Ecology and Management of Neotropical Migratory Birds: A Synthesis and Review of Critical Issues [Paperback]

Thomas E. Martin (Editor), Deborah M. Finch (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 1995

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ecology and Management of Neotropical Migratory Birds provides the best review yet of the scientific issues surrounding migrants."--Science

"The 17 chapters of this book provide a detailed examination of ecology and management of neotropical migratory birds. . .Ornithologists and conservation biologists will be interested in this book. Recommended." --Wildlife Activist

"This volume seeks to summarize an aspect of our knowledge of birds that largely breed in temperate North America and migrate into Latin America. . . .The editors and most of the authors did an excellent job, serving well those in conservation biology. . . .I do enthusiastically recommend this volume to anyone interested in the ecology and management of landbirds. . .A good source of current knowledge of trends of landbird populations and some potential causes of these changes. . .A good foundation for further work."--Ecology

"Overall, this book is very satisfying, with much information presented in a very readable and assessable manner."--The Prairie Naturalist

"Martin and Finch have succeeded in their aims. This is a welcome addition to my bookshelf. It will be useful to university instructors, to environmental activists, to policy analysts, as well as to researchers and the land management community for which it is intended. The multiple author approach has provided the seasoning of ideas that the editors desired. The scholarship is high-quality throughout. . . . Buy the book and use it. Appreciate the extreme difficulty faced quite forthrightly and courageously by the land managers in the trenches. They must act, for lack of manipulation is a management action as much as is extensive manipulation. This volume is a lantern they can use to illuminate some of the poorly marked guideposts for their decision-making."--The Condor

"With its primary focus on the owrldwide decline in number among migratory songbird species, this book provides a comprehensive review of what we know about species in the United States and how we are addressing their decline from a management standpoint. . .An exceptional review of the literature on this timely topic."--Northern Naturalist

About the Author

Thomas E. Martin, Natural Biological Survey, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Montana. Deborah M. Finch, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service, Arizona.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 19, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195084527
• ISBN-13: 978-0195084528
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,175,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Summarize existing research and call for more, May 27, 2003

By 

Gary Sprandel (Frankfort, Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ecology and Management of Neotropical Migratory Birds: A Synthesis and Review of Critical Issues (Paperback)

This 1995 publication contains 17 chapters reviewing current research of critical issues of the ecology and conservation of neotropical migratory birds. Although the title implies "management", the number of specific management recommendations varies depending upon the author, taxonomic group or geographic area being discussed. In all the chapters, is an overwhelming call for more research.

Tallahassee's own Dr. James and Charles McCulloch, provided a key paper, on the strength of inferences about causes. Often it is easy to blame one source or another for declines, but this paper helps understand the need for "true experiment".

An interesting series is four chapters on temporal perspectives on population limitation, including a discussion of summer versus winter limitation, habitat use in the neoptropics, and habitat requirements during migration. The chapter on insect outbreaks and other perturbations (such as climate) by Rotenberry et al was important perspective, particular here in Florida, where a hurricane can change the vegetative characteristics of an area overnight.

The middle six chapters discuss forest management, and other human effects such as agricultural practices (this chapter was particularly eye opening: with 52% of the land area in the 48 contiguous states).

The final section on landscape scale perspectives, provided problems of management at different scales, from a local clear-cut to continental scale. This perhaps might have been frustrating to the land manager seeking to understand how to manage his 1000 acres, or what to do about the cowbirds that are impacting wood thrush.

There are other threats such as West Nile Virus, exotic species, and perhaps global warming that may become important in the future. Perhaps Faaborg's "Saving migrant birds"... may provide other insights.