Cormorants Darters and Pelicans of the World

About this book

Whether it is an elusive darter stalking its prey in a tropical swamp a flock of cormorants cooperatively driving a frenzied school of fish into the shallows of a lake or river or brown pelicans plummeting into the ocean these ancient groups of web-footed birds in the order Pelecaniformes offer remarkable behavioral and structural diversity. As fish eaters they are highly susceptible to poisons and serve as biological indicators for toxic materials. In this first worldwide survey of cormorants darters and pelicans Paul A. Johnsgard provides a color illustration of nearly every species and a variety of anatomical drawings and he summarizes the species status and biology including ecology behavior distribution plumage and morphology. The first section of the book focuses on comparative biology including all 32 species of Cormorants and shags (Phalacrocoracidae) two species of darters (Anhingidae) and seven species of pelicans (Pelecanidae). The accounts cover species phylogeny taxonomy zoogeography comparative anatomy behavior reproductive biology population and breeding dynamics and conservation biology. Detailed line drawings of the heads of all species noting age or seasonal variations help the reader identify and distinguish between each species. The book also includes keys to each species and the origins of their scientific and vernacular names.