Hornbills are among the world’s most distinct birds. Easily recognized by their oversized beaks adorned with large casques, they range from Africa to India and throughout Asia. One of the oldest bird orders, they have been known to mankind for millennia and loom large in the mythology of indigenous cultures of tropical Asia. In the past thirty years, ecologists have uncovered many fascinating aspects of hornbill biology, from their unique nest-sealing behavior to their roles as farmers of the forest. Building on fourteen years of research, Margaret F. Kinnaird and Timothy G. O’Brien offer in Ecology and Conservation of Asian Hornbills the most up-to-date information on the evolution, reproduction, feeding ecology, and movement patterns of thirty-one species of Asian hornbills. The authors address questions of ecological functionality, ecosystem services, and keystone relationships, as well as the disturbing influence of forest loss and fragmentation on hornbills. Complemented by superb full-color images by renowned photographer Tim Laman that provide rare glimpses of hornbills in their native habitat and black-and-white illustrations by Jonathan Kingdon that highlight the intriguing aspects of hornbill behavior, Ecology and Conservation of Asian Hornbills will stand tall in the pantheon of natural history studies for years to come.

Introducing a major new series... Bird Families of the World Editors: Christopher Perrins, Walter J. Bock, Jiro Kikkawa Providing the most comprehensive and up-to-date information available. Bird Families of the World is a new multi-volume series of handbooks, intended to serve the interests of both the professional scientist and the ever-growing body of amateur ornithologists. Each volume will provide acomprehensive and accurate synthesis of our knowledge of one bird family or several related families. Features include:- * Authoritative chapters on the birds' biology, feeding, ecology, breeding behaviour, evolutionary relationships and conservation * Specially commissioned colour plates by leading artists * Black and white drawings illustrating special features and behaviour * Full bibliography and index The Hornbills is a comprehensive account of all 54 species of these fascinating birds known for their interesting social behaviour and nesting habits. Introductory chapters provide a detailed overview of the family. These are followed by the 54 species accounts, each one giving a completedescription of the bird in its natural state. Much of the information is based on the author's own research in Africa and Asia.

Chasing Hornbills charts Simon Fenton's further adventures in Senegal. Now a father, and expanding his business interests to include a taxi firm and a restaurant, he continues to face the everyday frustrations and exhilarations that made Squirting Milk at Chameleons such a compelling and entertaining read. But as his understanding of Senegalese life and culture grows, so do questions about his future. Will the Accidental African settle permanently in his adopted home, or will he give up and return to his old familiar life?

Once headhunters under the rule of White Rajahs and briefly colonised before independence within Malaysia, the Iban Dayaks of Borneo are one of the world's most extraordinary indigenous tribes, possessing ancient traditions and a unique way of life. As a young man Erik Jensen settled in Sarawak where he lived with the Iban for seven years, learning their language and the varied rites and practices of their lives. He was also witness to the great and often shattering changes they faced then and continue to face today. The plentiful harvests, abundant game and rivers teeming with fish of their remembered past have long since disappeared - destroyed by restrictions on settlement and, ironically, by forest conservation. The Iban's animist beliefs are slowly being replaced by the imported religions of Christianity and Islam and their traditional ways by modern schooling and medicine. In this compelling and beautifully-wrought memoir, Erik Jensen reveals the challenges facing the Iban as they adapt to another century, whilst fighting to preserve their identity and singular place in the world. Haunting, yet hopeful, Where Hornbills Fly opens a window onto a vanishing world and paints a remarkable portrait of this fragile tribe, which continues to survive deep in the heart of Borneo.

The tale of an Englishman making a life for himself in SenegalKhady pulled out a breast and with a deadly aim fired milk at the chameleon. "If I don't offer it milk, our son will grow up to look like a lizard," she explained. Clearly I had a lot to learn about life in Africa.On the cusp of middle age, Simon Fenton leaves Britain in search of adventure and finds Senegal, love, fatherhood, witch doctors—and a piece of land that could make a perfect guest house, if only he knew how to build one. The Casamance is an undiscovered paradise here mystic Africa governs life, people walk to the beat of the djembe, when it rains it pours, and the mangoes are free. But the fact that his name translates to "vampire" and he has had a curse placed on him via the medium of eggs could mean Simon's new life may not be so easy.