Cooperative Breeding in Birds: Long Term Studies of Ecology and Behaviour

Description

Cooperative breeding is an unusual kind of social behaviour, found in a few hundred species worldwide, in which individuals other than the parents help raise young. Understanding the apparently altruistic behaviour of helpers has provided numerous challenges to evolutionary biologists. This book includes detailed first-hand summaries of many of the major empirical studies of cooperatively breeding birds. It provides comparative information on the demography, social behaviour and behavioural ecology of these unusual species and explores the diversity of ideas and the controversies which have developed in this field. The studies are all long-term and consequently the book summarises some of the most extensive studies of the behaviour of marked individuals ever undertaken. Graduate students and research workers in ornithology, sociobiology, behavioural ecology and evolutionary biology will find much of value in this book.

"I strongly recommend this book to any biologist interested in behavioral ecology, sociality, or ornithology. It provides an excellent review of many of the primary cooperative breeding studies of the last two decades, points the way to future research, and touches on some of the more general problems in behavioral ecology. It would make a good addition to personal as well as to professional libraries." The Auk "...this is much more than a collection. In addition to a thorough index, there is a helpful 9-page introduction and a 20-page summary to synthesize the diverse studies and give a much needed overview of this interesting area of study. Abundant illustrative materials...Highly recommended." Choice "...an excellent summary of what is currently known about cooperative breeding, and offers more information to the reader than a review of the topic with only selected examples given to support specific points. Indeed, with all of the information included, it is a good reference source for general and population breeding of birds, quite aside from any questions concerning cooperative breeding. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in behavioral ecology, population biology, or even just the intricacies of the lives of birds." Kevin McGowan, Journal of Field Ornithology "...this book is a celebration of some of the finest field studies ever undertaken, and a splendid introduction to an important strand of behavioral ecology." Andrew Cockburn, Quarterly Review of Biology