The Skylark (Poyser Monographs)
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"This readable guide to the seabirds of the world provides updated material on every aspect of these birds--adaptation and plumage, how they are distributed into communities, feeding behavior, migration, breeding, and more."
--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Product Description
This new Poyser title takes an in-depth look at the lives of the world's true seabirds - the penguins, tubenoses, peleceaniids, gulls, terns, skuas and auks. These birds all spend much of their lives foraging at sea, but the range of ways that they are adapted to exploit the marine environment and balance this with the need to return to land to breed, is astoundingly diverse. They range from the albatrosses, which take their prey from the surface of the water and are capable of efficient gliding flight for hours on end, to the penguins which have dispensed with flight altogether and have developed a morphology and physiology which enables them to dive deeper and for longer than any other birds. The various problems of being a bird which forages at sea, and the array of solutions evolution has produced to counter them are the theme of this book, which will fascinate everyone with an interest in pelagic birds.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
You may think that the larks are some of the most boring birds in the world - small, dull and brown, and that a scientific book on them would be even duller - You'd be very wrong! In this excellent book Dr. Paul F. Donald has managed to combine and explain some fairly complex and thorough scientific data with some wonderful explanations. I would recommend this book to anyone who has wondered about that small brown bird singing high in the sky above the fields as well as to conservation scientists and budding ornithologists wanting to know more and as an example of how to tackle the difficult task of communicating real science to a lay audience. The Skylark is the new jewel in the Poyser monograph series crown.
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I've been looking to aquire a decent book on larks for a while now, but they seem a bit thin on the ground. This was before I stumbled into this little jewel of a book.
This book is the cream if you want to know the reasons why our beloved skylark has been in decline. It summarises the work of Dr Paul F Donald, someone who is without doubt the world expert on everything lark.
And for all you tight wads out there, you really get your money's worth-an entire chapter devoted to the lark family.
Without a doubt, a gem of a book, and a lark to read.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Excellent purchase for experts and enthusiasts
3 Feb 2012
Format:Hardcover
I study seabirds for a living and still found the book very insightful. In contrast to some of Gaston's earlier books on murres and murrelets, Seabirds: a natural history is very easy reading. Particularly illuminating were the discussions on the "seabird syndrome"--the life history attributes (long lives and small clutches) that separate seabirds from most other birds--and the population processes that underlie that syndrome. I also really enjoyed the anecdotes at the start of each chapter, describing Gaston's adventures with seabirds around the world. The diagrams and photos are also good quality.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful overview of seabird biology
2 Aug 2011
Format:Hardcover
I really enjoyed reading this book and I'm currently perusing it a second time. The author is a biologist who writes very well for a general audience. One of the strengths of the book is that it presents a decidedly "big picture" view of seabirds - comparing seabird natural histories around the globe, through time, and with other groups of animals. It asks and attempts to answer many "why" questions about seabird life history strategies in an entertaining and thoughtful way. I highly recommend this book to birders and naturalists who are interested in these fascinating and sometimes mysterious birds. I caution, however, that this book is not about the field identification of seabirds and does not treat particular families of seabirds in a specific way - but there are more and more field guides and books that cover that area separately.
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