The Zebra Finch: A Synthesis of Field and Laboratory Studies

by Richard A. Zann

Overview

This book synthesizes current scientific knowledge of the Australian Zebra Finch, a bird popular with scientists and teachers in physiology, behavioral development, and evolutionary ecology, as well as professional and amateur ornithologists throughout the world. It builds a complete picture of the biology of this colorful species, integrating thirty years of findings from the laboratory with those from the wild, with emphasis on behavior and ecology. This new understanding of the Zebra Finch's adaptation and life history will further enhance its value to researchers and students in various fields.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198540793
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/25/1996
Series:	Oxford Ornithology Series , #5
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	9.52(w) x 6.39(h) x 0.96(d)

About the Author

La Trobe University

Table of Contents

1. Systematics and phylogeny2. Distribution and habitat3. Morphology, domestication, and moult4. Feeding ecology5. Drinking, water relations, and temperature regulation6. Coloniality and breeding ecology7. Breeding periodicity8. Populations9. Social and reproductive behaviour10. Vocalizations11. Song12. Sexual selection and mate choice13. Life history and adaptationsAppendicesReferencesIndex

Editorial Reviews

"Richard Zann brings together an impressive amount of information from the wild (in arid Australia) and the lab. This book has it all: zebra finches in Aboriginal creation stories, systematics, natural distribution, food eaten, behavior and physiology of drinking, abundance, social displays, breeding, parenting. . . . I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in zebra finches."—The Quarterly Review of Biology

"A comprehensive research report packed with new information, skillfully blended with a synthesis of the more important literature."—Choice

"A major summary and synthesis of current knowledge of this bird in field and laboratory. . .Recommended"—Wildlife Activist

"A first-class job of summarizing information on Zebra Finches, in the lab and in the field. These birds are remarkable in many ways, not least because they can live in confinement in a reasonable approximation of what their lives are like in the wild. That this should be true is remarkable, because wild Zebra Finches are quite specialized birds. . . . The available information on Zebra Finches is summarized in this book in a perceptive and informed way, and I highly recommend it. People who like birds will find it engrossing, as will behaviorists, ecologists, and evolutionary biologists; institutional libraries should get this book."—The Condor

From the Publisher