{"product_id":"bird-love-the-family-life-of-birds-hardcover","title":"Bird Love: The Family Life of Birds - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eWenfei Tong\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eMike Webster\u003c\/b\u003e (Foreword by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA stunningly illustrated look at the mating and parenting lives of the world's birds\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eBird Love\u003c\/i\u003e looks at the extraordinary range of mating systems in the avian world, exploring all the stages from courtship and nest-building to protecting eggs and raising chicks. It delves into the reasons why some species, such as the wattled jacana, rely on males to do all the childcare, while others, such as cuckoos and honeyguides, dump their eggs in the nests of others to raise. For some birds, reciprocal promiscuity pays off: both male and female dunnocks will rear the most chicks by mating with as many partners as possible. For others, long-term monogamy is the only way to ensure their offspring survive. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe book explores the wide variety of ways birds make sure they find a mate in the first place, including how many male birds employ elaborate tactics to show how sexy they are. Gathering in leks to display to females, they dance, pose, or parade to sell their suitability as a mate. Other birds attract a partner with their building skills: female bowerbirds rate brains above beauty, so males construct elaborate bowers with twig avenues and cleared courtyards to impress them. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLooking at the differing levels of parenting skills across species around the world, we see why a tenth of bird species, including the fairy-wrens of Australia, have helpers at the nest who forgo their own reproduction to assist the breeding pair; how brood parasites and their hosts have engaged in evolutionary arms races; and how monogamous pairs share--or relinquish--their responsibilities. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIllustrated throughout with beautiful photographs, \u003ci\u003eBird Love\u003c\/i\u003e is a celebration of the global diversity of avian reproductive strategies.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWenfei Tong\u003c\/b\u003e is a research associate in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. \u003cb\u003eMike Webster\u003c\/b\u003e is the Robert G. Engel Professor of Ornithology in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University and director of the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 192\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 10.1 x 8.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 24, 2020\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51769458164000,"sku":"9780691188843","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/1fc492ed9fcd7eea99d50fd0a385de25.webp?v=1780348658","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/bird-love-the-family-life-of-birds-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}