Summary

A comprehensive and authoritative guide to the fascinating mysteries of bird migration.Every year, billions of birds leave their North American breeding grounds for winter quarters farther south. That so many birds migrate so many miles, through life-threatening conditions, and to the same place each year, is simply stunning.The editor of this important and lavishly illustrated new book has selected a cross-section of both the most typical and the most interesting migrants. Colorful maps, photographs, calendars and fact files, with easy-to-read symbols and abbreviations, present an accurate and up-to-date profile of each species.The introduction provides comprehensive background on migration and its great mystery: how do the birds know where to go? The latest scientific discoveries are explained here.The bulk of the book is the directory, which chronicles the routes of more than 500 species, including: North American birds of prey Hummingbirds, grosbeaks and starlings Eurasian shorebirds, storks and cranes Winter visitors from the Far North, such as swans, geese and finches African, South American and Australasian migrants Migratory sea birds, such as penguins, albatrosses and terns.The results of new satellite tracking methods are covered, as are current environmental threats and conservation initiatives. The book closes with a comprehensive catalog of migrating species from all continents.

Author Biography

Jonathan Elphick is a natural history author and consultant with a 40-year career in ornithology. His many books include the award-winning Birdwatcher's Handbook and Birds: The Art of Ornithology.

Foreword
Using this book
Birds on the move
Introduction
How migration evolved
Patterns of migration
When to travel
Flight techniques
Flight power and speed
How high do birds fly?
Preparing for the journey
Timing Genetics and migration
Orientation and navigation
Routes and barriers
Staging posts
Weather and climate
How migration is studied
Threats and conservation
North American migrants
Introduction
Patterns of migration
Ducks Birds of Prey
Cranes Plovers, gulls, and terns
Nightjars Swifts, swallows, and martins
Hummingbirds
Woodpeckers Tyrant flycatchers
Thrushes Vireos
Tanagers Wood warblers
Bunting, grosbeaks, and starlings
American blackbirds and orioles
Eurasian migrants
Introduction
Patterns of migration
Ducks Shorebirds Storks
Birds of Prey
Gamebirds Crakes and rails
Cranes Gulls and terns
Pigeons
Cuckoos
Bee-eaters, rollers, and hoopoes
Swifts, swallows, and martins
Wagtails and pipits
Chats and thrushes
Warblers
Shrikes
Flycatchers
Winter visitors from the far north
Introduction
Patterns of migration
Swans
Geese
Shorebirds
Thrushes
Buntings and finches
Southern hemisphere migrants
Introduction
South American migrants
African migrants
Australasian migrants
Migratory sea birds
Introduction
Patterns of migration
Penguins
Albatrosses
Shearwaters and petrels Skuas, jaegers, gulls, and auks
Terns
Almost migrations
Introduction
Irruptions
Catalog of migrants
Index
Further reading
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Supplemental Materials

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Excerpts

Using this book Bird migration is a complex subject, and knowledge of patterns of movement for some species and in many areas of the world is, at best, sketchy. The information given in this book is accurate, as far as is currently known, but the subject remains one about which there is much yet to be discovered. Within each chapter, species are arranged according to the systematic order, which is approximately the order in why they evolved. This scientifically accepted system has the advantage over other methods of organization that birds that are related are grouped together. Species have been chosen for inclusion on one of two major criteria: their migrations are typical of one or more patterns of movement and/or there are interesting stories associated with their migrations. Common names for birds tend to vary and are often a matter of choice or editor's preference; those used in the book reflect general usage as far as possible. [Information is also provided on using: "The maps," "The Calendars," "The Fact Files," and "Symbols and Abbreviations."] -- Introduction: Birds on the move Migration is probably the most awe-inspiring natural phenomenon. What it lacks compared with the enormous power of the weather, an earthquake, or a volcano, it makes up for in romance -- a small bird pits its wits against the elements and accomplishes, as routine, a journey that is truly superhuman. Outlandish theories have been proposed to explain the seasonal ebb and flow of bird populations, including that the birds went to the moon, were transformed into other species, or spent the winter in the mud of lakes or ponds. The knowledge of what really happens is, in many ways, no less fantastic. Over the centuries, people have struggled to understand birds' migrations and how they manage them year after year. How can they fly such tremendous distances without becoming lost or so exhausted that they die? How have today's complex migration patterns evolved from what were once, presumably, simple movements? And what particular problems are migratory birds facing now and are they coping? Although many parts of the mystery have been unraveled, there is still much that remains to be discovered about this fascinating phenomenon.