Special issue of Bird Conservation International, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal focusing on the conservation of birds and their habitats.

The apparent decline in numbers among many species of migratory songbirds is a timely subject in conservation biology, particularly for ornithologists, ecologists, and wildlife managers. This book is an attempt to discuss the problem in full scope. It presents an ambitious, comprehensive assessment of the current status of neotropical migratory birds in the U.S., and the methods and strategies used to conserve migrant populations. Each chapter is an essay reviewing and assessing the trend from a different viewpoint, all written by leaders in the fields of ornithology, conservation, and population biology.

Conservation of Tropical Birds has been written by four conservation biologists whose expertise spans all the tropical regions of the world. It is the first book to cover all the major issues in tropical bird conservation. Current problems faced by tropical bird conservationists are summarised and potential solutions outlined based on the results of case studies. Birds are key indicators of ecosystem health, and such a well-studied group of organisms, that they provide an excellent lens through which to examine global conservation problems caused by phenomena such as climate change, declines in ecosystem services, habitat loss, fires, overexploitation, and invasive species. Therefore, the book also provides an engaging synopsis of the general issues in conservation and the problems faced by other wildlife. This book serves as an important resource and companion to all people interested in observing and conserving birds in the tropics and elsewhere.

This unparalleled wealth of finely detailed ecological information on Neotropical bird communities will prove invaluable to all Neotropical wildlife managers, conservation biologists, and serious birders.

Thrushes, warblers, vireos, and tanagers are probably the most familiar of the Neotropical migrants—birds that breed in the United States and Canada, then journey to spend the winter in the Caribbean, Mexico, or southward. But this extraordinary group actually comprises a large number of diverse species, including waterfowl, shorebirds, terns, hawks, flycatchers, and hummingbirds. In their compendious review of information on these birds, Richard M. DeGraaf and John H. Rappole illuminate the need for a thorough understanding of the ecology of each species, one that exte4nds throughout the entire life cycle. The authors argue convincingly that conservation efforts must be based on such an understanding and carried out across a species' range—not limited to the breeding grounds. This book is the first to summarize in one volume much-needed practical data about the distribution and breeding habitat requirements of migratory birds in North and South America. The body of the book consists of natural history accounts of more than 350 species of Neotropical migrants, including a brief description of each bird's range, status, habitats on breeding grounds, nest site, and wintering areas. The authors provide a complete range map of each species' distribution in the Western Hemisphere as well as notes on the distribution—basic data that until recently have largely been unavailable in usable form to ornithologists and land and resource managers. An appendix lists species that are increasing or decreasing at significant rates in various physiographic regions of North America.