Mound-buildersCsiro Publishing, 3 nov 2008 - 128 pagine Mound-builders are unique in being the only birds that do not incubate their eggs using body heat; rather, a variety of naturally occurring sources of heat is exploited such as solar energy and the heat generated by decomposing organic matter. This book shows how this remarkable adaptation influences every part of these birds’ lives, including the development of the embryo, the parentless life of the hatchlings, their social organisation and their survival. Twenty-two species of mound-builders exist within the Megapode family. Mound-builders examines the three occurring in Australia: the Scrubfowl in the humid tropics; the Brush turkey in dense forested areas from Cape York to Sydney; and most remarkable of all, the Malleefowl in the arid interior. Scientific interest in these birds has increased considerably in recent decades, and Mound-builders summarises many significant discoveries. With a strong emphasis on conservation and changing interactions between mound-builders and people, this is an excellent introduction to one of the most unusual bird families. |
Sommario
1 | |
7 | |
3 Appearance and ecology | 17 |
4 The mound | 33 |
5 Abandoned eggs | 57 |
6 Growing up without parental care | 67 |
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Parole e frasi comuni
adults Ann Göth appears areas Atherton Tablelands Australian Brush-turkey Australian Brush-turkey Alectura Australian megapodes Australian mound-builders behaviour Benshemesh birds Booth DT breeding season Brush-turkey Alectura lathami Brush-turkey chicks Brush-turkey mounds builders building Chapter colour conservation conservation ecology Darryl Jones dense digging duet ecology egg laying eggs embryos environment feathers forest Frith HJ galliforms habitat hunting incubation mound incubation period incubation temperatures Jessica Jones DN leaf litter Leipoa ocellata living male and female mallee Malleefowl malleefowl Leipoa ocellata mating megapode eggs megapodes Megapodiidae Megapodius reinwardt monogamous mound temperatures mound-builder chicks nest northern number of eggs observations Orange-footed Scrubfowl organic material pairs Photo plumage population predators Priddel Queensland radio-tracking rain rainfall rainforest range reproductive Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt Scrubfowl mounds social soil South Australia South Wales suburban survival Sydney three Australian three mound-builders turkey typical vegetation vocalisations Waag wattle Western Australia Wildlife Research yolk