In Helpers at Birds' Nests, renowned naturalist and  ornithologist Alexander Skutch provides vivid, detailed accounts of a  remarkable aspect of bird behavior--the aid that one bird gives  another who is neither its mate nor its dependent young and who may  even belong to a different species.  In graceful, clear prose, Skutch makes accessible to amateur  bird-watchers examples of cooperation in species as far-flung as the  little rifleman of New Zealand, the Laysan albatross in the mid  Pacific, and the neotropical birds of Skutch's own Valley of El  General in Costa Rica.  Skutch describes the cooperative behavior of more than fifty  families of birds. Each family is introduced by a brief sketch of its  distribution and outstanding features, followed by intimate,  nontechnical accounts of the helpful behaviors that have been most  carefully studied. Skutch considers the significance of helpful birds  and discusses the theoretical aspects of cooperative breeding, its  evolution, kin selection, altruism, and demography.  First discovered by the author more than half a century ago,  cooperative breeding has become increasingly studied by professional  ornithologists. In this expanded edition, noted behaviorist Stephen  Emlen credits Skutch's passionate observations of birds with promoting  scientific interest in avian behavior. Emlen offers readers a summary  of the advances made in the field during the past ten years and places  Skutch's work in the context of contemporary ornithological research.

Helpers at birds' nests: a worldwide survey of cooperative breeding and related behavior PDF

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