Rails: A Guide to Rails, Crakes, Gallinules and Coots of the WorldA&C Black, 30 ago 2010 - 600 pagine This is a guide to rails, a relatively homogeneous family of birds spread throughout the world. Barry Taylor and Ber van Perlo have described and illustrated 145 species of rails, including two that are newly described, and also ten that are recently extinct and two that are almost certainly extinct. The book, based on up-to-date references and on new observations, is the first to give comprehensive information on field identification (including voice), covering all species and races for which details are known. It is also the first to provide descriptions of the immature and juvenile plumages of many species. The authors provide a detailed summary of current knowledge of all aspects of rail biology and their often complex behaviour, social structure, and family life. They explain how such apparently poorly flying birds can undertake intercontinental migrations and are such widespread and successful colonists of remote oceanic islands. They also discuss the remarkable ease and speed with which species on such islands have evolved into flightless forms in the absence of predators, a fact that has led to the rapid extinction of numerous island taxa following the arrival of man. Rail habitats are fast disappearing, say the authors, and many rails become endangered before enough is known about them to plan effective conservation measures. The book provides information on distribution, status, habitat requirements, and current threats, and it gives conservation priorities for threatened species. |
Sommario
INTRODUCTION | 9 |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | 10 |
LAYOUT AND SCOPE OF THE BOOK | 13 |
TOPOGRAPHY | 24 |
PHYLOGENY AND CLASSIFICATION | 26 |
MORPHOLOGY AND FLIGHTLESSNESS | 33 |
HABITAT | 36 |
FOOD AND FORAGING | 39 |
BEHAVIOUR | 44 |
BREEDING | 49 |
MOVEMENTS | 52 |
CONSERVATION AND EXTINCTION | 56 |
COLOUR PLATES | 63 |
SYSTEMATIC SECTION | 151 |
| 558 | |
| 593 | |
Altre edizioni - Visualizza tutto
Rails: A Guide to the Rails, Crakes, Gallinules and Coots of the World Barry Taylor Anteprima non disponibile - 1998 |
Rails: A Guide to the Rails, Crakes, Gallinules and Coots of the World Barry Taylor Anteprima non disponibile - 1998 |
Rails: A Guide to the Rails, Crakes, Gallinules and Coots of the World Barry Taylor,P. B. Taylor Anteprima non disponibile - 1998 |
Parole e frasi comuni
adult Africa apparently areas barred base becoming belly bill birds blackish blackish-brown breast breeding brown buff centre chestnut chicks chin colour common coverts Crake crown culmen dark dark brown darker dense described DESCRIPTION distribution dull duller edges eggs et al extending feathers feeding female flanks foraging forest give given grass grey ground habitat head Immature Iris islands known legs and feet less litt locally lower male mantle marshes MEASuREMENTS moult movements narrow neck nest nominate normally notes occurs olive olive-brown pairs pale paler plumage population possibly primaries probably race Rail range rare recorded remiges rest Ripley rufous season secondaries Sexes short similar slightly smaller SOCIAL sometimes South species status streaks tail tarsus Taylor territorial throat tinged underparts undertail-coverts upper upperparts upperwing-coverts usually vegetation washed weight wetlands whitish wings winter young