Where Have All the Birds Gone? Essays on the Biology and Conservation of Birds That Migrate to the American Tropics [Paperback]

John Terborgh (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0691024286 | ISBN-13: 978-0691024288 | Publication Date: December 1, 1989

"Things are going wrong with our environment," writes John Terborgh, "even the parts of it that are nominally protected. If we wait until all the answers are in, we may find ourselves in a much worse predicament than if we had taken notice of the problem earlier. By waiting, one risks being too late; on the other hand, there can be no such thing as being too early." Terborgh's warnings are essential reading for all who care about migratory birds and our natural environment. Why are tropical migrant species disappearing from our forests? Can we save the birds that are left? Terborgh takes a more comprehensive view of migratory birds than is usual--by asking how they spend their lives during the half-year they reside in the tropics. By scrutinizing ill-planned urban and suburban development in the United States and the tropical deforestation of Central and South America, he summarizes our knowledge of the subtle combination of circumstances that is devastating our bird populations. This work is pervaded by Terborgh's love for the thrushes, warblers, vireos, cuckoos, flycatchers, and tanagers that inhabited his family's woodland acreage while he was growing upbirds that no longer live there, in spite of the preservation of those same woods as part of a county park. The book is a tour of topics as varied as ecological monitoring, the plight of the Chesapeake wetlands, the survival struggle of Central American subsistence farmers, and the management of commercial forests.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a splendid book, simultaneously fascinating and frightening.... For the birds' sake, read this book! -- Naturalist Review, Audubon Naturalist Society

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (December 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691024286
• ISBN-13: 978-0691024288
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #812,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Silent Spring, June 14, 2007

By 

Brian Allen "neotropical birding" (Manistee, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Where Have All the Birds Gone? Essays on the Biology and Conservation of Birds That Migrate to the American Tropics (Paperback)

Dry statistics such as the research showing 60% fewer migrant songbirds returning from the tropics have little impact when told even to conservation minded people. John Terborgh writes the description of the forests, fields and shores as they have changed with the decline in bird populations so that the loss is graphic based on the ground with field observations. This is more painfull and effective in impact and yet he provides inspiration to do something about it. This is a non-fiction book written by a biologist but he writes as well as any novelist creating an easily read, interesting and informative book.

Many of the chapters explain what is changing in areas that the birds from North America spend the winter. There are suggestions on how to promote better conservation practices as exist in countries like Costa Rica and what could be done to assist countries such as El Salvadore and Haiti where almost no natural habitat remains.

This book has had a major impact in my life and after reading it I have dedicated much time, energy and funding to projects that help people protect habitat. I have been suprised that many people that I have strongly recommended this book to have declined to read it fearing that they would be too depressed about the population and habitat studies that Terbough relates in this book. Don't make that mistake, this book will arm you with the information and the motivation you may need to make a positive contribution.