Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America : : A Photographic Guide / / Steve N. G. Howell.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Princeton University Press eBook-Package Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Howell, Steve N. G.,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2012]; ©2012
• Year of Publication: 2012
• Edition: Course Book
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (512 p.) :; 975 photos and figs. 66 maps.

Petrels, albatrosses, and storm-petrels are among the most beautiful yet least known of all the world's birds, living their lives at sea far from the sight of most people. Largely colored in shades of gray, black, and white, these enigmatic and fast-flying seabirds can be hard to differentiate, particularly from a moving boat. Useful worldwide, not just in North America, this photographic guide is based on unrivaled field experience and combines insightful text and hundreds of full-color images to help you identify these remarkable birds. The first book of its kind, this guide features an introduction that explains ocean habitats and the latest developments in taxonomy. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features such as flight manner, plumage variation related to age and molt, seasonal occurrence patterns, and migration routes. Species accounts are arranged into groups helpful for field identification, and an overview of unique identification challenges is provided for each group. The guide also includes distribution maps for regularly occurring species as well as a bibliography, glossary, and appendixes. The first state-of-the-art photographic guide to these enigmatic seabirds Includes hundreds of full-color photos throughout Features detailed species accounts that describe flight, plumage, distribution, and more Provides overviews of ocean habitats, taxonomy, and conservation Offers tips on how to observe and identify birds at sea

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Species Covered -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- How to Use This Book -- Introduction -- Petrels: Procellariidae -- The Audubon's Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri) Complex -- Albatrosses: Diomedeidae -- The Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta) Complex -- The Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans) Complex -- Storm-Petrels: Oceanitidae and Hydrobatidae -- The Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma castro) Complex -- The Leach's Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) Complex -- Abbreviati ons and Terminology -- Appendix A: Rcently Extinct Species -- Appendix B. Hypothetical Records -- Literature Cited -- Index