Ornithological Literature

摘要

This book is an addition to the Bird Families of the World series and contains a summary of what is know about the biology of herons. It updates the authors' previous summary, Herons Handbook (Hancock and Kushlan 1984, Harper & Row, New York). It is also meant to compliment Heron Conservation (Kushlan and Hafner 2000, Academic Press, London, U.K.), which the authors refer to as a companion volume. Herons consists of two parts: the first is composed of six general chapters and the second 62 species accounts. The first of the general chapters is an introduction to the herons and has sub-sections that deal with general appearance, bill, vision, head and neck, plumes and plumage, legs and feet, flight and movement, and vocalizations. The authors note that vocalizations are one of the least studied aspects of heron biology, and no sonograms are given in either the general chapters or species accounts. The second chapter deals with sys-tematics and evolution, in which the authors incorporate the results of molecular studies and revise their assessment of the relationships of the herons of the world. Included in this revision are incorporating the night herons in subfamily Ardeinae together with the typical day herons and egrets.