http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks daily 1 2006-02-10T21:36:17Z http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/0195323467 The last documented sighting of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker--one of the rarest and most intriguing animals in the world--was noted over 50 years ago. Long thought to be extinct, the 2005 announcement of a sighting in Arkansas sparked tremendous enthusiasm and hope that this species could yet be saved. But the subsequent failure of a massive search to relocate Ivorybills in Arkansas made hope for the species' revival short-lived. Here, noted ornithologist Geoffrey Hill tells the story of how he and two of his colleagues stumbled upon what may be a breeding population of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in the swamps of northern Florida. He relates their laborious attempts to document irrefutable evidence for the existence of this shy, elusive bird following the failure of a much larger research team to definitively prove the bird's existence. No publisher sdduncan 2008-03-28T21:42:18Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/0198502133 The cuckoos are the most variable birds in social behavior and parental care: a few cuckoos are among the most social of all birds and rear their young in a common nest; most cuckoos are caring parents that rear their own young with some females laying a few eggs in the nests of others; while many cuckoo species are brood parasites who leave their eggs in the nests of other birds to rear, with their young maturing to kill their foster nestmates. In The Cuckoos, Robert B. Payne presents a new evolutionary history of the family based on molecular genetics, and uses the family tree to explore the origins and diversity of their behaviour. He traces details of the cuckoos' biology to their original sources, includes descriptions of previously unpublished field observations, and reveals new comparisons of songs showing previously overlooked cuckoo species. Lavishly illustrated with specially commissioned color plates and numerous maps, halftones, and line drawings, The Cuckoos provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date account of this family yet available. No publisher sdduncan 2008-03-28T22:11:43Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/0226076261 A monograph focusing on the Browns' long-term study of colonial nesting in cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) along the Platte River in western Nebraska. The book addresses the costs and benefits of group living, alternative reproductive tactics such as brood parasitism and extrapair mating, the demographic consequences of coloniality, and hypotheses for why colony size varies. The book is the most detailed study of animal coloniality ever done and should appeal to ornithologists, behavioral ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and parasitologists. No publisher sdduncan 2008-03-28T22:38:23Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/animal-behavior-society-s-outstanding-children-s-book-award/1550749846 Review by Dr. Paul V. Switzer, Eastern Illinois University: Animal Talk is the most recent contribution to an excellent series of animal behavior and ecology books by Etta Kaner and is the RECIPIENT OF THE ANIMAL BEHAVIOR SOCIETY'S 2003 OUTSTANDING CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD.. The book presents animal communication by dividing communication up by context, including "Saying it with Sound," "Saying it with Smell," and "Body language." In each section, Greg Douglas' outstanding illustrations are paired with descriptions of appropriate examples, often including the method of communication (e.g. woodpeckers hammering on hollow logs to send sound over 1 km) and the possible functions of the behavior (e.g. calling for a mate or defending its territory). Also present in each section are two clever and engaging approaches: hands-on experiments that demonstrate a particular point (e.g. waving a paper towel near perfume to demonstrate why ring-tailed lemurs wave their tails during fights) and a "If you were a [animal species]" box, in which more facts are given for a particular species (e.g. "If you were a howler monkey, you'd live in the tropical rainforests of South America…"). Animal Talk does a nice job of including both familiar animals, such as tigers and dolphins, as well as less familiar animals, such as California ground squirrels and water striders. Each section has enough examples to effectively illustrate the point but not so many as to make it difficult to read. However, this book does include lots of information and for younger readers it may be best tackled one section at a time. Children readers consistently commented that they liked the pictures, the amount of information, and the experiments that they could try. No publisher sdduncan_manager Children: 2003 2008-03-28T19:08:37Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/0520240626 This book describes the behavioral ecology of American bison. There is also a substantial section on the ecology of the central grasslands including the behavioral ecology of a number of its vertebrates, especially, but not only, those that interact with the bison. This includes predators -- wolves, grizzly bear, badgers, black-footed ferrets and coyotes -- but also other herbivores -- e.g prairie dogs and pronghorn. There is also a description of the ecology of some of the diseases and parasites that afflict bison -- anthrax, brucellosis, deer ticks. The book also describes the current understanding of the impact of humans on bison, especially their destruction of the population and conservation. Unlike most books on bison this book does not address the religious and cultural significance of bison for Native Americans, though it does touch on the bison's economic significance. My book discusses humans primarily in terms of their impact on the bison. My book is too narrow be a suitable text for a course in animal behavior, but could be useful as a text or supplementary text in an introductory or survey course on wildlife ecology, conservation biology or an upper division course in animal behavior. No publisher sirot758 2008-03-28T20:00:17Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/0521554055 At first glance, studying behavior is easy, but as every budding ethologist quickly realizes, there are a host of complex practical, methodological and analytical problems to solve before designing and conducting the study. This new expanded edition of the Handbook of Ethological Methods, provides a complete, step-by-step introduction to ethological methods from topic choice and behavioral description to data collection and statistical analysis. No publisher sirot758 2008-03-28T19:58:57Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/0198508840 Evolutionary theory is one of the most wide-ranging and inspiring of scientific ideas. It offers a battery of methods that can be used to help us understand human behaviour. Nevertheless the legitimacy of this exercise is at the centre of a heated controversy that has raged for over a century. Many evolutionary biologists, anthropologists and psychologists have taken these evolutionary principles and tried using them to explain a wide range of human characteristics, such as homicide, religion and sex differences in behaviour. Others, however, are sceptical of these interpretations. Moreover, researchers disagree as to the best ways to use evolution to explore humanity, and a number of schools have emerged. Sense and Nonsense provides an introduction to the ideas, methods and findings of five such schools, namely, sociobiology, human behavioural ecology, evolutionary psychology, memes, and gene-culture co-evolution. Carefully guiding the reader through the mire of confusing terminology, claim and counter-claim, and polemical statements, Laland and Brown provide a balanced, rigorous analysis that scrutinizes both the evolutionary arguments and the allegations of the critics. This is a book that will make fascinating reading for popular science readers, undergraduate and postgraduate students (for example, in psychology, anthropology and zoology), to experts on one approach who would like to know more about the other perspectives, and to lay-persons interested in evolutionary explanations of human behaviour. Having read this book the reader will feel better placed to assess the legitimacy of claims made about human behaviour under the name of evolution, and to make judgements as to what is sense and what is nonsense. No publisher sirot758 2008-03-28T16:19:36Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/0691027897 This book describes the sexual behavior of guppies and examines how mate choice by females leads to the evolution of the conspicuous colors and the courtship displays for which guppies are widely recognized. The author shows that female guppies prefer males with bright color patterns, especially those with orange spots, and that the mating preferences of females lead to sexual selection on both color patterns and courtship displays of males. Houde's work addresses a number of areas that are of interest in sexual selection including the remarkable degree of plasticity and evolutionary lability of sexual behavior in guppies, geographic variation in mating preferences, possible mechanisms for the evolution of female mating preferences, and the role of sexual selection in speciation. In conclusion, the author explores the implications of her findings for behavioral ecologists who study sexual selection in other species. No publisher sirot758 2008-03-28T16:24:31Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/3540533532 The field of animal acoustic communication has experienced exciting growth in recent years as techniques borrowed from many scientific disciplines have been applied in new ways. For a modern, integrated approach to research in comparative bioacoustics, researchers need access to a wealth of technical and methodological information. This edited volume answers that need. Serving as a handbook of research techniques, Animal Acoustic Communication offers a comprehensive outline of a wide variety of topics: several chapters address analysis of sound, covering the A to Z of analog and digital signals; other chapters discuss techniques and findings in signal production, transmission of signals through air and water, infrasonic and ultrasonic communication, and neuroendocrine involvement in bioacoustics. The book discusses the comparative application of methods derived from human speech research, and offers comprehensive coverage of field and laboratory techniques for understanding animal perception and responses to sound communication. Animal Acoustic Communication not only provides researchers with an update on the most recent techniques, but also offers in a single volume an overview of all aspects of this field of study. Its consistent, readable style makes this volume an accessible handbook for students and a valuable resource for more established researchers. No publisher sirot758 2008-03-28T19:58:56Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/0195148487 The House Finch is among the most mundane birds, so ubiquitous and familiar across the US and Canada that it does not rate a glance from most bird enthusiasts. But males have carotenoid-based plumage coloration that varies markedly among individuals, making the House Finch a model species for studies of the function and evolution of colorful plumage. In more depth and detail than has been attempted for any species of bird, Hill takes the reader on tour of the hows and whys of ornamental plumage coloration. Hill begins by reviewing the history of the study of colorful plumage, which began in earnest with the debates of Darwin and Wallace but which was largely forgotten by the middle of the twentieth century. He then documents the extensive plumage variation among males both within and between populations of House Finches, explores the mechanisms behind plumage variation, and looks at the fitness consequences of condition-dependent ornament display for both males and females. He concludes with an examination of the processes by which carotenoid-based ornamental coloration may have evolved. Through it all, Hill provides a personal view of the triumphs and hardships of field biology in the suburbs. No publisher sirot758 2008-03-28T16:24:31Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/0521533880 A guide for graduate students and researchers in the behavioral sciences and biology. Covers scientific methodology and research planning, writing proposals including grant requests, writing journal manuscripts and other reports, presenting research in departmental colloquia and at scientific meetings, and how to write a curriculum vitae. There are appendicies on writing clearly and how to contact funding agencies in the U.S. "Throughout, the book is illuminated with personal examples from the authors' own experiences with research in behavioral ecology, and there is a strong emphasis on problems associated with field studies". No publisher sirot758 2008-03-28T19:56:57Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/0205280145 Drawing on a rich historical tradition, Principles of Comparative Psychology looks to the future of the discipline in the 21st century. The authors have conceived this field broadly, as the study of origins of all behavior, while utilizing a developmental perspective in which behavior is understood to be the result of a fusion of biological and psychosocial factors. Particular recognition is given to some of the unique problems of the discipline in carrying out a careful application of the scientific method to its chosen subject matter of mind and behavior. No publisher sirot758 2008-03-28T17:37:36Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/0198505035 Behavioural Ecology of Teleost Fishes reviews the latest advances in knowledge of behavioural adaptations for survival and reproduction in fishes. The book focuses on behavioural strategies and tactics of habitat selection and space use, foraging, predator avoidance and evasion, and reproduction. It proposes new directions and approaches for future research, and also considers the impact of individual behaviour on population and community ecology. The text will benefit all those with a general interest in behavioural ecology, especially students, teachers, and researchers interested in the behaviour and ecology of fishes. It will also be a valuable reference source for biologists, aquaculturists, and conservationists. No publisher sirot758 2008-03-28T16:24:31Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/0674170555 Only in recent years have biologists and ethologists begun to apply careful evolutionary thinking to the study of animal societies -- and with spectacular results. This book presents the choicest of these findings, with a remarkable wealth of insights into the myriad strategies that animals have developed to perpetuate their kind. In an irresistible style, Dr. Gadagkar explores the strategies of cooperation and conflict adopted by animals as they choose mates, raise their young, communicate with others, and establish the division of labor necessary to feed and protect the group and safeguard their territory. Why creatures great and small behave in such fascinating and seemingly perplexing ways is explained in this delightful account of the evolutionary foundations of animal social behavior. Whether focusing on the birds or the bees, this book offers both superb descriptions and lucid explanations of many different behaviors encountered in the animal world. No publisher sirot758 2008-03-28T15:35:01Z Amazon Item http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSBooks/abs-books/amazon_item.2007-09-17.8421191239 This volume brings together current research on the behavior, ecology, reproduction, and life history of baboons of the genus Papio. Baboons represent one of the best-known primate lineages, renowned for their ecological and behavioral flexibility and adaptability. These characteristics are intimately intertwined with features of baboon life history and reproduction. Contributors to this volume, representing several major, long-term research projects from throughout the African continent, explore reproductive behavior and strategies of adult male and female baboons in a variety of ways. These lines of inquiry together forge new ways to investigate the life periods that matter most in evolution. No publisher sdduncan_manager 2008-03-28T16:24:31Z Amazon Item