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Thumbnail Filmstrip of The Golden Eagle Around the World - 928 Pages - HB Images
Description
Unlike all other monographs on the Golden
Eagle, each of which had a regional focus on the study area of the
author, this book represents the most wide-ranging compilation of Golden
Eagle research ever. With over 175 authors reporting on more than 2000
combined field seasons, representing every biome where the species is
found, this book marks one of the greatest attempts to describe the
biology of any circumpolar species. Having more than 920 pages, over
1,500 illustrations, many never previously published, this work
represents a truly global achievement. It merits a place in the library
of every ornithologist and raptor enthusiast.
From the decades-long studies of 178 authors, you will find nationwide and worldwide population estimates. Long-term trends for many lands show that many Golden Eagle populations are increasing. Along with descriptions of the world's subspecies, you will learn of various odd forms: the rare pale-breasted form from Scandinavia and northwestern Siberia and a very rare white-shouldered form that strangely is rather common in the southwestern United States. From recent molecular genetics studies, you learn of the relatedness of various populations.
Recent studies with Golden Eagle molt have revealed much about molt rate in Iberia, and 3 phenomena new to science are described: (1) that Golden Eagle, and presumably other birds, have the ability to detect and replace broken feathers, (2) that feathers at high-wear loci are replaced more frequently, and (3) that there are 19-day cycles in the number of feathers lost during molt.
In The Golden Eagle Around the World, you can also read of the simurgh, a now extinct giant Golden Eagle that probably hunted the dimunitive elephants and rhinoceroses that once lived on islands in the Mediterranean Sea.
Read of such dietary oddities as the survival of eagles in the Negyev Desert on 1 species of lizard. And in several regions, foxes and other predators make up one-third to one-half of the diet. Other populations depend on hedgehogs for prey, while populations around the Mediterranean Sea subsist largely on tortoises. Strangest of all is that the tiny population in Denmark feeds mostly on free-ranging chickens and farmed pheasants. We summarize prey from over 200 studies. Over 114,000 prey have been collected from 4,300 territories. Over 400 prey species have been documented.
