How Birds Migrate [Paperback]

Paul Kerlinger (Author), Pat Archer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995

Unveils the mysteries of bird migration. Ornithologist Paul Kerlinger writes in an engaging style for all bird lovers.

"An excellent, popular, yet authoritative explanation." --Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is an excellent, popular, yet authoritative explanation of bird migration by the former director of Cape May Bird Observatory. The widely published Kerlinger (The Book of Owls, Univ. of Texas Pr., 1993) is an authority on owl and hawk migration and is widely published. Here he confronts the mystery and complexity of the unbelievable travels of birds: how and why, for example, a hummingbird that weighs one-sixth of an ounce flies from breeding grounds in New Hampshire to winter in Costa Rica. A major virtue is the insertion of hundreds of "case studies" to illustrate the author's analysis and points set off from the rest of the text. Worldwide in scope, the book's chapters concern how migration is studied, why it takes place, barriers, rest stops, flocking behavior, speed and distance, navigation, conservation, mechanics of flight, flight height and strategy, and day and night migrations. A provocative inquiry; highly recommended.
Henry T. Armistead, formerly with Thomas Jefferson Univ. Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

This appeared some time ago but deserves ongoing mention as an excellent discussion of the mysteries of migration. Each chapters here focuses on a single aspect of migration, revealing the unusual complexity underlying questions about bird migration processes. Ornithologist Kerlinger provides a lively blend of case study questions and scientific answers which include plenty of maps for at-a-glance details. A fine presentation. -- Midwest Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books; 1st edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811724441
• ISBN-13: 978-0811724449
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,131,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Scientific inquiry and observation, October 2, 2005

By 

algo41 "algo41" (philadelphia, pa United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Birds Migrate (Paperback)

Kerlinger is a true scientist, and an avid birdwatcher with a passion for his subject. I don't share his passion, and found some of his case histories neither interesting nor illuminating. There is also a bit of needless repetition. I would still very much recommend this book. Bird migrations are remarkable, and most of us have at least some interest in the habits of the birds around us. This is a well organized book, and it is built around scientific inquiry, and observation, and the theories that result. There is still much to be learned, which is both good and bad. Sometimes there are interesting alternative theories, and sometimes Kerling has to simply point to gaps in knowledge. The production values are high, ie. the various typesets and illustrations. While "finding the way" is the most important chapter from my viewpoint, it turns out there are many other issues related to migration. Incidentally, in the "Finding the Way" chapter, there is one important omission: Kerlinger brings up the subject of straight line routes vs. great circle routes, gives evidence that at least sometimes birds use the longer straight line routes, then writes (p.149): "Some migrants do seem to use great circle routes, but ....". What follows the "but" is off topic, and in fact great circle routes never explicitly come up again.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book on bird migration. Could have been more up to date in some areas., July 25, 2010

By 

Markus Jais - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Birds Migrate (Paperback)

Bird migration is one of the most fascinating topics in ornithology. Many books have been published about the subject from general overviews to huge scientific volumes. As the Paul Kerlinger writes in the preface, he hopes "to fill a gap in the literature that exists between technical and popular presentations".
This, I think, he did successfully. The book is easy two read while containing a huge amount of detail about one of the greatest phenomenons in nature.
The book covers why birds migrate, how scientists study migration, why some birds migrate by day and others by night, the importance of rest stops along the migration route, how birds find the ways, how high they fly and much more.
I especially liked the chapter on bird flight. This is a complex topic and not easy to explain but the author did a great job here.
I also liked the chapter on conservation of migratory species which is getting a lot of attention today by leading conservation organisations.
The main focus of the book is on North American and European species. There is not much about Asian species or the migration of birds within the tropics. This is understandable though, as most migration research has been done on European and North American species.
I also l liked that the authors often discusses bird migration from an evolutionary point of view and also explains where there are still gaps in our knowledge on how bird migration evolved.

What could be better? The 2nd edition, which is reviewed here, was published in 2009 but apparently not much was done to bring it completely up to date. For example, satellite telemetry is only mentioned very shortly despite the great amount of knowledge it generated during the last 15 years about many species like White Storks, Lesser Spotted Eagles and many others.
Also, the Recommended Resources for further reading have not been updated. The newest book mentioned there was published in 1991.
None of the great books published since, like The Migration Ecology of Birds by Ian Newton (published in 2007 and the biggest and best book on bird migration ever published) or Birds of Two Worlds: The Ecology and Evolution of Migration (published in 2005).
I think those topics could have easily been updated.

Beside this, I think "How birds migrate" is a great book and a fascinating read for anyone interested in bird migration. If you want to get more details, also get the other books mentioned above, especially Ian Newtons The Migration Ecology of Birds.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Case studies and drawings explain the basics of flight, flight strategy, and the science involved in bird migration, October 16, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Birds Migrate (Paperback)

Paul Kerlinger was director of the New jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory for seven years and offers a revised edition considering migration. Case studies and drawings explain the basics of flight, flight strategy, and the science involved in bird migration processes, offering a survey of scientific investigations into bird patterns. Any general lending library will find this a fine acquisitions.