Vanished and Vanishing Parrots Profiling Extinct and Endangered Species

About this book

Parrots are among the most distinctive and beautiful birds in the world. They are also among the most endangered bird groups, threatened by habitat loss through land clearance, the trapping of adults, and the taking of chicks from the nest for the international live-bird trade. Currently, a number of species are in danger of extinction.

Vanished and Vanishing Parrots is a comprehensive reference, bringing together information on species that have become extinct or are in danger of becoming extinct. Vanished and Vanishing Parrots is organised into three regional sections: the Australasian Distribution, the Afro-Asian Distribution and the Neotropical Distribution. Each section contains a general introduction discussing the status of parrots in the region, with particular emphasis on threats that caused the extinction of species or are endangering extant species, and conservation measures being implemented or which should be implemented.

Within the regional sections, species accounts provide up-to-date information on distribution, status, habitats, movements, calls, habits and breeding behaviour. Each account is accompanied by a magnificent colour plate by renowned artist Frank Knight. Vanished and Vanishing Parrots will be a valuable reference for scientific, ornithological and avicultural organisations, as well as individual lovers of birds and of illustrated natural history books.

Contents

Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Fossil history of parrots
Australasian distribution
Afro-Asian distribution
Neotropical distribution
References cited
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Joseph Forshaw is one of Australia’s foremost ornithologists and is internationally recognised as a leading expert on parrots. He has made a lifetime study of these birds in their natural environment and at numerous research institutions. He has published papers and articles in journals and magazines, and collaborated with William Cooper to produce Parrots of the World (Lansdowne Editions, 1973, 1978, 1981 and 1989), Australian Parrots (Lansdowne Editions, 1969 and 1981, Alexander Editions, 2002), and A Natural History of Australian Parrots: A Tribute to William T Cooper (Nokomis Editions 2016), and with Frank Knight to produce Parrots of the World: An Identification Guide (Princeton University Press, 2005).

He is a Churchill Fellow, having been awarded a Fellowship in 1970 by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust to enable him to complete his research for Parrots of the World. He is active in national and international conservation bodies, and was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal for services to ornithology and conservation. Joseph Forshaw retired from a senior position in the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, Canberra. He is a Research Associate in the Department of Ornithology at the Australian Museum, Sydney, is a Corresponding Fellow of the American Ornithologists Union, and in 2016 was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, again for services to ornithology and wildlife conservation.

Frank Knight has been a wildlife illustrator for more than 30 years, producing illustrations for scientific papers, books and lectures. He has been a member of the International Society of Animal Artists. His work appears in The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, with text by Graham Pizzey and Peter Menkhorst, in A Field Guide to the Mammals of Australia, with text by Peter Menkhorst, and he collaborated with Joseph Forshaw to produce Parrots of the World: An Identification Guide.