Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Antarctic Research Series, Volume 12. The birds of Antarctica, and particularly the penguins, have aroused man's interest and his scientific curiosity ever since he first learned of their existence less than two centuries ago. Yet scientific study of them has until recently been only a minor objective of the various expeditions that have visited this most recently discovered and still the least known and least accessible of the continents. The antarctic explorers of the 19th century regarded the birds essentially as a potential source of easily gathered food for men and sled-dogs—and they so used them well into the 20th century. What few bird data and specimens they brought back they acquired largely fortuitously.

Covers more than a thousand species. Accompanying text is full of facts.

Presents a cultural ethnography and a guide to the forest birds of southern Chile and Argentina. This title includes entries on fifty bird species, such as the Magellanic Woodpecker, Rufous-Legged Owl, Ringed Kingfisher, Buff-Necked Ibis, Giant Hummingbird, and Andean Condor.

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.

The first synthesis of current knowledge of forest and wetland birds in the world’s southernmost forests, this book contains both original work by Rozzi and Jiménez and the results of a decade of research conducted by the scientists associated with the Omora Park. The first part is a guide to the forest bird populations and habitats in the Reserve, and a summary of the data recorded for the bird species captured with mist-nets and banded. The information is given in two pages for each species, with English, Spanish, and scientific names, as well as a full-color photo, distribution maps, a table with original morphological information, a figure indicating abundance rates, and a brief description of the species’ main features. The second part is a selection of twenty-two published articles on ornithological research at Omora Park during its first decade of studies, from 2000 to 2010. Eleven of the twenty-two articles were originally published in Spanish and are here translated and available to a larger readership. The reprinting of these articles in one place provides interested scientists, students, and wildlife managers a unique and convenient resource. “This book has two important sources of information: original morphological data and the compilation of all publications about the birds in the southern extreme of South America. I think the book will have great significance.”—Victor R. Cueto, professor of natural sciences, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina “A wonderfully rich and in-depth contribution to Sub-Antarctic Ornithology.”—Julie Hagelin, senior research scientist, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

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.

Seabirds evoke the spirit of the earth's wildest places. They spend large portions of their lives at sea, often far from land, and nest on remote islands that humans rarely visit. Thanks to increasingly sophisticated and miniaturized devices that can track their every movement and behavior, it is now possible to observe the mysterious lives of these remarkable creatures as never before. This book takes you on a breathtaking journey around the globe to provide an extraordinary up-close look at the activities of seabirds. Featuring stunning illustrations by renowned artist Bruce Pearson, Far from Land reveals that seabirds are not the aimless wind-tossed wanderers they may appear to be, and explains the observational innovations that are driving this exciting area of research.