"Summarizing current knowledge of grouse biology, this volume is organized in four sections--spatial ecology, habitat relationships, population biology, and conservation and management--and offers insights into spatial requirements, movements, and demography of grouse. Much of the research employs emerging tools in ecology that span biogeochemistry, molecular genetics, endocrinology, radio-telemetry, and remote sensing".--Adapted from publisher descrip tion on back cover

This book provides syntheses of ecological theories and overarching patterns of urban bird ecology that have only recently become available. The numerous habitats represented in this book ranges from rows of trees in wooded alleys, to wastelands and remnants of natural habitats encapsulated in the urban matrix. Authored by leading scientists in this emergent field, the chapters explore how the characteristics of the habitat in urban environments influence bird communities and populations at multiple levels of ecological organization and at different spatial and temporal scales, and how this information should be incorporated in urban planning to achieve an effective conservation of bird fauna in urban environments. Birds are among the most conspicuous and fascinating residents of urban neighborhoods and provide urban citizens with everyday wildlife contact all over the world. However, present urbanization trends are rapidly depleting their habitats, and thus knowledge of urban bird ecology is urgently needed if birds are to thrive in cities. The book is unique in its inclusion of examples from all continents (except Antarctica) in an effort to arrive at a more holistic perspective. Among other issues, the individual chapters address the censusing of birds in urban green spaces; the relationship between bird communities and the structure of urban green spaces; the role of exotic plant species as food sources for urban bird fauna; the influence of artificial light and pollutants on bird fauna; trends in long-term urban bird research, and transdisciplinary studies on bird sounds and their effects on humans. Several chapters investigate how our current knowledge of the ecology of urban bird fauna should be applied in order to achieve better management of urban habitats so as to achieve conservation of species or even increase species diversity. The book also provides a forward-looking summary on potential research directions. As such, it provides a valuable resource for urban ecologists, urban ecology students, landscape architects, city planners, decision makers and anyone with an interest in urban ornithology and bird conservation. Moreover, it provides a comprehensive overview for researchers in the fields of ecology and conservation of urban bird fauna.

This unparalleled wealth of finely detailed ecological information on Neotropical bird communities will prove invaluable to all Neotropical wildlife managers, conservation biologists, and serious birders.

Outlining the main methods and techniques available to ornithologists, this book brings together in one authoritative source contributions containing information on avian ecology and conservation.

"Volume 2 (this volume) describes wildlife and fish species, their habitat requirements, and species-specific management concerns, in Southwestern grasslands. This assessment is regional in scale and pertains primarily to lands administered by the Southwestern Region of the USDA Forest Service (Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas, and western Oklahoma)."--Abstract.

Grasslands are inherently dynamic in space and time evolving with frequent disturbance from fire and herbivores. Throughout much of the world, grasslands have been converted and fragmented and many remaining grasslands have become homogenous as a consequence of human actions. As a result, ecosystem function has declined and biodiversity loss has led to decreased ecological services. Of particular concern are highly imperiled grassland birds which have experienced greater population declines than any other habitat associated guild of birds in North America. Conservation efforts that restore heterogeneity to grasslands through the re-coupling of fire and grazing may be an effective strategy for stabilizing or increasing grassland bird populations. We examined Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) ecology, breeding bird community diversity and stability, and non-breeding bird community diversity and patch occupancy in tallgrass prairie with restored structural and compositional heterogeneity. We found that Greater Prairie-Chickens selected for patches with greater time since fire and grazing and that taller vegetation increased nest survival. Additionally, nests that survived were in cooler environments and prairie-chickens displayed fine scale thermal habitat selection as nest sites were nearly 4°C cooler than micro-sites within 2 meters of nests. We found that heterogeneity increased breeding bird community diversity and that increased heterogeneity resulted in greater community stability over time. Finally, non-breeding bird community diversity increased as a result of structural heterogeneity and occupancy modeling revealed that certain species selected for varying patches along a disturbance gradient (i.e, recently disturbed to relatively undisturbed) that resulted from fire and grazing dependent heterogeneity. Our findings add to a growing body of literature supporting the use of fire and grazing to create a shifting grassland mosaic that increases vegetation structural and compositional heterogeneity and maximizes native biodiversity within rangeland ecosystems through the conservation of natural patterns and processes. Additionally, these data provide evidence that variation in grassland structure resulting from the fire-grazing interaction may be important in moderating thermal environments and highlights the complex and interactive effects of restored ecological processes on ecosystems. We recommend future management efforts in rangelands focus on restored disturbance process to increase heterogeneity and improve grassland bird conservation.