United States
£ GBP
It has been more than 40 years since the mechanisms of color production of birds have been reviewed and synthesized and in those 40 years new pigments have been discovered, new genetic mechanisms have been described, new theories have been developed, and hundreds of new experiments have been conducted.
Geoffrey Hill and Kevin McGraw have assembled the world's leading experts in perception, measurement, and control of bird coloration to contribute to this book. This sumptuously illustrated volume synthesizes more than 1,500 technical papers in this field. The focus is on the three primary mechanisms of color production--melanin pigmentation, carotenoid pigmentation, and structural coloration--but less common as well as newly described mechanisms of color production are also reviewed in detail. The visual perception of birds and the best ways to collect and analyze color data are, for the first time, presented as part of the review of mechanisms of coloration. This book will be essential reading for biologists studying animal coloration, but it will also be treasured by anyone curious about how birds produce and perceive their bold and brilliant color displays.
Preface I. Perception and Measurements 1. Color Perception Innes C. Cuthill 2. Quantification of Coloration Staffan Andersson and Maria Prager 3. Analyzing Colors Robert Montgomerie 4. Effects of Light Environment on Color Communication Marc Thery II. Mechanisms of Production 5. Mechanics of Carotenoid-based Coloration Kevin J. McGraw 6. Mechanics of Melanin-based Coloration Kevin J. McGraw 7. Anatomy, Physics, and Evolution of Structural Colors Richard O. Prum 8. The Mechanics of Uncommon Colors: Pterins, Porphyrins, and Psittacofulvins Kevin J. McGraw 9. Cosmetic and Adventitious Colors Robert Montgomerie III. Controls and Regulation of Expression 10. Hormonal Control of Coloration Rebecca T. Kimball 11. The Genetic Basis of Color Variation Nicholas I. Mundy 12. Environmental Regulation of Ornamental Coloration Geoffrey E. Hill Acknowledgments Contributors Index
Geoffrey E. Hill is Alumni Professor of Biological Sciences, Auburn University. Kevin J. McGraw is Assistant Professor of Life Sciences, Arizona State University.
The aim of Bird Coloration is to provide a flavour of the extent to which birds have exploited the sun's rays...These two volumes also delve deeper into the disparate ways in which bird colours are produced, what purpose they perform, their effect on communities in general, and finally, how they got here in the first place--their evolution...The reference lists alone are priceless...Bird Coloration will appeal to students of, and researchers in, evolution in general, because the devices that cause colour are often considered as phenotypes. Those interested in ecology, animal behaviour and vision studies will benefit, too...And if further incentive is needed to buy these books, just flick through the colour sections. -- Andrew R. Parker Times Literary Supplement 20060728 The two volumes of Bird Coloration provide an excellent up-to-date overview of the topic...Bird coloration is a huge topic and anyone organizing an overview should be heartily congratulated. -- Andrew T. D. Bennett Nature 20070111 This anthology of scientific writing in two volumes explains much of what is known about bird coloration and highlights that which we do not know. Subjects like whether the bright coloration of a male Northern Cardinal increases or decreases its chances of being captured by a visual predator like the Cooper's Hawk are debated...Many of the contributions to this text are scientifically detailed, however, the fascinating subject of bird coloration is presented at a level that the average reader would learn much about this fascinating subject. -- Robert Hoopes Wildlife Activist 20070601
