"This is an extraordinarily detailed, comprehensive, and technical book. ...It is a researcher's dream and will be eagerly read by seabird scientists and enthusiasts."
—BIRD WATCHER'S DIGEST (January/February 2002)
"The author clearly has a vast and fundamental grasp of the petrel literature, presented in an easy to read and clear form. John Warham is a master of understanding these birds and his contributions are an invaluable resource and service to all. His books are the place to begin when dealing with these birds."
--PACIFIC SEABIRDS
"The volume under review lives up to the reputation established by the earlier book. The two volumes are, in fact, a remarkable achievement for one person, and a large debt of gratitude is owed to Warham for this magnificent contribution to seabird biology."
--G. Causey Whittow in THE PHYSIOLOGIST
"I recommend this book unreservedly for anyone who has the slightest interest in Petrels, Shearwaters or Albatrosses."
--Angus Erskine in SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS MAGAZINE
"Dr. Warham deserves the gratitude of all who are interested in petrels for the effort that he has put into this book, which brings together and assimilates a vast amount of information."
--G. Causey Whittow in BIOLOGIST
"In preparation of this book, John Warham has pooled together his own unequalled life long interest and knowledge, of petrels together with researchers from around the world. This has resulted in an outstanding publication on the lives and workings of the Petrels... This book has a wealth of knowledge to offer."
--SOUTHERN OCEAN SEABIRD STUDY ANNUAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
"Truly an exceptional book from an exceptional author."
--Lindsay E. Smith,Editor ALBATROSS
"Great stuff!"
--Harry Battam, N.S.W. ALBATROSS STUDY GROUP (DIVISION OF SOSSA)
"Must get a copy!"
--Peter Prince, BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY
"The author's scholarship is meticulous, considered, and bang up-to-date. This book is a most impressive achievement."
--The IBIS
"It should be appreciated by seabird biologists in particular and by all ornithologists interested in the comparative method."
--EMU
"An impressive achievement. John Warham is to be congratulated on producing an excellent book that will be an essential part of every ornithological library."
--JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
"...a book which stands with few equals in modern-day publishing in ecology and ornithology."
--THE JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
"This is an essential book for seabird biologists."
--The AUK
"Authoritative yet accessible, it deserves and will reward a much wider readership."
--BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY NEWS
"This volume will certainly stand well into the next century."
--JOURNAL OF FIELD ORNITHOLOGY
"This impressive volume is the much awaited companion work of John Warham's earlier benchmark book on the Order Procellariforms entitled
The Petrels: Their Ecology and Breeding Systems. The second volume is as remarkable as the first for its meticulous scholarship and accuracy. It forms an essential resource for all marine ornithologists and ecologists, as well as conservation biologists and managers. The author is to be congratulated for an outstanding accomplishment and major contribution."
--David N. Nettleship in COLONIAL WATERBIRDS (June 1999)
"This is an excellent book which will be invaluable to all who study the procellariforms, both as a backgrounder and an introduction to the literature. It should be in every library of seabird books."
--M.J. Imber in NOTORNIS
"This is an essential book for seabird biologists."
--THE AUK (September 1999)
The petrels, or tubenosed birds, include the shearwaters, albatrosses, and the storm, diving and gadfly petrels. As a group they enjoy worldwide distribution and often form a major part of their marine communities. Their long distance migrations, complex social behaviour and colonial breeding habits comprise an ideal setting for the study of comparative ecology, in addition to the importance of their role in the food web of the world's oceans.
Over a lifetime's work with the group, John Warham has firmly established himself as one of the foremost experts on these birds. In this book he completes the major survey started in his earlier work,
The Petrels: their ecology and breeding systems. Chapters deal with population dynamics, distribution and migration, feeding and social behaviour, physiology, anatomy, evolution and conservation. The text is comprehensive, well illustrated and fully referenced.
Together with the earlier, companion volume, this encyclopaedic treatment presents an amazingly detailed, yet accessible introduction to this important, much studied bird family, both for the biologist, the conservation manager and the dedicated amateur ornithologist.
