Biologist Bridget Stutchbury takes readers along on her escapades as a bird detective, stalking subjects through the woods for hours, taking blood samples from nestlings for DNA analysis, and mounting miniature tracking devices on tiny backs. 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. But understanding the social lives of birds does much more than slake our curiosity. Aware that many birds will not occupy an area unless other birds are already there, biologists used mirrors and two-dimensional cutouts to lure Atlantic puffins to establish colonies off the coast of Maine, getting curious puffins to visit the site and linger long enough to encounter a live bird. 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."
private lives of birds a scientist reveals the intricacies of avian social life
Grouping Author
bridget joan stutchbury
Grouping Category
book
Grouping Language
English (eng)
Last Grouping Update
2024-04-26 01:43:14AM
Last Indexed
2024-04-27 04:55:18AM
Enrichment Information
Novelist Primary ISBN
9780802717467
Review ISBN
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Stutchbury, Bridget Joan, 1962-
author_display
Stutchbury, Bridget Joan
display_description
""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 ̀riparia-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 ̀helpers,' 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.
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Book
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Books
id
c1095565-843b-1be6-0b01-cbb0345416b6
isbn
9780802717467
itype_ashland
BOOK - HARDCOVER
last_indexed
2024-04-27T09:55:18.354Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
primary_isbn
9780802717467
publishDate
2010
publisher
Walker & Co
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Birds -- Behavior
title_display
The private lives of birds : a scientist reveals the intricacies of avian social life
title_full
The private lives of birds : a scientist reveals the intricacies of avian social life / Bridget Stutchbury
title_short
The private lives of birds
title_sub
a scientist reveals the intricacies of avian social life
topic_facet
Behavior Birds
Solr Details Tables
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Bib Id
Item Id
Shelf Loc
Call Num
Format
Format Category
Num Copies
Is Order Item
Is eContent
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ils:.b18725995
.i29685291
Mercer Adult Nonfiction
598.15 STU Nature
1
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Available
Aug 11, 2017
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record_details
Bib Id
Format
Format Category
Edition
Language
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Publication Date
Physical Description
Abridged
ils:.b18725995
Book
Books
English
Walker & Co
[2010]
249 pages, [4]o. of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm