Description: Ecology and Conservation of Forest Birds is a unique review of current understanding of the relationships between forest birds and their changing environments. Large ecological changes are being driven by forest management, climate change, introduced pests and pathogens, abiotic disturbances, and overbrowsing. Many forest bird species have suffered population declines, with the situation being particularly severe for birds dependent on attributes such as dead wood, old trees and structurally complex forests. With a focus on the non-tropical parts of the Northern Hemisphere, the text addresses the fundamental evolutionary and ecological aspects of forest birds using original data analyses and synthesising reviews. The characteristics of bird assemblages and their habitats in different European forest types are explored, together with the macroecological patterns of bird diversity and conservation issues. The book provides a valuable reference for ecologists, ornithologists, conservation professionals, forest industry employees, and those interested in birds and nature.
Brief description: Robert J. Fuller is Emeritus Research Fellow at the British Trust for Ornithology and Honorary Professor at the University of East Anglia. His central interests focus on temperate forest biodiversity, especially birds. The effects of forest management, the impacts of deer browsing and conservation strategies form the core of his work. He is author of Bird Life of Woodland and Forest (Cambridge, 1995) and editor of Birds and Habitat: Relationships in Changing Landscapes (Cambridge, 2012).
Review Quotes: 'Every experienced ornithologist knows that there is an intangible magic about the community of birds, and their interactions with other species, in a mature forest - this book puts some science behind that magic we know.' Hugh Possingham, Chief Scientist of the Nature Conservancy