Birdbooker Report 66

tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books

The Birdbooker Report is a special weekly report of a wide variety of science, nature and behavior books that currently are, or soon will be available for purchase. This report is written by one of my Seattle birding pals and book collector, Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, and is edited by me and published here for your information and enjoyment. Below the fold is this week's issue of The Birdbooker Report which lists ecology, environment, natural history and bird books that are (or will soon be) available for purchase.

New and Recent Titles:

1. Jones, Darryl and Ann Goth. Mound-builders. 2008. CSIRO Publishing. Paperback: 120 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S. [Amazon: $27.32]. SUMMARY: The Megapodes (family Megapodiidae) are the only birds known to use external heat sources rather than body heat for incubation. Of the 22 species, this book examines the biology and conservation of the 3 Australian species: Orange-footed Megapode, Australian Brush-turkey and Malleefowl. These 3 species build large mounds and incubate their eggs with heat generated by decomposing organic matter. Included in this book are 8 color pages of photos showing various aspects of these 3 species. For further information on the other species, I recommend this book: The Megapodes by Darryl Jones et al. (1995 Oxford University Press).
2. Rowland, Peter. Bowerbirds. 2008. CSIRO Publishing. Paperback: 136 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S. [Amazon: $24.17]. SUMMARY: The Bowerbirds (family Ptilonorhynchidae) are famed for their unique bower-building behavior. Of the 20 species, this book covers the 10 Australian species in detail, with supplemental information on the 10 species found in New Guinea. There are 16 pages of color photos in this book. Anyone interested in the bowerbirds will want this book!