Ian Newton

Dr Newton's book is concerned with all aspects of population regulation in diurnal birds of prey, their social behaviour, dispersion, numbers, movements, breeding and mortality. He has drawn on his own studies in Scotland and on material and investigations worldwide to produce an authoritative and stimulating synthesis of current thinking and research on the ecological problems of the Falconiformes. He also deals in detail with the effects of pesticides and other pollutants on these birds, and with their scientific management and conservation. The author's lucid style will ensure a wide readership among research workers and the more general audience with an interest in birds of prey. There is a full bibliography and an extensive appendix of tables.

Population Ecology of Raptors

This book meets the demand for a comprehensive introduction to understanding the processes of population limitation. Recognized world-wide as a respected biologist and communicator, Dr. Ian Newton has now written a clear and detailed treatise on local scale population limiting factors in birds. It is based almost entirely on results from field studies, though it is set in a contemporary theoretical framework. The 16 chapters fall under three major section headings: Behavior and Density Regulation; Natural Limiting Factors; and Human Impacts. Population Limitation in Birds serves as a needed resource expanding on Dr. David Lacks research in this area of ornithology in the 1950s. It includes numerous line diagrams and beautiful illustrations by acclaimed wildlife artist Keith Brockie. Provides a sorely needed introduction to a long-established core subject in ornithology Focuses on local scale factors Written by a well-known biologist and effective communicator Includes numerous line diagrams and beautiful illustrations by acclaimed wildlife artist Keith Brockie

Population Limitation in Birds

Dr Newton is now a senior ornithologist with the Natural Environment Research Council and the book draws on his wide knowledge of the Sparrowhawk, as well as that of other workers in Britain and abroad, to give a detailed account of all aspects of its lifestyle, population levels and trends and the impact of man and environment on the species in recent times. The book also has the benefit of Dr Newton's particular interest in population regulation and breeding performance, and in the remarkable contrast in size between the Sparrowhawk sexes (males being half the weight of females), which means that they diverge, almost as separate species, in habitat preference, diet and in response to circumstance. The narrative is fully supported by diagrams, tables and photographs, and is embellished by Keith Brockie's evocative and accomplished drawings.

The Sparrowhawk

Given the underlying topography, the scenery over most of Britain has been created largely by human activities. Over the centuries, landscapes have been continually modified as human needs and desires have changed. Each major change in land use has brought changes to the native plants and animals, continually altering the distribution and abundance of species. This is apparent from the changes in vegetation and animal populations that were documented in historical times, but even more so in those that have occurred since the Second World War. More than seventy per cent of Britain's land surface is currently used for crop or livestock production, and in recent decades farming has experienced a major revolution. Not only has it become more thoroughly mechanised, it has also become heavily dependent on synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, and increasingly large-scale in its operation. These changes have brought crop yields and livestock production to levels previously considered unattainable. However, such high yields have been achieved only at huge financial and environmental costs. One of the most conspicuous, and best documented, consequences of modern agriculture has been a massive loss of wildlife, including birds. In this timely addition to the New Naturalist Library, Ian Newton discusses the changes that have occurred in British agriculture over the past seventy years, and the effects they have had on bird populations. He explains how different farming procedures have affected birds and other wildlife, and how an understanding of the processes involved could help in future conservation.

Farming and Birds

This illustrated survey of finch behaviour is a thorough, non-technical account of the habits of these birds throughout the world.

Finches (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 55)

Bird Migration

This book should be of value to anyone interested in bird evolution and taxonomy, biogeography, distributional history, dispersal and migration patterns. It provides an up-to-date synthesis of current knowledge on species formation, and the factors influencing current distribution patterns. It draws heavily on new information on Earth history, including past glacial and other climatic changes, on new developments in molecular biology and palaeontology, and on recent studies of bird distribution and migration patterns, to produce a coherent account of the factors that have influenced bird species diversity and distribution patterns worldwide. Received the Best Bird Book of the Year award for 2004 from British Birds magazine. * Winner of the British Birds/British Trust for Ornithology, Bird Book of the Year 2004! * The first book to deal comprehensively with bird speciation and biogeography * Up-to-date synthesis of new information * Clearly written * No previous book covers the same ground * Many maps and diagrams * Makes difficult and widely scattered information accessible and easily understood * A sound base for future research * Takes full account of recent developments in molecular biology

Speciation and Biogeography of Birds

Iain Taylor

Rodney Kavanagh

Jerry Olsen

Owls in Australia are difficult to find and study, so comparatively little is known about their biology. Even less is known about the status, taxonomy, and biology of those species and sub-species living in tropical and subtropical environments and on islands. Many island species and subspecies are at risk, some have already been lost. Ecology and Conservation of Owls includes sections on population ecology, distribution, habitat and diet, conservation and management, and voice structure and taxonomy. It contains a number of review chapters that bring together findings from a wide range of previous research, including recent developments in owl taxonomy and systematics, and studies of population limitation in northern hemisphere owls. The chapters in this book derive from papers presented at the Owls 2000 conference held in Canberra, Australia, which was third in a series of international meetings on owls.

Ecology and Conservation of Owls

The phenomenon of bird migration has fascinated people from time immemorial. The arrivals and departures of different species marked the seasons, heralding spring and autumn, and providing a reliable calendar long before anything better became available.

Bird Migration (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 113)

William J. Sutherland

Rhys Green

Rhys E. Green

Outlining the main methods and techniques available to ornithologists, this book brings together in one authoritative source contributions containing information on avian ecology and conservation.

A Handbook of Techniques

Bird Ecology and Conservation

In the latest addition to the New Naturalist series, Ian Newton explores bird populations and what causes their fluctuation – food supplies, competitors, predators, parasites, pathogens and human activity.

Bird Populations (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 124)

The aim of this book is to outline the main methods and techniques available to ornithologists. A general shortage of information about available techniques is greatly hindering progress in avian ecology and conservation. Currently this sort of information is disparate and difficult to locate with much of it widely dispersed in books, journals and grey literature. Sutherland and his editorial team bring together in a single authoritative source all the ornithological techniques the avian community will ever need. For use by graduate students, researchers and practising conservationists worldwide. Bird Ecology and Conservation is the first title in a new series of practical handbooks which include titles focusing on specific taxonomic groups as well as those describing broader themes and subjects. The series editor is William J Sutherland.

Ian Newton, author of Farming and Birds and Bird Migration returns to the New Naturalist series with a long awaited look at the uplands and its birds.

Uplands and Birds (Collins New Naturalist Library)

William A. Burnham

Jeff A. Johnson

Andrew G. Gosler

Kurt K. Burnham

This book covers the discovery and history of the most northern breeding population of Peregrine Falcons in the world, near Thule Air Base in northwest Greenland (75.9–77.6° N). Although the region was explored by scientific expeditions as early as 1818, Peregrines were not documented in the area until the 1930s. By the early 1990s the population had become well established, with a warming climate enabling Peregrines from further south to expand their breeding range northward. Here Burnham and his co-authors present their comprehensive findings on the biology and ecology of this population based on thirteen years of research from 1993 to 2005.

The History and Range Expansion of Peregrine Falcons in the Thule Area, Northwest Greenland

This book presents an up-to-date, detailed and thorough review of the most fascinating ecological findings of bird migration. It deals with all aspects of this absorbing subject, including the problems of navigation and vagrancy, the timing and physiological control of migration, the factors that limit their populations, and more. Author, Ian Newton, reveals the extraordinary adaptability of birds to the variable and changing conditions across the globe, including current climate change. This adventurous book places emphasis on ecological aspects, which have received only scant attention in previous publications. Overall, the book provides the most thorough and in-depth appraisal of current information available, with abundant tables, maps and diagrams, and many new insights. Written in a clear and readable style, this book appeals not only to migration researchers in the field and Ornithologists, but to anyone with an interest in this fascinating subject. * Hot ecological aspects include: various types of bird movements, including dispersal and nomadism, and how they relate to food supplies and other external conditions * Contains numerous tables, maps and diagrams, a glossary, and a bibliography of more than 2,700 references * Written by an active researcher with a distinguished career in avian ecology, including migration research

The Migration Ecology of Birds

Based on papers presented at the Owls 2000 conference held in Canberra, Australia.

Ian Newton

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