that many birds will not occupy an area unless other birds are already there---successfully used mirrors and two-dimensional cutouts to lure puffins to unoccupied islands off the coast of Maine, attracting the first curious arrivals and getting them to linger long enough to encounter a live bird and eventually breed. As Stutchbury says, "Trying to save birds without understanding what makes them tick is a shot in the dark...Birds are highly social, and their social needs are at least as important as their physical needs.""--BOOK JACKET.

"First published in Canada under the title The bird detective by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. in 2010"--T.p. verso.
"The Private Lives of Birds is a treasure trove of fascinating insights into bird behavior, from why some birds readily "divorce" to why parents don't treat their sons and daughters equally, from why females sneak in quick sex with neighboring males to why some adults forgo breeding altogether. In many bird species, including crows and jays, parents are assisted by one or more "extra adults who are temporary live-in nannies, or h̀elpers,' and share the burden of parenting." Do the helpers benefit in some way?" "Understanding the social lives of birds does much more than slake our curiosity. To boost numbers of Atlantic puffins, biologists---aware that many birds will not occupy an area unless other birds are already there---successfully used mirrors and two-dimensional cutouts to lure puffins to unoccupied islands off the coast of Maine, attracting the first curious arrivals and getting them to linger long enough to encounter a live bird and eventually breed. As Stutchbury says, "Trying to save birds without understanding what makes them tick is a shot in the dark...Birds are highly social, and their social needs are at least as important as their physical needs.""--BOOK JACKET.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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