Partnerships in Birds
The Study of Monogamy
Published on 30. May 1996
Book
Paperback/Softback
432 pages
978-0-19-854860-7 (ISBN)
Description
Some birds mate for life, while others have many partners. In this book, fourteen studies are brought together to compare different partnership patterns from ecological and evolutionary perspectives. The subjects have been chosen to include the same species living in different habitats (Sparrowhawks) and at different population densities (Great Tits). There are comparisons between closely related species (Mute Swans and Bewick's Swans). The studies span the globe and the behavioural gradient, from Iceland's strictly monogamous Whooper Swans to Australia's sexually promiscuous Splendid Fairy-wrens. In all cases, sexual and social relationships strongly influence a bird's survival and breeding success.
Reviews / Votes
This book will fill you in on the most up-to-date scientific findings about monogamy ... excellent for students of the natural sciences and a must for professionals in this field. * Friederike Woog, WWT Slimbridge, Bookshelf * This book provides an impressive treatment, empirical and theoretical, of these and other issues related to avian monogramy. Fourteen fine chapters, based on long-term empirical studies of individual species in 12 different avian families, are sandwiched between opening and closing sections that deal with the theoretical issues related to monogramy. * J. David Ligon, University of New Mexico, Science, Vo. 276, April 1997 * This book is part of a series providing in-depth discussions of diverse topics in ornithology, ranging from general topics to species monographs ... a comprehensive review of avian monogamy. * Biological Abstracts, vol.49, issue 8 * the species chapters constitute a valuable reference source for all students of mating systems and the framing chapters a must for those who need to know the state of the art in avian divorce * Staffan Bensch, Animal Behaviour, 54,6 * the editor brings together an impressive collection of theoretical and empirical studies that address the evolution of mate fidelity and divorce ... Partnerships in Birds provides a good review of our current ideas about why so many birds are monogamous in the face of such sexual promiscuity. I recommend it to anyone interested in the evolution of avian reproductive strategies. * James Briskie, Ibis 140 *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
line figures, tables
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
658 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-854860-7 (9780198548607)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Content
INITIAL PERSPECTIVES ; 1. Introduction: pair bonds and partnerships ; 2. The battle of the sexes and the origins of monogamy ; 3. The model family ; CONTINUOUS PARTNERSHIPS ; 4. Long-term monogamy in a river specialist - the Blue Duck ; 5. Do Barnacle Geese benefit from life-long monogamy? ; 6. Mate fidelity in swans ; 7. Breeding partnrship in two New World jays ; 8. Partnerships in promiscuous Splendid Fairy-wrens ; PART-TIME PARTNERSHIPS ; 9. Divorce in the European Blackbird ; 10. Mate fidelity and divorce in ptarmigan ; 11. Causes and consequences of long-term partnerships in Cassin's Auklets ; 12. Monogamy in a long-lived seabird: the Short-tailed Shearwaters ; 13. Between and within-population variation in mate fidelity in the Great Tit ; 14. Monogamy in the Sparrowhawk ; 15. Mate fidelity in penguins ; 16. Causes and consequences of mate fidelity in Red-billed Gulls ; 17. Dispersal, demography, and the persistence of partnerships in Indigo Buntings ; Concluding Perspectives ; 18. Monogamy and sperm competition in birds ; 19. Mate fidelity and divorce in monogamous birds ; Author index ; Subject index