Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of plates
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Wetlands: what, where, and why
- 3 Major groups of birds that use wetlands
- 4 Water and other resource influences
- 5 Foods, feeding tactics, strategies, and guilds
- 6 Bird mobility and wetland predictability
- 7 Other behavioral and physical influences on wetland living
- 8 Spatial and structural patterns
- 9 Habitat dynamics: water, plant succession, and time
- 10 Population consequences of wetland abundance and quality
- 11 How birds influence wetlands
- 12 Conservation implications
- 13 Measures of bird habitat use and quality
- 14 Current status and some conservation problems
- 15 Conservation and management strategies
- 16 Outlook
- 17 Epilogue
- Appendix 1 Scientific names of birds and bird groups
- Appendix 2 Scientific names of animals and animal groups other than birds
- Appendix 3 Scientific names of plants and plant groups
- Index of birds and bird groups
- Subject index
Preface
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 October 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of plates
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Wetlands: what, where, and why
- 3 Major groups of birds that use wetlands
- 4 Water and other resource influences
- 5 Foods, feeding tactics, strategies, and guilds
- 6 Bird mobility and wetland predictability
- 7 Other behavioral and physical influences on wetland living
- 8 Spatial and structural patterns
- 9 Habitat dynamics: water, plant succession, and time
- 10 Population consequences of wetland abundance and quality
- 11 How birds influence wetlands
- 12 Conservation implications
- 13 Measures of bird habitat use and quality
- 14 Current status and some conservation problems
- 15 Conservation and management strategies
- 16 Outlook
- 17 Epilogue
- Appendix 1 Scientific names of birds and bird groups
- Appendix 2 Scientific names of animals and animal groups other than birds
- Appendix 3 Scientific names of plants and plant groups
- Index of birds and bird groups
- Subject index
Summary
Wetland birds have long attracted the attention of the public and scientists because of their beauty, abundance, visibility, and social behavior, as well as for their recreational and economic importance. Recently, they have become of interest as indicators of wetland quality, and as parameters of restoration success and regional biodiversity. Recognition of the importance of wetland habitat resources as the dominant influence on the presence and repeated use of wetlands by birds has come slowly, but sufficient information is now available that it seems timely to summarize what we know, and to speculate on what we think we know, as a means of seeking direction for future work. This book is partly a product of my own interest in patterns of wetland habitat use by birds in relation to wetland dynamics. In addition, nonspecialists have been seeking help in using birds as indicators of wetland function or as measures of success in wetland management, restoration, and creation. I have tried to make the book understandable to students of various ages and stages who are interested in wetland birds and their conservation, but some may find more detail than they like. Others with greater knowledge of certain topics will find it advantageous to skip from the known to the less well-known subject matter. The literature on wetland birds now is enormous, but to avoid constant interruption of the text, I have cited literature in some chapters less than some may prefer. However, some chapters list further reading material not cited in the text; in both sections I have tried to include classics in the subject area and more recent papers or books that provide summaries of pertinent literature.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Wetland BirdsHabitat Resources and Conservation Implications, pp. xi - xivPublisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1999