Skua And Penguin

A detailed ecological study which overturns current thinking about the relationship between these two species.

"Strange geese." That was their description when they were discovered in 1520 during Magellan's historic voyage. Today, penguins are familiar to everyone, yet few researchers have observed them in the remote regions in which they live. Written by an ecologist-behaviorist who has worked extensively in the natural penguin habitat, The Behavior of Penguins is the first general work on the entire family of penguins. Numerous and remarkable field photographs document the author's detailed study of the life cycles and breeding patterns of each penguin species. He brings to light their unusual abilities to go with little food for months, to dive deep in the ocean, and to protect themselves in extreme environments. Müller-Schwarze's comprehensive and fascinating account of penguins also emphasizes the urgent need to protect these birds and their natural habitat.

A dramatic chronicle of Antarctica's penguins that bears witness to climate changes that foreshadow our own future The towering mountains and iceberg-filled seas of the western Antarctic Peninsula have for three decades formed the backdrop of scientist Bill Fraser's study of Adélie penguins. In that time, this breathtaking region has warmed faster than any place on earth, with profound consequences for the Adélies, the classic tuxedoed penguin that is dependent on sea ice to survive. During the Antarctic spring and summer of 2005-2006, author Fen Montaigne spent five months working on Fraser's field team, and he returned with a moving tale that chronicles the beauty of the wildest place on earth, the lives of the beloved Adélies, the saga of the discovery of the Antarctic Peninsula, and the story—told through Fraser's work—of how rising temperatures are swiftly changing this part of the world. Captivated by the tale of these polar penguins and a memorable field season in Antarctica, readers will come to understand that the fundamental changes Fraser has witnessed in the Antarctic will soon affect our lives.

The Adélie penguin is one of the best-studied birds in the world and is the subject of research programs from a dozen nations interested in monitoring changes in the environment and the food webs of the Southern Ocean. This species' population has been changing dramatically over the past few decades coincident with a general warming of the maritime portion of Antarctica. When the sea-ice is seen to decline so does the population of Adélie penguins. Further south, however, the population is increasing. This book summarizes our present ecological knowledge of this polar seabird. In so doing, David Ainley describes the ecological factors important to its life history and details the mechanisms by which it is responding to climate change. The author also chronicles the history of research on Adélie penguins, beginning with the heroic expeditions at the beginning of the twentieth century. Weaving together history, ecology, natural history, and written accounts from the earliest Antarctic naturalists into a fascinating account of this charismatic bird, The Adélie Penguin provides a foundation upon which future ornithological research and environmental monitoring can be based. It is a model for investigations into the effect of climate change on a particular species. The book also contains many fine illustrations from the accomplished illustrator Lucia deLeiris and photographs by the author.

What is it like to live in a tiny Polar Haven for two months? To look into the odd, expressive eyes of an Adélie chick? To be flipper-slapped by a bird whose wings are powerful enough to propel it swiftly through frigid waters? Sophie Webb knows, and she gives readers a frank firsthand account of what it is like to spend a season in a land not yet affected by humans, yet populated for centuries by true dwellers of the Antarctic—the fearless, round-bellied, pink-footed, waddling, diving, utterly adept Adélie penguins.

A comprehensive monograph of the skua. Many birdwatchers may never have seen a skua; those who have will most probably have vivid memories of one or other species flying powerfully past a headland, or twisting and diving in pursuit of its piratical intentions towards a food-laden seabird - or, perhaps more memorably still, of themselves taking evasive action from the power-diving irate skua whose territory they have unwisely invaded. The full classification of the skuas is still debated, but Dr Furness of the Applied Ornithology Unit, Glasgow University, favours six species, of two genera, with five subspecies, based on current knowledge and his own long and dedicated field studies and research. All of the species are treated comparatively under the following chapter titles: Early history and classification, Distributions and populations, Migration patterns, Reversed sexual size dimorphism, Behaviour, Food and feeding, Kleptoparasitism, Plumage polymorphism, Breeding systems and social organisation, Breeding - laying to hatching, Breeding - hatching to fledging, Population dynamics, Pollutants, Skuas and agriculture, Skuas and conservation. The text is supported by 100 maps and diagrams, 30 photographs and 65 tables. In addition, John Busby contributes 35 evocative drawings which more than embellish this erudite and readable summary of an impressive and diverse group of birds. Jacket paintings by John Busby.

The year he graduated from college, 22-year-old Noah Strycker was dropped by helicopter in a remote Antarctic field camp with two bird scientists and a three months' supply of frozen food. His subjects: more than a quarter million penguins. Compact, industrious, and approachable, the Adélie Penguins who call Antarctica home visit their breeding grounds each Antarctic summer to nest and rear their young before returning to sea. Because of long-term studies, scientists may know more about how these penguins will adjust to climate change than about any other creature in the world. Bird scientists like Noah are less well known. Like the intrepid early explorers of Antarctica, modern scientists drawn to the frozen continent face an utterly inhospitable landscape, one that inspires, isolates, and punishes. With wit, curiosity, and a deep knowledge of his subject, Strycker recounts the reality of life at the end of the Earth--thousand-year-old penguin mummies, hurricane-force blizzards, and day-to-day existence in below freezing temperatures--and delves deep into a world of science, obsession, and birds. Among Penguins weaves a captivating tale of penguins and their researchers on the coldest, driest, highest, and windiest continent on Earth. Birders, lovers of the Antarctic, and fans of first-person adventure narratives will be fascinated by Strycker's book.