The Magpies

The last decade or so has seen a number of field studies, in Europe and the States, into the intricacies of the magpie way of life. The author has studied both species of magpie in Europe and the United States, and provides, in this text, an account of their ecology and behaviour. He covers all aspects of their lives - from marital relationships, food hoarding behaviour, longevity and survival, to nesting behaviour, breeding success, and their controversial relationship with man.

Australian Magpie: Biology and Behaviour

The warbling and carolling of the Australian magpie are familiar to many although few of us recognise that it ranks among the foremost songbirds of the world. Its impressive vocal abilities, its propensity to play and clown, and its willingness to interact with people, make the magpie one of our most well-known birds.
This insightful book presents a comprehensive account of the behaviour of one of Australia's best-loved icons. It reveals the extraordinary capabilities of the magpie, including its complex social behaviour, in a highly readable text. The author brings together much of what we know about the magpie’s biology and behaviour, including her latest research on magpie vocalisation as well as aspects of anatomy, physiology, development and health not published previously

OPERATION CHOUGH. The Story of the Cornish Chough 

This splendid little book, with a Foreword by His Royal Highness, The Duke of Cornwall, and written by acknowledged experts, brings together a wealth of diverse information about this most fascinating and enigmatic crow."

• ASIN : B001C8ITMU
• Publisher : Glasgow University; First Edition (1 Jan. 1985)

Chatter of Choughs: An Anthology

A rich collection of specially commissioned work, featuring some of Britain's leading poets and scholars, Chatter of Choughs intertwines poetry, prose and illustrations with ornithological accounts of the chough's recent fortunes in Cornwall & further afield. Foreword by Jon Stallworthy, Afterword by Charles Thomas, and many new contributions in revised and expanded 2nd Edition.

The Cornish Chough

Publisher : D. Bradford Barton; First edition (1 Aug. 1971)

• Language : English
• Paperback : 44 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0851530214
• ISBN-13 : 978-0851530215

Ravens in Winter 

Why should ravens--which are usually solitary birds--share valuable food in the dead of winter? How clever are these birds? Do they have a language? These are some of the riddles that noted sociobiologist Bernd Heinrich, author of Bumblebee Economics and winner of the John Burroughs Medal, explores in this intriguing book. 16 pages of drawings.

The Raven: A Natural History in Britain and Ireland

Well-known throughout the Northern Hemisphere, the Raven has a prominent place in myth, legend, and history. This book presents a thorough summary of the current state of knowledge regarding the Raven's natural history, describing its present distribution, habitat requirements, calls, feeding habits, social behaviour, and population centres. The text focuses on the Raven's ecology in the United Kingdom, but is of interest worldwide to both amateurs and professionals. It contains useful comparisons of the Northern Hemisphere species. Brought to life through beautiful detailed illustrations, maps, and tables, this is a valuable study on one of the most spectacular and romantic of British birds.

Crows: A Study of the Corvids of Europe

The European Corvids form a more varied and colourful family of birds than is often realised. The native British species range from the sleek black raven, crow and rook to the grey-headed jackdaw, red-billed chough (plate shown opposite),black and white magpie and multi-coloured jay. Equally striking are the continental species-the Alpine chough, azure-winged magpie, Siberian jay and nutcracker.

This is the first book to be devoted entirely to these eleven species. Franklin Coombs, who has been studying the crow family for the past forty years, has distilled a vast amount of detailed research and has added the fruits of his own observations and fieldwork. The result is an authoritative and systematic, yet readable account of the life cycle and behaviour of each species :its field characteristics, a description of the adults, nestlings, juveniles and moult; distribution, posture and voice, and territory, nest site, nest building and eggs to fledging of young; roosting: predators, parasites, morbidity and mortality...

Crows and Jays

In no other group of perching birds has evolution produced such a degree of variation as in the 120 species of crows and jays that inhabit the world today. They range from the tiny Hume's Ground-jay of the steppe-highlands of Tibet to the huge Thick-billed Raven of the mountains of Ethiopia. Some are exceedingly beautiful in colour, grace, and form; others are sinister in appearance. Some appear in tales of mythology and superstition; others are merely regarded as agricultural pests. The great majority, however, remain largely unknown, coming into contact with humans mainly when their specialized habitats are destroyed. Over 20 species are now regarded as internationally endangered and some may disappear before we have a chance to learn much about them. This guide details all species of corvid, combining Steve Madge's authoritative text with 30 superb colour plates by Hilary Burn.

Crows and Jays: A Guide to the Crows, Jays and Magpies of the World

There are 120 species in the Corvid family, of which some are colourful and exotic and others are highly endangered. All species are illustrated and each plate is accompanied by an informative caption page summarizing the most important identification criteria, alongside colour distribution maps. The text provides a thorough review of all aspects of Corvid behaviour, distribution, population and taxonomy as well as the standard rigorous discussion of all matters relating to identification.

Birds of Paradise: Paradisaeidae

Birds of paradise have long played a central role in the mythologies, ceremonies, dress and dance of the peoples of New Guinea and its neighbouring islands. For the few centuries that these magnificent birds have been known outside of Australasia, their striking nuptial plumages and elaborate courtship rituals have captured the imagination of collectors, scientists, and naturalists throughout the world. The first part of the book provides a comprehensive and scientifically accurate overview of the biology, ecology, and history of the group, written so as to be interesting and accessible to the lay-reader as well as the scientist. The authors' intimate observations of the birds have enabled them to describe for the first time how the extravagant tails and plumage are used in courtship and mating as well as to describe their nesting biology, about which little has been written previously. The role of the birds of paradise in human culture and tradition is explored in chapter 7, and a final chapter discusses issues of conservation and threats to the survival of these unique and beautiful birds.

The Bowerbirds: Ptilonorhynchidae

The bowerbirds are confined to the great island of New Guinea and the island continent of Australia, and their immediately adjacent islands. They are medium-sized birds, omnivorous and largely solitary. They are unique in the avian world in that the males build elaborate 'bowers': structures of sticks, grasses or other plant stems on or close to the ground for display and courtship, often incorporating objects such as colourful fruits, flowers, feathers, bones, stones, shells, insect skeletons, and numerous other natural (and human-made) objects. The highly sophisticated building, decorating, collecting, arranging, thieving, singing, and courtship posturing and dancing by males is primarily to attract and impress females. As much of it is performed in the absence of females, however, some consider it possible that males may also enjoy such activities for their own sake. The bowers and the birds' behaviour associated with them have been much studied by behavioural ecologists searching for evolutionary and ecological explanations of behavioural patterns.