United States
£ GBP
Most extensive collection of information on hybridization in birds to date.
Biologists are now certain that hybridization has played a major role in the origin of new plant species, but its significance in the evolution of animals is still unclear. This book provides basic information about each of the thousands of types of reported avian crosses. With more than 5,300 works cited, it is the greatest compendium of information ever published on bird hybridization. It familiarizes the reader with the nature of different bird species and their offspring. McCarthy's work fills a need for reference material that takes into account the last half century of data. With more than 4,100 entries, his book provides the most extensive and up-to-date collection of information on hybridization in birds ever assembled.
Extremely useful reference...essential reading for biologists interested in the evolution of birds. Tim Birkhead, Ibis Fine piece of work...a must for all those interested in hybridisation and speciation in birds." Contributions to Zoology "McCarthy...has done an admirable job...Anyone interested in avian hybridism will need the handbook...provides an excellent resource for serious birders and ornithologists." Western Birds. "An invaluable addition to every biological reference library and to all ornithologists with the slightest potential interest in or need for avian hybrid information" The Emu. "The Handbook of Avian Birds is an impressive accomplishment, one that can be equally savoured by browsing birders and appreciated by serious students of one of the biggest birding challenges out there. Highly recommended." Ricj Wright, Editor American Birding Association "It runs to nearly 600 pages and will be of interest to conservation biologists, for example, who eant to know if an introduced bird is likely to hybridise with native ones." Graeme Kirk, Cage and Aviary Birds This book is an essential resource for banders, museum curators, and the serious birder. For researchers in conservation, ecology and evolution, the book is a treasure trove of the occurrence and frequency of hybrids that could be used for preliminary comparative studies. Journal of Field Ornithology (Vol. 77, issue 2), Spring 2006. "There is a high level of accuracy for individual reports in addition to the extent of the overall survey; it seems to indeed come as close to a complete compilation as is humanly possible. I have not met Dr. McCarthy, but after reviewing innumerable cases, I have a vision of a monkish figure variously cloistered in the ancient stacks of academic libraries and hunched before a computer terminal, compiling case after case with detail and accuracy that would guarantee his deliverance to a state of (academic) grace! I am sure my vision is a bit exaggerated, but it is an amazing compilation."--William S. Moore, Professor of Biology, Wayne State University
