Zebra Finch: A Synthesis of Field and Laboratory Studies

by Richard A. Zann, Michael Bamford (Illustrator)

Overview

This book synthesizes current scientific knowledge of the Australian Zebra Finch, a bird popular with scientists and teachers in physiology, behavioral development, and evolutionary ecology, as well as professional and amateur ornithologists throughout the world. It builds a complete picture of the biology of this colorful species, integrating thirty years of findings from the laboratory with those from the wild, with emphasis on behavior and ecology. This new understanding of the Zebra Finch's adaptation and life history will further enhance its value to researchers and students in various fields.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198540793
Publisher:	Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date:	05/28/1996
Series:	Oxford Ornithology Series , #5
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.44(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.91(d)

Table of Contents

1. Systematics and phylogeny
2. Distribution and habitat
3. Morphology, domestication, and moult
4. Feeding ecology
5. Drinking, water relations, and temperature regulation
6. Coloniality and breeding ecology
7. Breeding periodicity
8. Populations
9. Social and reproductive behaviour
10. Vocalizations
11. Song
12. Sexual selection and mate choice
13. Life history and adaptations
Appendices
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Richard Zann brings together an impressive amount of information from the wild (in arid Australia) and the lab. This book has it all: zebra finches in Aboriginal creation stories, systematics, natural distribution, food eaten, behavior and physiology of drinking, abundance, social displays, breeding, parenting. . . . I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in zebra finches."—The Quarterly Review of Biology

"A comprehensive research report packed with new information, skillfully blended with a synthesis of the more important literature."—Choice

"A major summary and synthesis of current knowledge of this bird in field and laboratory. . .Recommended"—Wildlife Activist

"A first-class job of summarizing information on Zebra Finches, in the lab and in the field. These birds are remarkable in many ways, not least because they can live in confinement in a reasonable approximation of what their lives are like in the wild. That this should be true is remarkable, because wild Zebra Finches are quite specialized birds. . . . The available information on Zebra Finches is summarized in this book in a perceptive and informed way, and I highly recommend it. People who like birds will find it engrossing, as will behaviorists, ecologists, and evolutionary biologists; institutional libraries should get this book."—The Condor

From the Publisher