- Hardcover: 184 pages
- Publisher: MIT Press (19 Nov 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0262194309
- ISBN-13: 978-0262194303
- Product Dimensions: 28.8 x 21.9 x 2.1 cm
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
3,372,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #97 in Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Biology > Animal Sciences > Birds
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Product Description
Product Description
This book celebrates and provides a useful and highly readable introduction to Africa's magnificent avian diversity. Neither a field guide nor a biological text, it presents an overview of African birds and describes and depicts the lives and habits of almost 2,400 species.The African continent and its associated islands are home to the world's second largest assemblage of birds, spanning two of the planet's great faunal kingdoms. The authors have divided the birds into large groups, with each chapter focusing on a particular group. Each group shares a common characteristic easily recognized by the nonspecialist: preferred habitat, main feeding behavior, or breeding method. For ease of reference, the bird families comprising each chapter are discussed in alphabetical order.Although a great deal is known about the birds of Africa, much still awaits discovery. Entire species have yet to be described and entered into the scientific literature; sadly, some birds may become extinct before they can be properly studied. A recurring theme in the book is the threat to many species posed by the loss or dramatic modification of habitats and by human actions such as pesticide use, hunting for food and trade, and the destruction of forests. The authors emphasize that if current trends continue, more and more bird species will become endangered.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Where does one begin with an overview of the world's second largest bird assemblage, which spans two of the planet's great faunal kingdoms? Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Where does one begin with an overview of the world's second largest bird assemblage, which spans two of the planet's great faunal kingdoms? Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Good overview of Africa's bird diversity
8 April 2000
Format:Hardcover
There are a great number of bird species in Africa. A species-by-species account would take hundreds of pages. Although such volumes do exist, they are often very expensive. In this book, husband and wife naturalists Chris & Tilde Stuart have presented a beautifully illustrated introduction to Africa's bird diversity which is both affordable and informative. The book is neither a field guide nor an academic tome. The authors have divided the book into several chapters, each one on a group of birds that share similar general characteristics--penguins and terns are in the seabird chapter, and hornbills and marabou storks are in another. Within each chapter, the birds are subdivided into families, which adds a nice systematic touch to the book. The text includes details on natural history and biology--I would like to have seen more biological detail and inclusion of more species, but as previously mentioned, the book is intended as an introduction to the birds of Africa, not as an in-depth treatment. Although the text is useful, perhaps the best part of the book is the spectacular colour photographs that adorn every page. The Stuarts' are renowned wildlife photographers, and their talent shines through. For what it sets out to accomplish, Birds of Africa succeeds admirably.
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