How Birds Live Together : Colonies and Communities in the Avian World

**A beautifully illustrated exploration of the ways birds cohabit** Featuring dramatic and delightful wild bird colonies and communities, __How Birds Live Together__ offers a broad overview of social living in the avian world. From long-established seabird colonies that use the same cliffs for generations to the fast-shifting dynamics of flock formation, leading wildlife writer Marianne Taylor explores the different ways birds choose to dwell together. Through fascinating text, color photos, maps, and other graphics, Taylor examines the advantages of avian sociality and social breeding. Chapters provide detailed information on diverse types of bird colonies, including those species that construct single-family nests close together in trees; those that share large, communal nests housing multiple families; those that nest in tunnels dug into the earth; those that form exposed colonies on open ground and defend them collectively, relying on ferocious aggression; those that live communally on human-made structures in towns and cities; and more. Taylor discusses the challenges, benefits, hazards, and social dynamics of each style of living, and features a wealth of species as examples. Showcasing colonies from the edge of Scotland and the tropical delta of the Everglades to the Namib Desert in Africa, __How Birds Live Together__ gives bird enthusiasts a vivid understanding of avian social communities. A beautifully illustrated exploration of the ways birds cohabit. Featuring dramatic and delightful wild bird colonies and communities, How Birds Live Together offers a broad overview of social living in the avian world. From long-established seabird colonies that use the same cliffs for generations to the fast-shifting dynamics of flock formation, leading wildlife writer Marianne Taylor explores the different ways birds choose to dwell together. Through fascinating text, color photos, maps, and other graphics, Taylor examines the advantages of avian sociality and social breeding. Chapters provide detailed information on diverse types of bird colonies, including those species that construct single-family nests close together in trees; those that share large, communal nests housing multiple families; those that nest in tunnels dug into the earth; those that form exposed colonies on open ground and defend them collectively, relying on ferocious aggression; those that live communally on human-made structures in towns and cities; and more. Taylor discusses the challenges, benefits, hazards, and social dynamics of each style of living, and features a wealth of species as examples. Showcasing colonies from the edge of Scotland and the tropical delta of the Everglades to the Namib Desert in Africa, How Birds Live Together gives bird enthusiasts a vivid understanding of avian social communities.-- Provided by publisher

A beautifully illustrated exploration of the ways birdscohabit Featuring dramatic and delightful wild birdcolonies and communities, How Birds Live Together offers abroad overview of social living in the avian world. Fromlong-established seabird colonies that use the same cliffs forgenerations to the fast-shifting dynamics of flock formation,leading wildlife writer Marianne Taylor explores the different waysbirds choose to dwell together. Through fascinating text, colorphotos, maps, and other graphics, Taylor examines the advantages ofavian sociality and social breeding. Chapters provide detailedinformation on diverse types of bird colonies, including thosespecies that construct single-family nests close together in trees;those that share large, communal nests housing multiple families;those that nest in tunnels dug into the earth; those that formexposed colonies on open ground and defend them collectively,relying on ferocious aggression; those that live communally onhuman-made structures in towns and cities; and more. Taylordiscusses the challenges, benefits, hazards, and social dynamics ofeach style of living, and features a wealth of species as examples.Showcasing colonies from the edge of Scotland and the tropicaldelta of the Everglades to the Namib Desert in Africa, HowBirds Live Together gives bird enthusiasts a vividunderstanding of avian social communities.