"This is the most important book on bird population ecology for many years. It is not just of academic interest but should be read by anyone who is responsible for managing bird populations or for laying down policy as to how they should be managed."
--Jeremy J.D. Greenwood in HABITAT (October 1999)
"This book will be of tremendous interest and value to students, their lecturers, and field ornithologists, both amateur and professional, as a major source of information on bird populations, intelligently catalogued and clearly interpreted by one of the world's foremost ornithologists."
--Mark Holling in SCOTTISH BIRDS (September 1999)
"[Ian Newton] has done it again! Ian Newton's latest book is organized logically and sequentially, packed with information, and written 'in simple language in the hope that it will be of value not only for the professional ecologist, but for anyone with an interest in birds.' It is encyclopedic, an open sesame to the world's bird population literature. A tour de force. Every college library should have one or more copies. I recommend it without reservation."
--C. Stuart Houston in THE CANADIAN FIELD NATURALIST (September 1999)
"...provides a fresh and informed synthesis of a mass of scattered information from around the world, presenting it in a clear and coherent manner. It should be of value not only to be the research worker and student, but also to those concerned with the practical management of bird populations (whether for hunting, crop production or conservation), as well as to those interested in bird-watching as a hobby."
--Charles E. Keller in INDIANA AUDUBON QUARTERLY (August 1999)
"An impressive feature of this book is its organization and readability. The user-friendly style, however, does not result from diluted content. The text provides a rich array of detail and nuance that could only come from a lifetime of experience with detailed field studies."
--Jeffrey F. Kelley in AUK (July 1999)
"In an age of edited volumes fraught with uneven coverage of complex topics, it is refreshing to have one author with sufficient breadth and confidence to cover the scope of topic, especially one as broad as avian population ecology."
--J. Burger in CHOICE (June 1999)
"...this book is of a supreme high standard, as one would expect from this author. Ian Newton is well-known for his work on the Sparrowhawk, and before that on finches, especially the Bullfinch."
-AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE (1998)
"An abundance of examples worldwide illustrates the points and every page has something fascinating. It is clearly written and easily understood. If you are interested in the facts about bird numbers and what controls them, this is certainly for you."
--BIRD BOX
"The content of the book sticks very firmly to its title, with an impressive array of examples and comments: 1865 references and 734 bird species are cited. ...this highly readable book constitutes a very comprehensive and practical account of our knowledge on bird populations, with an incredible quantity of examples and illustrations."
--IBIS
This book is about the various factors that influence the population levels of wild birds, explaining why bird numbers vary in the way they do, from year to year or from place to place. It describes the role of territorial and other behaviours in influencing local densities, as well as the role of food-supplies, nest-sites, predation, disease and competition in limiting overall population levels. The many human impacts on bird populations, including those resulting from habitat destruction and fragmentation, pollution and pesticide use, and hunting are also discussed. The final chapter deals with the problems of extinction, highlighting the various factors involved.
The book is mainly based on the findings of a host of field studies, interpreted in the light of contemporary ecological theory. Thus it provides a fresh and informed synthesis of a mass of scattered information from around the world, presenting it in a clear and coherent manner. No other book gives such an up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of this important subject.
Despite the breadth and complexities of the area, the book is written in clear and simple language. It should therefore be of value not only to the research worker and student, but also to those concerned with the practical management of bird populations (whether for hunting, crop protection or conservation), as well as to those interested in bird-watching as a hobby.
