"The book's subtitle - A study of an ecological interaction - properly reflects the author's theme but may tend to hide the fact that the relationships between birds and berries can be much more than the simple, mutually advantageous systems ('eat my fruits, spread my seeds') they may seem at first to be. Therein lies the core of the book - the less obvious intricacies and implications of plant/ bird associations, the coevolution of species in some cases and the adaptations of a species (bird or plant) to further its own advantage. To complicate the scene, too, there are the 'exploiters', the pulp-predators and seed-predators that feed at the plant's expense. In Part 1 of the book the authors provide accounts by species of the trees and shrubs they observed over many years in their study area of southern England; similarly, Part 2 records the bird species they watched feeding, or attempting to feed, or preventing other birds from feeding, on the fruits. Part 3 ranges widely and is not confined to Britain and Europe. It investigates the strategies and adaptations evolved and employed by plants to ensure their success, and their attempts at defence against the bird 'predators'. It looks at the birds themselves, their foraging techniques and fruit preferences, the limitations of a fruit diet and adaptations to it, the time and energy budgets of fruit-eaters and, finally, the intriguing question of coevolution of plants and birds. This thought-provoking text offers many insights not generally perceived by ornithologist or botanist and is illustrated in masterly fashion by John Busby's lively drawings. Jacket paintings by John Busby."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

More than an account of the behavior, food, and reproduction of frugivorous birds, The Web of Adaptataion is a thoughtful inquiry into the factors that have produced patterns of behavior that will appear strange to readers unfamiliar with tropical birds. This gracefully written and highly readable book contains much of interest to ecologists and evolutionists no less than to everyone desirous of broadening his or her view of the ways of life of the charming creatures that adorn our planet. - from new Foreword "It is always gratifying when a great scientist can write popularly about complex phenomena such as tropical birds, whose behavior and ecology differ in so many ways from the much more intensively studied birds of temperate areas. Snow describes how tremendous numbers of tropical species - and the unique natural areas they inhabit - are being irreparably destroyed by deforestation." - Library Journal

Here is the distilled essence of the definitive account of the birds of north-west Europe--BWP, as it is generally known to thousands of users. The abridgment has been made by members of the original editorial team under the general supervision of Professor C.M. Perrins of Oxford, who acted as Consultant Editor. Dr. D.W. Snow has condensed the original text with masterly skill, retaining all the essential information in a fraction of the space. The Concise BWP also includes much significant new material. Accounts of more than eighty species have been added and the descriptions of field characters have been revised throughout. The population and distribution sections have been rewritten to take into account new information that has become available since BWP was published. The distribution maps have also been revised and brought up to date. They are now printed in full color for maximum clarity and include hill shading to indicate the relief. More than 230 magnificent new color plates have been specially commissioned for this edition to illustrate newly added species or to replace earlier paintings used in BWP. Where the original paintings have been retained, they are now reproduced using the latest electronic scanning techniques. For greater convenience, all plates now appear in the text. Indexes in seven European languages are included in addition to the indexes of English and scientific names. The Concise BWP is an essential reference book for all who are interested in the birds of Europe, whether at the professional level or as amateurs.

Here is the distilled essence of the definitive account of the birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa - BWP, as it is generally known to thousands of users. The Concise BWP also includes much significant new material. Accounts of more than eighty species have been added and the descriptions of field characters have been revised throughout. The population and distribution sections have been rewritten to take into account new information that has become available since BWP was published. The distribution maps have also been revised and brought up to date. They are now printed in full colour for maximum clarity, and hill shading has been added to indicate the relief. More than 230 new colour plates have been specifically commissioned for this edition to illustrate newly added species or to replace earlier paintings used in BWP. Indexes in seven European languages are included in addition to the indexes of English and scientific names.