M21062Ivy Press, 2011; hbk, 160 pp; many colour and black-and-white illustrations ISBN 978-1-908005-84-7  Subbuteo Code M21062  £19.95 One of the extraordinary features of avian evolution is the considerable range of nest types that have evolved. As egg-layers, birds need nests in which to incubate their eggs and, in many species, in which to care for their young. Some closely related species, such as Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita and Wood Warbler P. sibilatrix, build similar structures, in this case domed and constructed close to the ground. In other species, convergent evolution has resulted in similar nest strategies being used by unrelated species. An example of this is the use of mud as a protective element to partially close a nest hole in a tree, such as that as used by the Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea and hornbills Bucerotidae. Hornbills, however, take this strategy to extremes, with the female Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis being sealed into the nest hole for the entire nesting cycle, during which she not only incubates and then cares for the young, but also has a complete moult while she is incarcerated. All the while the female, and latterly the whole family, are completely dependent on the male for food. Another extreme example of nesting behaviour is that of the Australian Brush-turkey Alectura lathami and the rather similar Malleefowl Leipoa ocellata, both of which build a large mound nest incorporating vegetation that heats up as it rots. Into this mound the eggs are laid, leaving the adults to control the temperature in the mound during incubation by the judicious addition to or removal of vegetation from the nest mound. This nesting behaviour has been quite well documented, but I was unaware that the young brush-turkeys hatch fully feathered - not just down-covered, as are wildfowl and waders - and are completely independent of their parents and able to fly within hours. Moreover, as with crocodiles Crocodylinae, the mound temperature determines the sex ratio of the young, which is equal with incubation temperature at about 34ºC, but above or below that temperature the sex ratio becomes unequal. All this, and much, much more is described in this book, which classifies the many and varied nest types used by birds, from the simple scrape nests used by many waders, seabirds and wildfowl, to more sophisticated hole and tunnel structures (for example, kingfishers Alcedinidae, bee-eaters Meropidae and woodpeckers Picidae), platforms (many raptors Accipitridae and storks Ciconiidae), cup nests (many passerines), domed nests etc. Niggles are few, and largely inconsequential: the spelling of 'fiber'; dimensions sometimes being given as Imperial units then followed by metric, and sometimes vice-versa; the use of scientific names in parentheses as well as in italics, and the 'velcro' analogy applied to the spider-web and moss construction of the Long-tailed Tit's Aegithalos caudatus nest, which is hardly the same as when velcro used as a fabric fastener! In some instances I would have liked a little more explanation. As a wader enthusiast I have always been intrigued by the Crab-plover's Dromas ardeola communal, underground hole-nesting behaviour, which is mentioned here but not described. And as a geotechnical engineer I have long been itching to know more about the use of 'mud' as a nesting material, which I suspect can be classified more precisely than just 'mud', and indeed probably needs fairly precise properties to enable it to be used by birds. One clue to this is the fact that a number of swallows and martins Hirundinidae and even the Magpie-lark Grallina cyanoleuca all use a vibrating technique when they place the mud. This implies that the clay mineral content of the mud is in fact quite low. Other questions are: do these species incorporate their saliva as a hardening agent - as used in an extreme form by the swiftlets Aerodramus of southeast Asia (these nests then forming the main ingredient for 'birds-nest soup')? And can the strengthening effect of fibres and other fragments added to the mud (as is done by the Magpie-lark, for example) be quantified? Although this book is largely concerned with nests and nest building, it also includes discussion of the bower construction by the bower-birds Ptilonorhynchidae, the acorn stores of Acorn Woodpeckers Melanerpes formicivorus, and the methods used by sapsuckers Sphyrapicus to harvest sap and insects. This book is attractively designed and well-illustrated with photographs and line drawings. About 14 different nest types and their construction are described, with 'blueprints' giving annotated line drawings of the different types, and 'case studies' in which a variety the nests of a number of species are described. Though I claim no particular expertise in the subject of bird's nests, the book appears to be comprehensive. It is a fascinating to browse, and while not everyone will want to read it from cover to cover it is a thoroughly useful addition to any ornithological library. Richard Chandler Buy this book from the British Birds bookshop which is run by Subbuteo Natural History Books This means that 5% of all sales generated by British Birds subscribers, whether it is books reviewed in the journal, featured on its book page or listed on the Subbuteo website, will be paid to British Birds - and will directly support the production of the journal.
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