The first definitive work on the European Storm-petrel and its
relatives, by one of the world's leading experts. Imagine a bird as
small as a sparrow, which lives most of its life on the open ocean yet
can survive for decades. It walks on water, and migrates half way
around the world, returning to remote islands to breed underground,
often in the same rock crevice each year. At night it lays an enormous
egg, feeding its chick until the nestling weighs more than both
parents put together. It seems to have little fear of humans, but was
itself feared by ancient seafarers. This might sound like the stuff of
legend but is actually the description of a real creature, the
storm-petrel: walker on water, global wanderer, climate sentinel and
open-ocean survivor. In this beautifully written monograph, Rob Thomas
explores the remarkable life of the European Storm-petrel, comparing
and contrasting its behaviour and ecology across its range, and with
the other storm-petrels of the world. We learn about their evolution,
taxonomy, migration and adaptations to a life in the harsh open ocean,
while also discovering what these enigmatic seabirds are revealing
about what humans are doing to our planet. Illustrated with 150
photographs, and including the author's personal anecdotes and
observations, The Storm-petrels highlights some of the most exciting
recent research findings and sets a trajectory for future discoveries.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781472985804
Publisert
2024
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
T & AD Poyser
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter