Common Coastal Birds of Florida and the Caribbean

by Nellis, David W.

• ISBN13: 9781561641918
• ISBN10: 156164191X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-07-01
• Publisher: Pineapple Pr Inc

Summary

This book is for those who enjoy that precarious and ever-changing zone where the sea meets the land and want to understand the birds that frequent this special habitat in Florida and the islands to the south. Author David Nellis reveals the birds found along the beaches, among the mangroves, even up the rocky Caribbean cliffs. From the many birds that may be encountered along the coast, Dr. Nellis has selected 72 of the most common ones, including a few that, though less abundant, capture our interest. Each bird has its own ecological niche--manifested by its nesting, feeding, roosting, and migration habits--and territorial competition between species is a constant. This book shows the great variety of specialization behaviors developed by these birds to adapt to this unique environment. Over 250 photographs, mostly by the author, show many features of these birds and their habits never before so fully illustrated.

Author Biography

David Nellis has studied many of the plants and animals found in the tropical and subtropical ecosystems of Florida and the islands of the Caribbean. Through funding by research grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and various private nonprofit organizations through the government of the Virgin Islands, Nellis has done banding studies on adult and juvenile boobies, radio tracking and behavioral studies of Bridled Quail-doves, and research and monitoring of leatherback turtles

Table of Contents

Introduction	vii
Details of Form and Function	ix
PART I. General Descriptions and Photographs	1	(74)
PART II. Species Accounts	75	(228)
Family: Grebes (Podicipedidae)
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps	77	(3)
Family: Shearwater and Petrels (Procellariidae)
Audubon's Shearwater (Puffinus Iherminieri)	80	(3)
Family: Tropicbirds (Phaethontidae)
Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus)	83	(3)
White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus)	86	(3)
Family: Boobies and Gannets (Sulidae)
Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)	89	(3)
Red-footed Booby (Sula sula)	92	(3)
Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra)	95	(3)
Family: Pelicans (Pelecanidae)
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)	98	(3)
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorynchos)	101	(3)
Family: Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)	104	(4)
Family: Anhingas (Anhingidae)
American Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)	108	(3)
Family: Frigatebirds (Fregatidae)
Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)	111	(3)
Family: Bitterns and Herons (Ardeidae)
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodius)	114	(3)
Great Egret (Casmerodius albus)	117	(186)
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)	120	(4)
Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)	124	(4)
Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens)	128	(3)
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)	131	(3)
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)	134	(4)
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)	138	(4)
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)	142	(3)
Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violaceus)	145	(3)
Family: Storks (Ciconiidae)
Wood Stork (Mycteria americana)	148	(3)
Family: Ibises and Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)
White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)	151	(4)
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)	155	(3)
Roseate Spoonbill (Ajaia ajaja)	158	(3)
Family: Flamingos (Phoenicopteridae)
Greater Flamingo (Phenicopterus ruber)	161	(4)
Family: Swans, Geese, and Ducks (Anatidae)
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)	165	(4)
Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)	169	(3)
White-cheeked Pintail (Anas bahamensis)	172	(2)
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)	174	(3)
Family: Kites, Eagles, and Hawks (Accipitridae)
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)	177	(4)
Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus)	181	(3)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)	184	(3)
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)	187	(3)
Family: Caracaras and Falcons (Falconidae)
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)	190	(4)
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)	194	(4)
Family: Rails, Gallinules, and Coots (Rallidae)
American Coot (Fulica americana)	198	(3)
Common Moorhen (Gallinula chlorops)	201	(3)
Family: Plovers (Charadriidae)
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)	204	(3)
Wilson's Plover (Charadrius wilsoni)	207	(2)
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)	209	(2)
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)	211	(3)
Family: Oystercatchers (Haematopodidae)
American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)	214	(3)
Family: Stilts and Avocets (Recurvirostridae)
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)	217	(3)
American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)	220	(3)
Family: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)	223	(2)
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)	225	(3)
Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)	228	(3)
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitus macularia)	231	(3)
Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)	234	(3)
Sanderling (Calidris alba)	237	(3)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)	240	(3)
Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)	243	(3)
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)	246	(3)
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)	249	(3)
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)	252	(2)
Family: Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers (Laridae)
Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla)	254	(4)
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)	258	(3)
Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia)	261	(4)
Royal Tern (Sterna maxima)	265	(3)
Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)	268	(3)
Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)	271	(3)
Least Tern (Sterna antillarum)	274	(3)
Bridled Tern (Sterna anaethetus)	277	(3)
Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata)	280	(3)
Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus)	283	(3)
Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)	286	(4)
Family: Cuckoos and Anis (Cuculidae)
Mangrove Cuckoo (Coccyzus minor)	290	(3)
Family: Grackles (Icteridae)
Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major)	293	(4)
Family: Swallows (Hirudinidae)
Cave Swallow (Hirundo fulva)	297	(3)
Family: Crows (Corvidae)
Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus)	300	(3)
General References	303	(3)
Index	306