The Rarest Bird in the World

The Rarest Bird in the World PDF

Author: Vernon R. L Head

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2016-03-15

Total Pages: 88

ISBN-13: 1681771063

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Part detective story, part love affair, and pure adventure storytelling at its best, a celebration of the thrill of exploration and the lure of wild places during the search for the elusive Nechisar Nightjar. In 1990, a group of Cambridge scientists arrived at the Plains of Nechisar in Ethiopia. On that expedition, they collected more than two dozen specimens, saw more than three hundred species of birds, and a plethora of rare butterflies, dragonflies, reptiles, mammals, and plants. As they were gathering up their findings, a wing of an unidentified bird was packed into a brown paper bag. It was to become the most famous wing in the world. This wing would set the world of science aflutter. Experts were mystified. The wing was entirely unique. It was like nothing they had ever seem before. Could a new species be named based on just one wing? After much discussion, a new species was announced: Nechisar Nightjar, or Camprimulgus Solala, which means "only wing." And so birdwatchers like Vernon began to dream. Twenty-two years later, he joins an expedition of four to find this rarest bird in the world. In this gem of nature writing, Vernon captivates and enchants as he recounts the searches by spotlight through the Ethiopian plains, and allows the reader to mediate on nature, exploration, our need for wild places, and the human compulsion to name things. The Rarest Bird in the World is a celebration of a certain way of seeing the world, and will bring out the explorer in in everyone who reads it.

The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World

The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World PDF

Author: Vernon R. L. Head

Publisher:

Published: 2015-05-05

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781909930315

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

It is a meditation on nature, on ways of seeing, on the naming of things and why we feel so compelled to label. It is a story of friendships and camaraderie. But most of all it embraces and enfolds one into the curious and eye-opening world of the birdwatcher. For birdwatchers, twitchers, bird lovers, and about-to-become birdwatchers everywhere.

The World's Rarest Birds

The World's Rarest Birds PDF

Author: Erik Hirschfeld

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2013-03-17

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 1400844908

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

An illustrated survey of the world's most endangered birds This illustrated book vividly depicts the most endangered birds in the world and provides the latest information on the threats each species faces and the measures being taken to save them. Today, 571 bird species are classified as critically endangered or endangered, and a further four now exist only in captivity. This landmark book features stunning photographs of 500 of these species—the results of a prestigious international photographic competition organized specifically for this book. It also showcases paintings by acclaimed wildlife artist Tomasz Cofta of the 75 species for which no photos are known to exist. The World's Rarest Birds has introductory chapters that explain the threats to birds, the ways threat categories are applied, and the distinction between threat and rarity. The book is divided into seven regional sections—Europe and the Middle East; Africa and Madagascar; Asia; Australasia; Oceanic Islands; North America, Central America, and the Caribbean; and South America. Each section includes an illustrated directory to the bird species under threat there, and gives a concise description of distribution, status, population, key threats, and conservation needs. This one-of-a-kind book also provides coverage of 62 data-deficient species.

The Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird

The Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird PDF

Author: Alvin Powell

Publisher: Stackpole Books

Published: 2008-03-12

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 081174129X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

• Real-life scientific adventure • A thought-provoking exploration of how the Endangered Species Act works--and how it fails Thirty years ago, researchers discovered a previously unknown species of bird in the rain-soaked and remote mountains of Hawaii. As they studied the creature--which sported a black mask and was called the po'ouli--they soon learned that its population was shrinking quickly, and they worked frantically to find out what was killing the species and how they might prevent its extinction. This fast-paced account of their work, done in one of the world's most inhospitable environments, describes a stirring fight for survival. It also illustrates the challenge of protecting endangered species in a rapidly changing world.

Old Blue

Old Blue PDF

Author: Mary Elizabeth Taylor

Publisher:

Published: 2014-04-01

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 9781775432371

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"In 1979 the black robin of the Chatham Islands was on the brink of extinction, with only five birds left. When the Wildlife Service intervened to rescue them in 1980, there was only one female who could lay fertile eggs. She became known as Old Blue. Today there are 200 or more living black robins - all of them her descendants"--Publisher information.

Rare Birds of North America

Rare Birds of North America PDF

Author: Steve N. G. Howell

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2014-02-16

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 0691117969

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The first comprehensive illustrated guide to North America's vagrant birds Rare Birds of North America is the first comprehensive illustrated guide to the vagrant birds that occur throughout the United States and Canada. Featuring 275 stunning color plates, this book covers 262 species originating from three very different regions—the Old World, the New World tropics, and the world's oceans. It explains the causes of avian vagrancy and breaks down patterns of occurrence by region and season, enabling readers to see where, when, and why each species occurs in North America. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, taxonomy, age, sex, distribution, and status. Rare Birds of North America provides unparalleled insights into vagrancy and avian migration, and will enrich the birding experience of anyone interested in finding and observing rare birds. Covers 262 species of vagrant birds found in the United States and Canada Features 275 stunning color plates that depict every species Explains patterns of occurrence by region and season Provides an invaluable overview of vagrancy patterns and migration Includes detailed species accounts and cutting-edge identification tips

Spix's Macaw

Spix's Macaw PDF

Author: Tony Juniper

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2004-11-16

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 0743475518

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"Spix's Macaw tells the story of a unique band of brilliant blue birds - who talk, fall in love, and grieve - struggling against extinction. By the second half of the twentieth century the birds had become more valuable than heroin, worth thousands of dollars on the black market. In 1990, only one was found to be living in the wild and an emergency international rescue operation was launched, calling on private collectors to come forward with their birds to mate with the last wild Spix's." "In a breathtaking display of stoicism and endurance, the loneliest bird in the world had lived without a mate for fourteen years, outwitting predators and poachers. Would he take to a new companion? Like humans, Spix's Macaws can't be forced to love, but the stakes were as high as they could be: the survival of one of the world's most beautiful birds."--BOOK JACKET.

Facing Extinction

Facing Extinction PDF

Author: Paul Donald

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2013-12-19

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 1408189666

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Examines extinction in birds, with case studies of critically endangered species and the research initiatives designed to save them.

Imperial Dreams

Imperial Dreams PDF

Author: Tim Gallagher

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2013-04-16

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 1439191530

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A decade ago, Tim Gallagher was one of the rediscoverers of the legendary ivory-billed woodpecker, which most scientists believed had been extinct for more than half a century—now Gallagher once again hits the trail, journeying deep into Mexico’s savagely beautiful Sierra Madre Occidental, home to rich wildlife, as well as to Mexican drug cartels, in a perilous quest to locate the most elusive bird in the world—the imperial woodpecker. The imperial woodpecker’s trumpetlike calls and distinctive hammering on massive pines once echoed through the high forests. Two feet tall, with deep black plumage, a brilliant snow-white shield on its back, and a crimson crest, the imperial woodpecker had largely disappeared fifty years ago, though reports persist of the bird still flying through remote mountain stands. In an attempt to find and protect the imperial woodpecker in its last habitat, Gallagher is guided by a map of sightings of this natural treasure of the Sierra Madre, bestowed on him by a friend on his deathbed. Charged with continuing the quest of a line of distinguished naturalists, including the great Aldo Leopold, Gallagher treks through this mysterious, historically untamed and untamable territory. Here, where an ancient petroglyph of the imperial can still be found, Geronimo led Apaches in their last stand, William Randolph Hearst held a storied million-acre ranch, and Pancho Villa once roamed, today ruthless drug lords terrorize residents and steal and strip the land. Gallagher’s passionate quest takes a harrowing turn as he encounters armed drug traffickers, burning houses, and fleeing villagers. His mission becomes a life-and-death drama that will keep armchair adventurers enthralled as he chases truth in the most dangerous of habitats.

The Birds of America

The Birds of America PDF

Author: John James Audubon

Publisher:

Published: 1842

Total Pages: 476

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This edition has 65 new images, making a total of 500. The original configurations were altered so that there is only one species per plate. The text is a revision of the Ornithological Biography, rearranged according to Audubon's Synopsis of the Birds of North America (1839).