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Umbrellabird is very unhappy. The other birds tease him about his unusual feathers. But one day, the birds see just how useful an umbrella can be.
With the publication of the landmark volumes The Birds of South America: The Oscine Passerines and The Birds of South America: The Suboscine Passerines, Robert S. Ridgely and Guy Tudor established themselves as the leading authorities on the songbirds of South America. Reviewers hailed the volumes as the essential reference works for professional ornithologists and avocational birders alike, and they remain the only volumes that provide full scientific coverage of the continent's passerines. Recognizing the need for a more compact guide that birders can take into the field, Ridgely and Tudor have now extracted and updated the essential identification information from The Birds of South America to create the Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America. This definitive guide is filled with indispensable features: 121 color plates that present Guy Tudor's magnificently detailed paintings of more than 1,500 species of songbirds, including more than 400 that were not illustrated in BOSA 160 additional color illustrations of subspecies and females Extensively updated color range maps for all of the species in the field guide, prepared by Robert S. Ridgely with technical assistance from Maria Allen and Terry Clarke, appear opposite the plates for each bird family Robert S. Ridgely's authoritative accounts of nearly 2,000 species that cover each bird's abundance, habitat, and range; elevational preference; taxonomic or nomenclatural changes; plumage description; general behavior and voice; and range beyond South America, if applicable
Take a walk on the weird side as Lonely Planet Kids reveals 100 of the world's strangest animals. From glass frogs and mole lizards to umbrella birds and fishing spiders, discover crazy creatures and rare species you've never heard of before from all corners of the globe! Meet the egg-eating snake and satanic leaf-tailed gecko from Africa; the chinstrap penguin and narwhal from the Arctic Circle; the Bornean bearded pig and snub-nosed monkey from Asia; the frilled dragon and superb bird-of-paradise from Australia; the hoopoe and Etruscan shrew from Europe; the ghost-faced bat and magnificent frigatebird from North America; the Brazilian horned frog and red-lipped batfish from South America; and lots more! You'll then plunge into the dark depths of the oceans to meet fish and deep sea marine life, like the hairy frogfish, immortal jellyfish, crown-of-thorns starfish and the mimic octopus. Who will you crown the world's wackiest? About Lonely Planet Kids: Lonely Planet Kids - an imprint of the world's leading travel authority Lonely Planet - published its first book in 2011. Over the past 45 years, Lonely Planet has grown a dedicated global community of travellers, many of whom are now sharing a passion for exploration with their children. Lonely Planet Kids educates and encourages young readers at home and in school to learn about the world with engaging books on culture, sociology, geography, nature, history, space and more. We want to inspire the next generation of global citizens and help kids and their parents to approach life in a way that makes every day an adventure. Come explore! Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.
'Playful, rhythmic and often gigglishly silly' RED READING HUB'A perfect book for reading aloud' PARENTS IN TOUCHFrom armadillos, flamingos and umbrella birds to quokkas and iguanas, Elli Woollard presents a lovely collection of poems for younger children about pets which are just a little bit peculiar... Filled with fun rhymes, quirky black-and-white illustrations and exotic animals, this book is perfect for reading aloud. Some poems are hilarious, some are gruesome and some will make you want to wash your hair, but there's sure to be a pet poem here for every child and adult alike. With a poem for every letter of the alphabet and tips for children writing their own rhymes, this is the perfect book for budding young poets aged 3+.
A fascinating compendium featuring over 70 unusual animal species. What's in a name? This lively, illustrated celebration is jam-packed with creatures notable for their bizarre, baffling, and just-plain-funny names. Meet the White-Bellied Go-Away Bird, whose cry sounds like someone screaming, "Go away!" Or the Aye-Aye, whose name means "I don't know" in Malagasy because no one wants anything to do with this bad-luck creature. Some are obvious, if still weird––gues what the Fried Egg Jellyfish looks like. Others sound like an inside joke: It's easy to figure out what was on the taxonomist's mind when he christened a fly he discovered Pieza Pie. Along the way you'll learn all about these curiously named animals' just-as-curious habits, appearances, and abilities.
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve has captured the worldwide attention of biologists, conservationists, and ecologists and has been the setting for extensive investigation over the past 30 years. Roughly 40,000 ecotourists visit the Cloud Forest each year, and it is often considered the archetypal high-altitude rain forest. This volume brings together some of the most prominent researchers of the region to provide a broad introduction to the biology of the Monteverde, and cloud forests in general. Collecting and synthesizing vital information about the ecosystem and its biota, the book also examines the positive and negative effects of human activity on both the forest and the surrounding communities. Ecologists, tropical biologists, and natural historians will find this volume an indispensable resource, as will all those who are fascinated by the magnificent wonders of the tropical forests.
A land of incredible natural resources, the South American continent is rich in plant and animal species. Among birds alone, over 3,100 species are either resident or migrant. Birds are some of South America's treasures and also one of its most endangered resources. Hence the need for a descriptive record of South American birds that will serve both professional and amateur bird students and encourage conservation of these magnificent species. Although South American birds elicit much popular and scientific interest, they have never been completely or satisfactorily described and cataloged in a single, published source. The Birds of South America, projected to be a four-volume work, thus fills a critical void. Starting from a museum approach, the authors have examined specimens of each subspecies, comparing them visually and trying to discern the patterns in their plumage variation, both intra- and inter-specifically. They take a new look at bird systematics, reassessing relationships in light of new information. Perhaps most important, they combine this review and analysis with extensive field observations to give an accurate, incisive portrait of the birds in nature. At a time when rapid development is devastating millions of acres of tropical habitat in South America, this record of an endangered resource becomes crucial. If the birds and other plants and animals of South America are to be saved, they must first be known and appreciated. The Birds of South America is a major step in that direction. Volume II includes the Ovenbirds and Woodcreepers, Antbirds, Gnatcatchers, and Tapaculos; Tyrant Flycatchers; and Manakins and Cotingas. The remaining volumes of The Birds of South America will be: Volume III: The Nonpasserines (Landbirds) Volume IV: The Nonpasserines (Waterbirds) No release date has been set for the remaining volumes.
