The Condor96566-512 0 The CooperOrnithological Society 1994

BOOK REVIEWS

CHRISTOPHER W. THOMPSON, EDITOR

GLOBAL ORNITHOLOGY selected images of doing interesting things and in striking natural settings. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 1 (Os- HBW is based on a strong comparative and phylo- genetic approach, including helpful hierarchical dia- trich to Duck&-J. de1Hovo. A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal [eds.]. 1992. Barcelona:L$& Editions: 696 pp. ISBN grams of the subfamilial taxonomic structure.The ed- itors wisely chose a conservative course with respect 84-87334-10-5. to classification.They did not adopt the classification Let’s start this review with a simple, unabashed, of Sibley and Ahlquist (1990) and Sibley and Monroe “Wow!” This impressive first volume launchesa truly (1990), instead they startedwith the well-balanced sys- ambitious project-to detail the birds of the world in tem of Morony, Bock and Farrand (1975) with appro- 10 major volumes. Some of us, quite frankly, were priate updates. Throughout, however, HBW summa- skeptical about this new handbook, which had been rizes the DNA-based proposals in the appropriate cooking quietly for a decade and then came to public contexts. Provided also at the end of the Introduction attention in an aggressivemarketing campaignin 1992. is a helpful, tabular comparisonofthe Sibley and Mon- None of us was prepared for such a wonderful book. roe classificationwith the traditional arrangement. It has no real peer. Following the overview of the family are terse, tele- Lynx Publications, the publishers of Handbook of graphicindividual speciesaccounts (in very small type), the Birds of the World (HBW), was formed in 1987 organized by ,and including topics that parallel with the financial backing of lawyer patron Ram6n the preceding general text, e.g., nonscientific names, Mascort. After several smaller publishingprojects, the , distribution, descriptivenotes, habitat, food new publishing company reorganizedto take on their dream project. Their statedgoal for HBW is to provide and feeding, breeding, movements, statusand conser- vation, and bibliography. Each speciesprofile includes an extensive referencework that demonstratesthe ex- traordinary diversity of birds with comprehensive a color-coded map of its global distribution. Interlaced among the profiles are full size color plates worldwide coverage from a genuinely international depicting each and every speciesand, in some cases, point of view. A secondprimary goal is to contribute distinctive subspeciesor color morphs. to the conservation of birds and their habitats by at- tempting for the first time, in partnership with ICBP, Volume 1 concludes with a massive bibliography and a taxonomic index. to analyze the of all species,not just the endangeredor threatened ones. The three pri- My overall impression, and I believe I am not alone here, is that this is a sensationalbook, with rather few mary editors assembled one team of authors and re- shortcomings.Among the highlights are its rich, de- searchersand a secondteam of artists led by Francese tailed text, its first rate photographs, and its expert Jutglarand producedthe first volume in roughly three conservation sections. yearstime, if I correctly understandthe editor’s review The text, whether an overview of each family or a of HBW’s genesis. capsule of information on each species, is accurate, Volume 1 of HBW startswith an introduction to the comprehensive,and current, an amazing accomplish- International Council for Preservation (now Bird ment given that the editors and authors are not inter- Life, International), a global bird conservation orga- nationally renowned ornithologists.They are now! The nization whose significant contributions appear book was extremely well-edited in terms of both sub- throughout the text. Then follows a 39-page introduc- stanceand technical copy. The text is amazingly clean tion to the ClassAves, a succinct,comprehensive, and and accurate,and the coverage of obscurereferences, nicely illustrated mini-course in ornithology. I should including some of my own waifs, is inspiring. I, myself, say little more becausemy own textbook was appar- am not an authority on any of the groups of birds ently an important (acknowledged)source for this sec- treated in Volume 1, nor do I have Ken Parkes’ eagle tion. eye for factual error. I could not, however, find any The body of HBW is organized taxonomically with strong summaries of the biology of each bird family, seriouserrors of omission, commission or typography in the sectionsfor which I knew a modest amount. starting with a boxed summary of its characteristics and composition plus a map of its global distribution. The stunning photographs make up perhaps the A clever graphic conveys the approximate maximum richest collection of high quality, informative images and minimum sizes of the component speciesrelative of birds in their natural habitats that I have ever seen. to an outline of a human (for little birds just the man- The technical and artistic qualities of the photographs nequin’s lower legs!).The body of the text is organized are first rate. Equally impressive is the number of really into sections on systematics, morphological aspects, rare species,such as the Zig Zag Heron and Brazilian habitat, generalhabits, voice, food and feeding, breed- Merganser that are fully portrayed, some for the first ing, movements, relationship with man, status and time. Beyond debuts, however, are the information- conservation, and general bibliography. Generously rich contents of the photographs, which are accom- gracing the family presentations are stunning photo- panied by legendsthat teach you something and that graphsof many species,not just portraits, but carefully cleverly complement the text itself. Among my favor- BOOK REVIEWS 561 ites are the photographsof a Mottled Petrel climbing FRANK B. GILL, The Academy of Natural Sciences, a tree to launch itself (p. 220) an ice-caked Antarctic Philadelphia, PA 19103. Petrel chick sitting in its exposed nest (p. 221) and a bloody, red-headed Giant Petrel displaying at a seal LITERATURE CITED carcass(p. 225). MORONY,J. J., W. J. BOCK,AND J. FARRAND. 1975. The conservation sections, contributed particularly Reference list of the birds of the world. American by Nigel Collar of ICBP, are a third highlight of the Museum of Natural History, New York. text. These achieve a truly international and global SIBLEY,C. G., ANDJ. E. AHLQUIST. 1990. Phylogeny perspective on each species’ status. When all ten vol- and classificationof birds: a study in molecular umes of NBW are done, the original goals of ICBP’s evolution. Yale Univ. Press, New Haven CT. Red Data Book, conservation through sound omitho- SIBLEY,C. G., AND B. L. MONROE,JR. 1990. Distri- logical knowledge,will be achieved gloriouslyat a new bution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale level. Univ. Press, New Haven CT. Those are only some of the highlights. The short- comingsare minor ones;one must stretchto find much to criticize. For me, the greatest shortcoming centers on the reference system designed by the practical- minded publishers. No specific citations are listed in PELECANIFORM BIOLOGY the text itself. Instead there are terminal referencelists called “Bibliographies,” for each family and each spe- , , and of the World.- cies. It is almost impossible to relate the specific text Paul A. Johnsnard.1993. SmithsonianInstitution Press. contents to a particular source. One must review the Washington,DC. and London. xiv + 445 pp., 3 1 color variouspublications in the bibliographyand then check plates, 119 figures, 34 tables, 3 appendices. ISBN them to determine whether they pertain to an issueat 1-56098-216-O. Cloth $49.00. hand. But to do that, or anything else, one must first The research of a specialist in any group of birds relate an author and date citation in the terminal text should theoretically be aided by the appearanceof a bibliographies to the entry in the main Bibliography monograph covering that group, as all the important at the end of the book. Also, all reference material is information and literature on that group should then in tiny type. At best, the referencing system used is a be neatly summarized at one’s fingertips, and gaps in clumsy one that reduces the potential working value knowledge should become obvious so that future re- of HBW. searchefforts can be efficiently directed. Ideally, a good A second shortcominglies in the identification sys- monograph would also provide the best available il- tem for the color plates. As with the bibliographies, lustrationsand identification aids for all of the species the editors have chosen an unfortunately clumsy and it covers. This monograph falls short of these goals,as unfriendly referencingsystem in an otherwise well-de- it doesnot adequatelycover the literature;the literature signedbook. Each speciesdepicted on a color plate has that is cited is often misinterpreted; and much of the a number, but there is no correspondinglegend for the illustrative material is inadequate or misleading. plate. Instead the speciesnumber on the plate connects In the preface, the author indicates that at the in- to its number in the speciesaccounts. Sometimes, the ception of the work for this book he had been actively identification stands out easily on the opposite page, seekinga “book project,” which is reflectedin the level but often one must leaf through many pagesto find a of care and interest obviously given the preparation of corresponding species account with a species name. this book. As rationale for excluding the This problem becomesworse with increasingsize of a and tropicbirds, “. . the other heretofore unmono- taxon and will become a nightmare in the treatment graphed pelecaniform families . . . ,” the author pro- of the passerines. vides the contradictoryexplanations that it would have In conclusion,Volume 1 of HBW is an overwhelm- taken too long and the literature on them is too scanty. ing, impressive reference on ten orders of the birds of This book follows basicallythe same formula asJohns- the world. It belongsin every working academiclibrary gard’s other monographs:a prefacedescribing the book’s and should be available for every university courseon inception; acknowledgments; introductory chapters the birds of the world. It leaves behind many com- startingwith an overview of fossils,taxonomic history, peting books on the birds of the world, most of them and zoogeography.This is followed by other chapters just lightweight coffee table presentations.The Hand- on morphology,behavior and ecology,nesting biology, book should be everyone’s first choice for a modem, and populations. The speciesaccounts form the bulk comprehensivereference on the birds of the world. But of the book (pp. 146-397), which ends with a key, remember-at the moment we only have one impres- glossary,drawings of heads, and a bibliography. The sive volume; there are nine to go. If our colleagues first two paragraphsof the text are spent discussingat from Spain can maintain the same high standardsthey length five fossilsthat are apparently nonpelecaniform have set in Volume 1, this will be a landmark reference and thus of no consequenceto this subject, while an for ornithologists.Perhaps the ratitesthrough the ducks important extinct related family, the pseudodontoms, were some of the easiestavian taxa to summarize, and is not even mentioned. The general sequential classi- one wonderswhat the editors will do when they hit the fication of Siegel-Causey(1988, Condor 90885-905) babblersor spinetails.I have confidence,however, that is adopted, except that a more traditional stance is somehowJosep de1 Hoyo and his colleagueswill realize taken on nomenclature, with Siegel-Causey’ssubfam- their bold ornithological dream. They deserve praise ilies being reduced to genera and his genera to sub- for Volume 1 and best wishes for Volumes 2-10- genera. 568 BOOK REVIEWS

According to Table 3 (p. 12) shagsare entirely coast- Shag has been considered “as a subspeciesof carun- al, in contradiction to the range of the culatus,a view to which I would subscribe . ,” he (Leucocarboa. atriceps)given on p. 253 (but not shown did not adopt that treatment. On p. 288, the “red to on the accompanyingmap). The Little Pied brownish iris” is usedas an identification characterfor (Phalacrocoraxmelanoleucos), which is widely distrib- the (L. magellanicus);adults of this species uted in Indonesia, New Guinea, and the southwestern exhibit extraordinary variability in iris color, which Pacific is overlooked as a “tropically oriented cor- may even be whitish! morant species” (paragraph 2, p. 5 1). On p. 6 1, one As to the goal of illustrating well all the speciesof readsthat Neotropic Cormorants (P. brasilianus)have the groupscovered: the color plates section consistsof been observed plunging “. in a manner something 50 often excellent color photos (all unnumbered and like that of gannetsor Brown Pelicans . ,” when the unreferencedin the text) illustrating most species.Of reference cited clearly states the birds were flying less these, four are misidentified to taxon, three others are than a meter above the water prior to diving, very attributed to the wrong sex, and at least one to the unlike these other species.Johnsgard states on p. 97 wrong age class, as follows: the “” that there are no known hybrids among cormorants (P. pygmaeus)is a JavaneseCormorant (P. niger);the and shags,only to contradict this on p. 252 by citing “Javanese Cormorant” is an Indian Shag;the “Chat- observationsof hybrids between the Guanay (L. bou- ham Island Shag” (L. onslowi) is a juvenile Spotted gainvillit)and L. atricepsand albiventer(the latter name Shag (L. punctatus);and the photo of two “Peruvian is used without explanation or prefix here, although it Brown Pelicans” (Pelecanusoccidentalis thagus) ap- is not given specific statusin the next account). parently showsbirds ofeither the Atlantic or Caribbean On p. 171, the speciesaccount for the Pallas’ Cor- race. The (Anhinga anhinga) “adult male” is morant (P. perspicillatus)does not mention its poor an adult female; the Australian (4. melanogaster flight capabilities;instead this is noted obliquely under novaehollandiae)“adult male” is a female and the “adult the “Evolutionary Relationships”section ofthe Brandt’s female” a male. The King Shag “adults” are in fact (P. penicillatus;incidentally this specificepithet is con- subadults.It is dishearteningto think of the confusion sistently misspelled throughout the volume, even in these avoidable errors will cause. Despite the ready the glossary).The Indian Cormorant (P. fuscicollis)is availability of photos of the (P. stated to be “one of the commonest and most widely nigrogularis),White-breasted Cormorant (P. [carbo] distributed cormorantsof the Indian subcontinent” (p. lucidus),the BountyIsland Shag,and the 2 1 l), althoughit may be the least common of the three (Anhinga [rufa] melanogaster),none are presented in regularly occurringspecies there. this book. Johnsgardstates on p. 257 that the blue eye-ring of The book is profusely illustrated by the author with the Imperial Shag “would not, however, serve to dis- outline drawingsmostly depicting behavioral sequenc- tinguishit from the allopatric Campbell [L. campbelli], esand morphology.Those illustratingskeletal structure Bounty [L. ranfurlyi], and Auckland Island [L. colen- are oversimplified to the point of lacking many diag- soi] shags ,” when in fact the latter three have red- nostic osteological characters. Figures 8 and 9 have dish or purplish eye-rings. In the same paragraph he unlabelled scale bars! Most figures, however, simply statesthat L. atricepscan be easily distinguishedfrom lack any sort of orientation aids or labels, and the cap- the Guanay (L. bougainvillit)by its “bicolored black- tions are often very unclear.On Figure 1, the Argentine and-white plumage . ,” although both species are coastlineis shown as having only two coastallynesting pied. In paragraph5, he stateswithout clarificationthat cormorants, when in fact there are five in the most L. atricepsis a coastal species, despite having men- conservativetaxonomy. In the same figure, due to un- tioned that there are several freshwaterpopulations (p. clear labeling it appears that there are five or more 253). Paragraph6 statesthat “no good evidenceexists” speciesboth in the and the Mediter- on whether postbreedingdispersal occurs in this spe- ranean, both areasthat actually have only two species. cies; in fact there are nearly annual records of this Appendix 3 consistsof 78 “Head Profile Identification speciesnorth to Uruguay, far from the nearestbreeding Drawings,” which show a lack of attention to the struc- colonies.In paragraph7, the Guanayis not listed among tural detailsthat they are presumablyintended to show the specieslikely to compete with the Imperial Shag, (seefor example Fig. 117, in which anhingid bill struc- despite their occurrencein the same breeding colonies ture and facial feathering are misleading). in Chubut, . The maps are a major feature of the book, taking up On p. 26 1, one readsthat “Devillers and Terschuren 36 entire pages. Most of the maps are reproduced as (1978) argued that the white-cheeked atriceps,in Ar- full-page figures,although they would have been much gentinaand Tierra de1Fuego (“imperialis”), is a morph better at half the size. Even where the total range of a of mainland atriceps.. .” Beside the point that the speciesis very small, full-page maps are used(e.g., Figs. mainland referred to here is Argentina, and that much 45, 47, 48, 62, 63). The line quality is poor, and even of Tierra de1Fuego is Argentine, the original authors’ minor rivers are included at the same line weight as meaning (that black-cheekedSouth American albiven- all other features. The virtual lack of scales,latitude- ter is a morph of South American atriceps)is totally longitude marks, and other labeling, as well as the odd lost here. The (L. caruncu- projections chosen, makes recognition of some of the latus) is said to have “entirely dark adult facial skin maps a challenge even for the geographicallyliterate . .” (p. 268) but in the same paragraphthat the Stew- (e.g., Figs. 38,45,61,62). “Inset” maps (of mysterious art Island Shag (L. chalconotus)is differentiated from sectionsof coastline) lack borders and are frequently it by the lack of “reddish orange on the face. . . .” On crammed up against the main maps. Figure 105 con- p. 274, while Johnsgardstates that the Stewart Island tains four of these insets;that on the center left might BOOK REVIEWS 569 be recognizableonly to midwestem collegestudents on Condor 86: 15l-l 56) which has the telling title “Sex- spring break. Despite the large size of the maps, it was ually distinct daily activity patternsof Blue-eyed Shags evidently considerednecessary to use one-to three-let- in Antarctica.” The Bernstein and Maxson (1982) ci- ter codes for (which in some casesare not tation in the Literature sectionis a different publication consistentbetween the figure and its caption; i.e., Fig. from that referred to on p. 255. 69) where full names would have easily fit and been To whom would I recommend this book? Birders much more readily interpretable. Figure 53 lacks sev- may buy it; hopefully they will recognizethe mislabeled eral significantisland groups:the Maldives, Lakshad- photos for what they are. However, the book is cer- weeps, Andamans, and Nicobars. tainly not geared toward or adequate for field identi- The caption of Figure 65 (the range map of the Gua- fication, despite the abundant material on identifica- nay) statesthat arrows “indicate location of twentieth- tion, keys, and head drawings.Despite its large format, century breeding sites off Peru (after Murphy, 1936).” this is not really a coffee table book, and I suspectthat Not only is there an unidentified arrow indicating its most armchair naturalistswould find the book neither limited breeding range in Argentina, but that range is particularly interesting reading due to its turgid style stated incorrectly on the facing page (p. 249) to be and scientific terminology, nor visually appealing. “between Puerto Deaeado [sic] and Santa Cruz, Chu- Conservation biologistswill find that very little of the but, Argentina.” This speciesinstead occursin Chubut more recent information on status is presented, and Province; Puerto Deseadois a city in neighboringSanta much more useful summariesare available elsewhere. Cruz Province. The casual occurrenceof this species While undoubtedly most university and museum li- north to Panama and south to Tierra de1Fuego is over- brarieswill purchasethe book, it servesonly marginally looked, and certainly more recent literature than Mur- as a reference work becauseof the abundant inaccu- phy (1936) should have been consulted here. raciesand omissions.A carefullyedited and thoroughly Appendix 1 consistsof “Keys for Species Identifi- revised version of the book would, however, be of cation.” Potential users should be very cautious; for considerable value. Until this is done, however, the example, under “AA. CC. Legs blackish, underparts major benefit of this book lies in its partial coverage black or mostly black” the first entry is the Galapagos of the literature of these three families. This may be Cormorant (P. harrisi). which is actually light brown worth the nearly $50 investment for a few readersand below. Under “BB. DD. E. Feet coral to scarlet; red for large institutional libraries.-PAMELA C. RAS- facial skin lacks caruncles;eye ring green or lacking” MUSSEN, NHB MRC 114, Smithsonian Institution, are listed the Rock Shag (which has an orange-red eye Washington, DC 20560. ring and pink feet) and the Guanay Shag (again with pink feet). On p. 403, under “A. Body mostly dark brown; pouch blackish. .” one finds the Brown Pel- ican, with no provision for the California race’s bright red pouch (incidentally shown well on the dust jacket) ZOOGEOGRAPHY AND NATURAL in breeding plumage, or the Peruvian form’s powder blue pouch. HISTORY OF SIBERIAN BIRDS Typographical and transcriptional errors are fre- quent (p. xiii, “Jenkins” should read “Jenkinson”, p. Birds of the Chukchi Peninsulaand Wrangel Island, 38, “tibo-tarsus”; p. 312, “Rumbull” should read Volume 2.-L. A. Portenko, 1989 [ 19731.Smithsonian “Rumboll”). In a quick look at the Literature section Institution Libraries Translation Series TT-8 152178, the following were noted: on p. 422, in Behn et al. Douglas Siegel-Causey, Scientific Editor. 379 pp. Phalacrocoraxatricepsshould not be abbreviated;Ma- Washington, D.C. Price gratis [see below]. doqua is spelled Modoqua; on p. 423, in Browning As the belated interest in biodiversity increases,ba- (1989) “maiague” is misspelled;on p. 439, both Wei- sic information about speciesdistributions and abun- merskirch and Jouventin are misspelled in the same dances is becoming more critical. The arctic regions citation, as well as in the text (p. 255). The name Ol- have a relatively lower diversity of , particu- ivaceous Cormorant is used on p. 6 1 instead of Neo- larly birds, but this has not meant a correspondingly tropic Cormorant, the name used in the remainder of better understandingof what is there, where they are the text, and the former name is not referenced in the found and in what numbers, and the nature of their index. ecology,interactions with other species,and other basic The selection criteria for literature cited is baffling; details of natural history. This is especiallytrue in the a major recent paper on the Bounty Island Shag is easternPalearctic, where almost all of the information lacking (Robertson and van Tets, 1982, Notomis 29: is in Russian, or extremely dated, or both. 3 1l-336) and the vast foreign literature on speciessuch Portenkowas one of the intrepid band of early Soviet as the (Phalacrocoraxcarbo) is vir- ornithologistswho braved great personal hardship to tually unrepresented.Statements are made that “Wing gathernatural history data about the breedingavifauna molt patterns in cormorants . are less well studied” of eastern Siberia, Wrangel Island, and the Chukchi (p. 30) and “few details are yet available” (p. 3 I), al- peninsula.He spent nearly 50 years in the RussianFar though several recent paperson molts of South Amer- East and helped train most of the Russian arctic or- ican cormorants are not cited. On p. 82 Johnsgard nithologistswho followed. This monograph, published statesthat “Surprisingly little information is available in two volumes and both in English translation, is the on the possibility that sexualdifferences in foods taken summation of his ornithological studies in this bio- or foragingmethods used might exist amongthese birds geographicallyimportant area ofthe Arctic. It was pub- . . )” but he doesnot cite Bernsteinand Maxson (1984, lished soon after his death in 1972 and served as a 570 BOOK REVIEWS

basicreference on Russianarctic birds of Beringiasince THE NATURAL HISTORY AND then. Even though somewhat dated and incomplete, ECOLOGY OF HOLARCTIC marred by lapses,inconsistencies, and omissions, and characterizedby what can only be describedas a 19th GALLIFORMES century omnisciencethat has not been allowed in print since the days of Ridgway and Coues, it remains a Tetraonidae and Phasianidaeof the USSR: Ecology valuable resource for anyone interested in study of and Morphology.-M. A. Kuz’mina. 1992. Smithson- Beringian avifauna. ian Institution Libraries Translation Series TT-8 l- All of volume 1 and two-thirds of volume 2 is oc- 52004, Washington, D.C. Price gratis [see below]. cupied with speciesaccounts of 146 taxa that Portenko This volume reviews the natural history and mor- considered to be the breeding sueciesof Russian Be- phology of two important galliform families-the Pha- ringia. The species accounts-read like that in A. C. sianidae and Tetraonidae, pheasantsand grouse.Gal- Bent’s Life Historiesof North American Birds,and Por- liformes are typically tropical and subtropical,thus this tenko’s striving for accuracyand detail sometimes lit- particular treatment is restricted to only the northem- ters the page with enough Russian names of authors, most members of the . Two groups,however, are dates,localities, personal reminisces, and opinions that Holarctic endemics: the Snowcocks(Phasianidae: Te- it is akin to strugglingthrough an unedited version of truogullo)and the grouse(family Tetraonidae), and for War and Peace. Putting aside the writing style, the thesegroups, this monographis a particularly valuable speciesaccounts introduce the readerto a rich scientific resource. This monograph is filled with detailed and literature otherwise unavailable to most Western sci- comprehensivesections for each specieson diet, feed- entistsand a wealth of natural history information rare- ing behavior, habitat selection, locomotory morphol- ly encountered. ogy, and zoogeography.Kuz ’mina summarizesa large The last one-third of volume 2 is devoted to a zoo- (and unknown for the most part to Western scientists) geographicanalysis of the avifauna of the Palearctic, body of scientific literature from the republics of the and Beringia in particular. Portenko offers a summary former Soviet Union (FSU) and Eastern . For of Russian synthesison Beringian biogeographycur- some, this may be one of the more important aspects rent at the date of writing [ 19721and introduces the of the book. reader to the competing hypotheseson the origin of The monograph is organized into five sections.The the arctic fauna and flora. Perhaps becauseof the im- first and least helpful is focused on the origin and tax- mense geographicscale of Siberia, Russian zoogeog- onomy of galliform birds. This topic unfortunately is raphers have a long history of broad-scalesurveys and outside of the author’s expertise and her discussionis synthesis of distributions, and their writings derivative and dated [even by 1977 when the mono- represent some of the most original thoughts on the graphwas originally publishedin Russian].The second subject.Portenko ’s thesis has to be viewed in the con- section reviews the distribution, habitat preferences, text of when it was written, as it is quite dated in some and behavior of the Galliformes of the former Soviet respects. For example, he expends a fair amount of Union. This information is oraanized bv aenus.which prose defendingthe concept of a Beringian landbridge, allows Kuz’mina to bring in a strong comparative as- when most Western scientists had accepted this de- pect to her discussion.Western authors will discover cadesearlier. The author develops, however, very con- a wealth of information based on the work of many vincing argumentson the role of geographyand history Russiansand FSU ornithologiststhat is otherwise un- in determining the nature of the current arctic fauna, attainable in English. The author stressesthe impor- and offers many novel (to Western readers) concepts tance of zoogeographyand ecologyas factors affecting concerningthe dynamics of arctic biodiversity. Typi- the distribution of populations, and does a fair job of cally, Portenko bogshimself down in erectingan elab- comparing knowledgebased on her study specieswith orate typology of biogeographicprovinces, subregions, that known from extralimital forms. As a result, her and areas, but these are not central to his arguments. treatment of the larger aspectsof pheasantand grouse As scientific editor and translator of this volume, I ecology and behavior is quite successfuland puts the am perhapsmore aware than most of the shortcomings detailed information which follows into a broader con- and anachronisms. This monograph, however, is a text of general galliform biology. valuable addition to our understandingof the distri- The next section is based on her multiyear studies butions and abundancesof high-latitude birds and is on the diet and feeding ecology of twelve galliform at presentthe only English-languageentry into Russian speciesresident in . Galliform diets tend ornithology of this region. Careful reading will reveal to be diverse and treatment is detailed to the point of its importance and uniqueness. exhaustion;latin and common names of plant species This Englishtranslation was done under the auspices are appended, however, to the text. The fourth section of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries Translation addressesthe relation of locomotory morphology to Program and is available in hardcover for the cost of the naturalhistory and ecologyof pheasantsand grouse. shipping. Contact Publications Secretary,Museum of Roughly half of the monograph is devoted to this sub- Natural History, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS ject and her argumentsare supportedby many detailed 66045-2454. Volume 1, published in 1981 in English, figuresand tables of anatomical research. is available in microform from the National Technol- Kuz’mina successfullyintegrates these seemingly ogy Information Service, United StatesDepartment of disparate subjectsin the last section, which explores Commerce.-DOUGLAS SIEGEL-CAUSEY, Univ. her ideas on ecologicalgroups of Galliforms. She con- ofNebraska State Museum, Lincoln, NE 68588-05 14. cludesthat food specializationwas the basic force be- BOOK REVIEWS 571 hind galliform evolution. Winter diets are a strong dio tagging-have been well utilized; the importance evolutionary factor for non-migratory birds of the of specificity and parsimony is recognized, a versatile Holarctic, and Kuz’mina feels that the result of most body of software now existsfor model differentiation” morphological adaptation in this group has been to (p. 4). The 28 contributed papersin the book accurately specialize in feeding on coarse twins in winter. Mor- reflect the complexity and multidisciplinarity inherent phologicaldiversification is well-developed in the up- in application of statisticsto ornithology. Consequent- per limb, and flight characteristicsdiffer greatly among ly, the papersdiffer widely in their accessibilityto non- tetraonids. By contrast, the author feels that holarctic statisticians,and if likelihood equationsgive you nose- phasianidsare lessconstrained by food specializations bleeds, you may want to avoid this book. However, and the likely evolutionary forces acting strongestin there is a good selectionof accessiblepapers that should pheasantsshould be adaptationsto montane and alpine be required reading for any ornithologist who wants to habitats. estimate demographicparameters from a population. Viewed in the context of when this monograph was One of the important resultsthat has emerged from written, the author does a credible job of exploring recent statistical developments is that models are ex- some important evolutionary questionson the role of tremely flexible, and studiesof marked animals can be morphology and ecologyin adaptation and lineage di- used to addressa wide range of ecologicalhypotheses. versification. This book is valuable for the review and Experiments to test hypothesesabout temporal vari- summary of otherwiseunattainable work on palearctic ation, spatial variation, or covariates of survival and gallifor&es as well as the author’s own studies on diet other demographic parameters can be designed com- and locomotion. This Endish translation was done un- pletely within these models, which include tests to der the auspices of the-Smithsonian Institution Li- compare models with additional parameters(e.g., with braries Translation Program and is available in hard- year-specific survival rates) to simpler models (e.g., cover for the cost of shipping. Contact Publications with one survival rate). Many of the papersin the book Secretary,Museum of Natural History, University of explore this flexibility in modeling. In particular, the Kansas,~Lawrence, KS 66045-2454.-DOUGLAS papers in the first section emphasize defining param- SIEGEL-CAUSEY. Universitv of Nebraska State Mu- eters and testing between models. Skalski, Hoffman, seum, Lincoln, NE’68588-05i4. and Smith disc&s appropriate tests for the effects of both individual and group covariates of survival in field studies. Pradel provides an interesting example of the philosophy of modeling by comparing a model with a trap effect on capture to simpler models. Cor- DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS mack places mark-recapture analysesinto the frame- work of general linear models, and demonstrates in OF MARKED BIRDS this context how to test for model fit and compare models. Marked Individuals in the Study of Bird Popula- This flexibility in modeling also allows for definition tion.-J.-D. Lebreton and Ph. M. North [eds.]. 1993. of new parameters.Several papersdiscuss modeling of Advances in Life Sciences.Birkhluser Verlarr. Boston. movement probabilities, which are an important com- 397 pp. $50. ISBN O-8176-2780-4. -’ ponent of metapopulation dynamics. Nichols, Brown- Almost all surveysand experimental studiesof wild ie, Hines, Pollock, and Hestbeck describe estimation populations of birds are hampered by the problem of of movement probabilities from resighting data, incomplete samples. Without estimating the propor- Schwarz discussesa framework for estimating migra- tion of birds missed in sampling, we can never be sure tion ratesfrom tag-recbverydata, and Manly and Chat- whether changesin counts reflect changesin the pop- terjee discussa mark-recapture model that allows for ulation or are simply differences in the proportion of locations of releasesand recaptures to be taken into birds detected. Even if birds are marked, we only en- account. countera portion of the marked birds in later sampling Estimation of recruitment is considered in several periods. However, marking provides the opportunity papers.Clobert, Julliard, and McCleery provide a good for estimating the proportion missed in sampling and example of defining recruitment in terms of immature allows estimation of survival, migration, and recruit- survival, return rate, and age-specificbreeding prob- ment in populations.Few ornithologistshave had more ability, incorporatingthe parametersinto a model. then than a cursoryintroduction to the sophisticatedstatis- applyingthe model to data for Great Tits (Punrsmajor). tical methods that are now available for the estimation Pollock, Kendall, andNichols estimate recruitment by of demographicparameters. This book, a consequence using the robust design, in which several sampling pe- of the EURING 92 Conferencein Montpellier, France, riods close together in time are repeated at intervals. reflects the exciting recent advances in modeling the By estimating population size from the short-term demographics of marked bird populations, and con- samples and survival and recruitment between inter- tains many interesting applications of the new meth- vals, the designhas severaladvantages over traditional ods. sampling procedures. In the introductory paper, Jolly summarizesthe cur- The new approachesto modeling allow for combin- rent state of researchinto demographic analysisusing ing information from mark-recapture, mark-recovery, data from marked birds as “The increasingflexibility or radio taggingstudies to define new parameters and of models and the possibility of combining tech- estimate parameters with increased precision. Bum- niques-mark-recapture, re-sighting, recovery and ra- ham and Catchpole, Freeman, and Morgan discussthe 512 BOOK REVIEWS

details of combining recovery data with recapture or RELEASE, CAPTURE, SURVIV, and other software radio-tracking data. Nichols and Hines discuss how packagesare related. Anderson, Wotawa, and Rexstad adding recapturedata allows for estimation of survival provide a useful discussionof what are currently the rates in resightingstudies when tag loss occurs. topics of most active research, and predict what will Several authors pay particular attention to some of happen in the field in the next decade. the more vexing aspectsof selectingand implementing The book appearedvery quickly after the conference an experimental design using marked birds. For ex- due to the editorial decision to have authors provide ample, Bunck and Pollock provide a useful discussion camera-readycopies of the manuscripts.Unfortunate- of the issuesrelated to analysisof survival from radio- ly, the blessingof quick turnaround is accompaniedby taggingdata, Peachdiscusses how to handle sparsedata the curse of inconsistenciesin formats and notation in mark-recapture modeling, and Conroy discussesis- among papers. The strain of preparing all the manu- sues of statistical power and experimental design in scripts in English also occasionally shows. However, associatingsurvival with habitat. thesecosmetic deficienciesare a minor price to pay for The final section contains two review articles. Ex- the early availability of this eminently useful book.- isting software for analysis of vertebrate population JOHN R. SAUER, National Biological Survey, Patux- dynamics is summarized by Lebreton, Reboulet, and ent Wildlife ResearchCenter, Laurel, MD 20708. Banco, in which they reveal how JOLLY, SURGE,