Woodpeckers of Europe: A Study of the European Picidae

This is a personal and well researched account of the European Picidae through the author's lifetime study of these fascinating birds. The book covers all aspects of the natural history of the ten species including evolution, taxonomy, topography, flight patterns and drumming. There are full detailed accounts of each species. Other chapters deal with their country status, forestry, their relationship with man and other fauna, and field observation. Illustrated with ten colour plates and with over 70 original drawings by the prize-winning artist Szabolcs Kokay.

Woodpeckers of the World: The Complete Guide

Woodpeckers remain one of the most popular families of birds, and they are certainly one of the more unusual. Their legendary ability to excavate holes in wood is well known, and they are uniquely adapted for living in trees - though a few species have become more adapted to ground-dwelling. The family ranges from the tiny piculets of tropical forests to the mighty Imperial Woodpecker of Mexico, sadly now extinct. In between there is a considerable variety of species, all of a roughly similar shape and design, inhabiting forests and woodlands through the world except Australasia and Antarctica.
This book is the first definitive guide to woodpeckers; it covers all 239 species. Detailed text looks in detail at the biology of the birds, with particular emphasis on field identification, along with voice, habitat, status, racial variation and distribution. The text is accompanied by a series of high-quality photographs more than 300 images, carefully selected to highlight identification criteria. Each species entry is completed by an accurate colour range map.

Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide

The definitive guide to all 239 species of woodpecker. This book follows closely the successful field guide format of Owls of the World, published by Firefly Books Ltd. and praised by Science Books and Film (among others) in a starred review: "The highlights of Owls of the World are the stunning photographs used to illustrate each species as well as the introductory section... a valued addition as a reference for bird enthusiasts and libraries." Booklist praised Owls of the World for its "good value and quality for the price," and Choice remarked that it "should become a standard reference" on the species. Woodpeckers of the World is the first definitive guide to all 239 species of woodpecker. Beautiful colour photographs of male, female and juvenile woodpeckers taken in their natural habitat reveal the birds' colouring, markings, and sexual dimorphism. Detailed text looks at general woodpecker biology, followed by 239 detailed species accounts. Identification notes are followed by brief entries on food, voice, drumming, habitat, status, distribution, geographic variation and confusion species. Each entry features at least two, usually three, high-quality photographs showing an adult male, an adult female and a juvenile. In all, more than 700 carefully selected images highlight identification criteria. Each species entry also contains an accurate range map. Woodpeckers, an order that includes some of the oldest avian lineages, are one of the most popular families of birds, and they are certainly one of the more unusual. Their ability to excavate holes in wood is legendary. The family ranges from the tiny piculets of tropical forests to the mighty Imperial Woodpecker of Mexico, sadly now extinct. In between, there is a considerable variety of species inhabiting forests and woodlands on all continents except Australasia and Antarctica. Woodpeckers of the World is an informative, fact-filled and beautifully illustrated guide to a group beloved by all birders.

RSPB Spotlight Woodpeckers

Three species of woodpecker are resident in the UK: the Green Woodpecker, often seen on lawns and in fields; the Great Spotted Woodpecker, a frequent visitor at garden bird-feeders; and the tiny Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, sadly now in decline. The Wryneck - which twists its neck 'like a snake' when threatened - also passes through the UK on its yearly migration and has captivated people throughout the ages. Gerard Gorman provides a close-up look at the lives of these birds, from their anatomy, diet and nesting habits to their iconic drumming behaviour. He also explores the relationship that humans have enjoyed with woodpeckers for centuries, in folklore, myth and conservation, and gives tips on how to observe these wonderful birds in the wild.

Handbook of the Birds of the World: Jacamars to Woodpeckers

This volume covers Jacamars, puffbirds, barbets, honeyguides, toucans and woodpeckers. Each chapter, headed by a summary box, deals with a different family, and it is subdivided into sections: systematics; morphological aspects; habitat; general habits; voice; food and feeding; breeding; movements; relationship with man; status and conservation; a general bibliography and detailed species accounts. The species accounts include names in French, German and Spanish, in addition to scientific and English names. Each species features taxonomic notes; subspecies and distribution; habitat; food and feeding; breeding; movements; status and conservation and a selected bibliography.

A Life in the Trees: A Personal Account of the Great Spotted Woodpecker

The Great Spotted Woodpecker first bred in Ireland in 2009. Since then the author has followed the daily lives of this species, a family of whom had taken up residence in a wind-torn Spanish chestnut tree near his home in the depths of County Wicklow. This unique and personal account of a family of woodpeckers raising their young brings the reader deep into the world of this fascinating species: a world of hope, love, death, new life and ultimately success. It explores the richness and diversity of the natural wonders found in County Wicklow against a backdrop of a more general overview of the species in Ireland.; It includes a foreword by filmmaker John Boorman, andfeatures illustrations by Killian Mullarney and Flemming Christoffersen with stunning colour photographs by Dick Coombes. This book is to be treasured by everyone - not just ornithologists, but those with an interest in the natural world around them.

The Black Woodpecker: A Monograph on Dryocopus Martiu

This comprehensive monograph covers all aspects of the life of one of the largest and most striking picids on the planet. Morphology, identification, communication, distribution, behaviour, breeding and relationships, both with other wildlife and mankind, are just some of the topics covered in thirteen highly readable and authoritative chapters. The text is enriched by two exquisite colour plates, original black-and-white illustrations, unique drumming waveforms and sonograms of calls, accurate maps and superb colour photographs. An extensive bibliography includes works in many languages. Gerard Gorman has supplemented his long hours in the company of Black Woodpeckers with in-depth literature research to produce the definitive work on this species. The Black Woodpecker is a personal account written for all, whether professional or amateur, who are interested in woodpeckers and indeed all forest birds.

Woodpeckers of North America

The distinctive behaviour and sound of woodpeckers make them easy to hear and interesting to watch. Woodpeckers of North America specifically covers all species of woodpeckers found in the United States, Canada and northern Mexico.

Woodpeckers are renowned for their cavity-excavating abilities. Although trees and telephone poles are the choice of most woodpeckers, desert dwellers frequently excavate nests in cacti. While all eat insects, many drink tree sap, eat acorns, and consume other surprising foods.

Woodpeckers are distinguished by several anatomical features, including:

• short legs and long toes to assist in climbing
• a head built to withstand repeated hammering
• a long, straight bill designed for chopping wood
• a long tongue with a barbed end to extract hidden prey
• nostrils covered with feathers to keep them free of wood debris.

The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

All who seek the elusive Ivory-billed Woodpecker rely on this elegant treatise from 1942, an extensive profile of the species' characteristics and habits that includes its original distribution patterns; the history of its disappearance; and its feeding, nesting, and breeding habits. 20 halftones, 17 tables, 22 other illustrations.

A Stillness in the Pines: The Ecology of the Red Cockaded Woodpecker

"A wonderful book . . . will be enjoyed by anyone with interest in either birds or the impact that humanity is having on its fellow travellers on spaceship earth." ? Paul R. Ehrlich, author of The Population Bomb From eastern Texas the remnants of a once-magnificent forest, nurtured by moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, extend a thousand miles to the Atlantic shore and as far north as Chesapeake Bay. This unique woodland gave birth to two woodpeckers, one large? the ivory-billed woodpecker, which has not been sighted in over ten years and which is almost surely extinct? and the other small? the red-cockaded woodpecker, which may yet be saved. What distinguishes this bird from others is its unique niche. Its adaptations make it totally dependent on pine trees in an open forest. This ecosystem? that of the loblolly pine tree forest? is the bird's onlly habitat. But these southeastern pine trees are valuable natural resources. Having withstood the ravages of nature for thousands of years, it is now entirely possible that the woodpecker will be lost because of a combination of "benign neglect" and commercial interests.

Looking for the Ivory-billed-Woodpecker in eastern Cuba

The author tells how he was involved in a project to find a bird almost extinct, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. That situation gave him the opportunity to participate, between 1985 and 1993, in a series of scientific expeditions to the region of the spring sources of Toa and Moa, one of the least explored by Zoologists in Cuba. The book presents abundant photographic and documentary material related to the project.

Imperial Dreams: Tracking the Imperial Woodpecker

Explorer and naturalist Tim Gallagher is obsessed with rare birds. A decade ago, Gallagher was one of the rediscoverers of the legendary ivory-billed woodpecker, which most scientists believed had been extinct for more than half a century—an event that caused an international stir. Now, in Imperial Dreams, Gallagher once again hits the trail, journeying deep into Mexico’s savagely beautiful Sierra Madre Occidental, home to rich wildlife, as well as to Mexican drug cartels, in a perilous quest to locate the most elusive bird in the world—the imperial woodpecker, a giant among its clan.
The imperial woodpecker’s trumpetlike calls and distinctive hammering on massive pines once echoed through the high forests. Two feet tall, with deep black plumage, a brilliant snow-white shield on its back, and a crimson crest, the imperial woodpecker had largely disappeared fifty years ago, though reports persist of the bird still flying through remote mountain stands. In an attempt to find and protect the imperial woodpecker in its last habitat, Gallagher is guided by a map of sightings of this natural treasure of the Sierra Madre, bestowed on him by a friend on his deathbed. Charged with continuing the quest of a line of distinguished naturalists, including the great Aldo Leopold, Gallagher treks through this mysterious, historically untamed and untameable territory.

Remarkable Woodpeckers

Professional naturalist and wildlife photographer Stan Tekiela is fascinated by woodpeckers. For 10 years he travelled the country, studying and photographing various woodpecker species. He documented every aspect of their lives, from egg to adult. The result is an incredible portrayal of woodpeckers in one unforgettable book. From their striking plumage to their industrious method of getting food, every aspect of their lives will help you develop an appreciation for these wondrous birds.

Life Histories of North American Woodpeckers

Indiana is proud to publish this lavish book, the first properly designed and professionally illustrated edition of any of Arthur Cleveland Bent's Life Histories of North American Birds. For the first time in this century, one of Bent's books is now available in an appropriate format, handsome library bindings, a modern attractive typeface, and with magnificent original paintings. Eventually, Zimmerman and the Press expect to republish the entire series in this new format.
Everyone who develops a serious interest in birds soon discovers Bent's Life Histories. He began work on the project in 1910 at the request of the Smithsonian Institution and continued gathering and publishing material until his death in 1954. The Histories provide the most comprehensive and interesting collection of field observations of North American birds ever made. Anyone observing a particular bird for the first time, at the backyard bird feeder or in the field, quickly wants more information than the standard field guides provide. Bent never disappoints. His books are a naturalist's delight. No ornithologist or nature lover of any stripe, professional or amateur, should be without these books.
All of the woodpeckers seen in North America are covered in this volume. In enthusiastic, readable prose, Bent and his collaborators give us information about courtship, nesting habits, eggs, young, plumage, range, behaviour, voice, enemies, distribution, migratory habits, and much, much more.

The Travails of Two Woodpeckers: Ivory-bills and Imperials

Nearly two feet long with striking black, white, and red plumage, the Ivory-billed and Imperial Woodpeckers were two of the most impressive woodpeckers in the world. Both species were known to be in serious decline by the end of the nineteenth century and are likely extinct today, though occasional reports of sightings persist. While the Ivory-billed was one of the first endangered birds to receive intensive conservation attention, the efforts were too often misdirected, and too little, too late. Concern for the fate of the Imperial Woodpecker came even later and resulted in a similar fate. The probable extinction of two of North America's largest and most charismatic birds has much to teach us regarding conservation efforts, especially as many other species face similar problems. In closely examining the history of the decline and causes of extinction of the Ivory-billed and Imperial Woodpeckers, the authors offer explanations for the birds' demise and strategies for future conservation and research efforts that focus mainly on the deadly, though largely understated, role of human depredations.

In Search of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker

Publisher : Smithsonian Books (1 Oct. 2004)

• Language : English
• Hardcover : 256 pages
• ISBN-10 : 1588341321
• ISBN-13 : 978-1588341327
• Dimensions : 14.61 x 3.18 x 21.59 cm

Ghost Birds: Jim Tanner and the Quest for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

Everyone who is interested in the ivory-billed woodpecker will want to read this book- from scientists who wish to examine the data from all the places Tanner explored to the average person who just wants to read a compelling story. - Tim Gallagher, author of The Grail Bird: The Rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker In 1935 naturalist James T. Tanner was a twenty-one-year-old graduate student when he saw his first ivory-billed woodpecker, one of America's Istudent when he saw his first ivory-billed woodpecker, one of America's rarest birds, in a remote swamp in northern Louisiana. At the time, he rarest birds, in a remote swamp in northern Louisiana. At the time, he was part of an ambitious expedition traveling across the country to record and photograph as many avian species as possible, a trip organized by Dr. Arthur Allen, founder of the famed Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Two years later, Tanner hit the road again, this time by himself and in search of only one species- that ever-elusive ivory-bill. Sponsored by Cornell and the Audubon Society, Jim Tanner's work would result in some of the most extensive field research ever conducted on the magnificent woodpecker. Drawing on Tanner's personal journals and written with the cooperation of his widow, Nancy, Ghost Birds recounts, in fascinating detail, the scientist's dogged quest for the ivory-bill as he chased down leads in eight southern states. With Stephen Lyn Bales as our guide, we experience the same awe and excitement that Tanner felt when he returned to the Louisiana wetland he had visited earlier and was able to observe and document several of the ""ghost birds""- including a nestling that he handled, banded, and photographed at close range. Investigating the ivory-bill was particularly urgent because it was a fast-vanishing species, the victim of indiscriminant specimen hunting and widespread logging that was destroying its habitat. As sightings became rarer and rarer in the decades following Tanner’s remarkable research, the bird was feared to have become extinct. Since 2005, reports of sightings in Arkansas and Florida made headlines and have given new hope to ornithologists and bird lovers, although extensive subsequent investigations have yet to produce definitive confirmation. Before he died in 1991, Jim Tanner himself had come to believe that the majestic woodpeckers were probably gone forever, but he remained hopeful that someone would prove him wrong. This book fully captures Tanner’s determined spirit as he tracked down what was then, as now, one of ornithology’s true Holy Grails. STEPHEN LYN BALES is a naturalist at the Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is the author of Natural Histories, published by UT Press in 2007.

The Grail Bird: Hot on the Trail of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker

What is it about the ivory-billed woodpecker? Why does this ghost of the southern swamps arouse such an obsessive level of passion in its devotees, who range from respected researchers to the flakiest Loch Ness monster fanatics and Elvis chasers? Since the early twentieth century, scientists have been trying their best to prove that the ivory-bill is extinct. But every time they think they've finally closed the door, the bird makes an unexpected appearance. It happened in the 1920s, and it's happened in almost every subsequent decade. For more than 60 years, each sighting has been met with ridicule and scorn. Respected researchers and naturalists have been branded as quacks just for having the temerity to say that the ivory-bill still exists. Yet the reports still trickle in. Is there any truth to these sightings, or are they just a case of wishful thinking, misidentification, or outright fabrication? To unravel the mystery, author Tim Gallagher heads south, deep into the eerie swamps and bayous of the vast Mississippi Delta, searching for people who claim to have seen this rarest of birds and following up--sometimes more than 30 years after the fact--on their sightings. He meets a colorful array of characters: a cigar-chomping ex-boxer who took two controversial pictures of an alleged ivory-bill in 1971; a former corporate lawyer who abandoned her career to search for ivory-bills full time; two men who grew up in the ivory-bill's last known stronghold in a final remnant of primeval forest in Louisiana. With his buddy Bobby Harrison, a true son of the South from Alabama, Gallagher hits the swamps, wading through hip-deep, boot-sucking mud and canoeing through turgid, mud brown bayous where deadly cottonmouth water moccasins abound. In most cases, they are clearly decades too late. But when the two speak to an Arkansas backwoods kayaker who saw a mystery woodpecker the week before and has a description of the bird that is too good to be a fantasy, the hunt is on. Their Eureka moment comes a few days later as a huge woodpecker flies in front of their canoe, and they both cry out, "Ivory-bill!" This sighting--the first time since 1944 that two qualified observers positively identify an ivory-billed woodpecker in the United States--quickly leads to the largest search ever launched to find a rare bird, as researchers fan out across the bayou, hoping to document the existence of this most iconic of birds.

Downy Woodpecker (Wild Bird Guides) 

The Downy Woodpecker, a bird characterised by its distinctive markings as well as its perseverance, strength, and energy, is one of North America's most recognised species to both eye and ear. This fifth book in the Wild Bird Guides series offers an illustrated examination of the Downy's communication, behaviour, nesting, feeding, and brooding habits.

The Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Though small among its woodpecker relatives, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker poses a huge dilemma for its human neighbours. Uniquely adapted to live in the old-growth pine forests of the south-eastern United States, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker has nearly disappeared as the forests have been cleared for agricultural, commercial, and residential uses over the last two centuries. Today, it waits at a crossroads. Scientific management practices could restore the woodpecker's habitat and population, but the imperative to convert old-growth forests to other uses remains. In this book, three of the leading experts on the Red-cockaded Woodpecker offer a comprehensive overview of all that is currently known about its biology and natural history and about the ecology of the fire-maintained forests it requires for survival. As the most visible endangered species in the Southeast, and the one whose conservation impacts the largest land area, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker holds a compelling interest not only for ornithologists, but also for wildlife managers, foresters, developers, environmentalists, and government officials. For all of these groups, this book will be the essential resource for learning more about the Red-cockaded Woodpecker and ensuring its survival. Richard N. Conner is Research Wildlife Biologist and D. Craig Rudolph is Research Ecologist at the U. S. Forest Service Southern Research Station in Nacogdoches, Texas. Jeffrey R. Walters is Bailey Professor of Biology at Virginia Tech.

The Wryneck: Biology, Behaviour, Conservation and Symbolism of Jynx torquilla

This book details the natural history and cultural symbolism of a most unusual woodpecker – a species that neither excavates nest holes in trees, nor bores into wood to find insect prey. The elusive Wryneck is best renowned for performing a twisting, writhing head and neck display when threatened, but this ground-breaking study reveals many more secrets of its behaviour and evolution. Detailed information is presented on the species' origins, taxonomy, anatomy, appearance, moult, calls, distribution, conservation status, habitats, movements, breeding, diet and relationships, along with a chapter on its closest relative, the Red-throated Wryneck.

The text is richly illustrated throughout with high quality photographs as well as sound spectrograms. This all-encompassing and engaging account has been written for a wide audience, whether professional ornithologist, citizen scientist, amateur birder, woodpecker aficionado and simply someone who wishes to learn more about this curious and remarkable bird.

Woodpeckers: A Guide to the Woodpeckers, Piculets and Wrynecks

Woodpeckers are a widespread and popular family of birds. They inhabit virtually all forest and woodlands of the tropics, subtropics and temperate zones. This comprehensive guide to the woodpecker group should aid identification by plumage and voice, and gives scientifically accurate information about their habitats. It covers 198 species worldwide, apart from Australia.