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With its striking green-black and white plumage and distinctive pee-wit call, the Lapwing is one of Britain's best-known birds. Lapwings depend on agricultural land to breed and are considered a barometer of the health of this habitat; the population has crashed over recent decades, partly due to changes in farming practices. In winter, Lapwings switch to coastal areas and to wetlands, including those in suburban areas, where large, noisy flocks can gather.
Michael Shrubb's "The Lapwing" is a concise yet authoritative monograph of this popular species; a thorough review of Lapwing biology contains sections on population dynamics, feeding ecology, habitat use, migration, and conservation; there is an impressively detailed review of our current understanding of breeding biology, plus discussion of some other species in the genus. The Lapwing is a superb addition to the Poyser list. Of interest to both amateur naturalists, who will enjoy insights into the birds' lives, and to academics, who will appreciate the broad overview of current research, this title will remain the definitive work on the species for many years to come.
Michael Shrubb, a former farmer, has enjoyed a lifetime of study onLapwings; he has been fascinated by them ever since he found breedingbirds on his land more than 40 years ago. An acclaimed expert onfarmland habitats and birds, he has written numerous books and paperson the subject, and his conservation work has included the organisationof projects such as the RSPB Lapwing Recovery Programme and the BTOLapwing Survey. Michael is a former council member of both the RSPB andBTO.
'This title will remain a definitive work on the species for many years to come' q 'If you're keen on learning more about this charismatic wader, snap up a copy of what is sure to become a hightly collectable book'. Birdwatch (december 2007)
