Articles liés à Shrikes
Synopsis
Shrikes are a charismatic group of birds occurring throughout most of the Old World and North America. The family Laniidae consists of 31 species in three genera, if the Southern Grey Shrike and Great Grey Shrike are accepted as separate species which the author recommends. This book is the first to cover all the shrikes in one volume.
Shrikes because of their habit of impaling their prey on the thorns of bushes, were known in the countryside as 'butcher-birds' and, indeed, their Latin name lanius means butcher. They are small to medium-sized birds. The smallest, Emin's Shrike which occurs in central Africa, is about the size of a House Finch or Greenfinch, and the largest is the Chinese Grey Shrike. One of their most striking features is their raptor-like hooked bill. Another typical feature is their face mask which gives them the look of small, fierce highwaymen.
Many species are of conservation concern including the Great Grey Shrike, The Lesser Grey Shrike, The Woodchat Shrike and the Red-backed Shrike in Europe and the Loggerhead Shrike in North America. The decline of these species has been largely caused by changing farming methods, but all are now legally protected.
This brilliant book brings together the most recent information on the shrike family and the superb text and illustrations should lead to successful and safe identification of all species in the field.
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À propos des auteurs
Norbert Lefranc is a French ornithologist specialising in the ecology of shrikes. He has travelled all over the world in search of shrikes and other birds, publishing many papers and four books, including Les Pies-grièches d'Europe, d'Afrique du Nord et du Moyen-Orient (1993) and the first edition of the present book (1997). He worked as a biodiversity officer for the Ministry of Ecology in the 'Grand Est'. Now retired, he spends his time contributing to research and conservation actions led by NGOs, particularly by the Société d'Etudes Ornithologiques de France (SEOF) and the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO/Birdlife France).
Tim Worfolk has been a full-time bird illustrator since 1994 (the original Shrikes was his first commission). His work has appeared in dozens of field guides, handbooks and scientific papers. He has visited many countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America in search of shrikes and other birds but, for environmental reasons, has now given up air travel. Since 1999 he has lived by the Exe Estuary in Devon, England where he mostly gets around by bicycle.
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