Abstract

The voices of birds have always been a source of fascination. Nature’s Music brings together some of the world’s experts on birdsong, to review the advances that have taken place in our understanding of how and why birds sing, what their songs and calls mean, and how they have evolved. All contributors have strived to speak, not only to fellow experts, but also to the general reader. The result is a book of readable science, richly illustrated with recordings and pictures of the sounds of birds.
Bird song is much more than just one behaviour of a single, particular group of organisms. It is a model for the study of a wide variety of animal behaviour systems, ecological, evolutionary and neurobiological. Bird song sits at the intersection of breeding, social and cognitive behaviour and ecology. As such interest in this book will extend far beyond the purely ornithological - to behavioural ecologists psychologists and neurobiologists of all kinds.
* The scoop on local dialects in birdsong
* How birdsongs are used for fighting and flirting
* The writers are all international authorities on their subject
"An enormous amount of care and hard work has resulted in a lavishly produced and illustrated volume..."
- Clive K. Catchpole, School of Biological
Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, UK
"...a unique item...the comprehensive text and enjoyable CDs make this item a valuable addition to relevant collections."
- Beth Thomsett-Scott, University of North Texas Science and Technology Library, in E-STREAMS
"The volume is a landmark for birdsong research...This book delivers."
-Jack Dumbacher for CALIFORNIA WILD (2005)
"...a remarkable book in many ways...The quality of figures is excellent...this book is a labor of love."
- Fernando Nottebohm, Field Research Center, Rockefeller University in NATURE MAGAZINE (2005)