Integrative and Comparative Biology Advance Access originally published online on August 29, 2006
Integrative and Comparative Biology 2006 46(6):1206-1207; doi:10.1093/icb/icl040
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Book Review |
Pelicans, Cormorants, and their Relatives, The Pelecaniformes. J. Bryan Nelson
Biology Department, Coastal Carolina Community College Jacksonville, NC 28546
Correspondence: E-mail: shieldsm{at}coastal.cc.nc.us
Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2006. 661 pages, 12 color plates, 167 figures. ISBN 0-19-857727-3(hardback) £95.00, $174.50.
This book is the 17th volume in Oxford's Bird Families of the World, a series of handbooks in which each volume is designed to provide "a comprehensive and accurate synthesis of our knowledge of one bird family or several related families." Nelson admirably accomplishes this goal for the 6 families that compose the order Pelecaniformes; the Pelecanidae (pelicans; 7 species), Sulidae (gannets and boobies; 9 species), Phalacrocoracidae (cormorants and shags; 39 species), Anhingidae (anhinga and darter; 2 species), Fregatidae (frigatebirds; 5 species), and Phaethontidae (tropicbirds; 3 species). The text is divided into 2 parts of roughly equal lengths. Part I contains 5 chapters covering general aspects of pelecaniform biology, while Part II comprises 65 detailed species accounts. Sandwiched between Parts I and II are a series of line drawings of territorial and pair behavior by John Busby and 12 color plates, illustrating all 65 covered species, by Andrew Mackay. The book concludes with an appendix of body measurements, an extensive bibliography, a glossary, and a simple index.
The first 4 chapters of Part I cover topics that are relevant to all 6 families and help provide a sense of unity to this ecologically and taxonomically diverse order. Chapter 1 ("Relationships") begins with an overview of the anatomical features common to all 6 families, followed by a thorough description of the fossil record. The remainder of the chapter discusses the anatomical, behavioral, fossil, and molecular evidence for hypothesized evolutionary relationships within each family. Chapter 2 ("Behaviour") summarizes foraging, breeding, and social behaviors within the order. Comparisons among families nicely illustrate how behavior relates to their differing ecologies. In Chapter 3 ("Breeding ecology"), Nelson details major aspects of breeding biology, such as coloniality, the timing and frequency of breeding, clutch size, care of young, chick growth, breeding success, and breeding life span. As in Chapter 2, the emphasis is on comparisons among families. Chapter 4 ("Pelecaniforms and man") addresses conservation issues and focuses on the impact of human actions on pelecaniform populations worldwide. Chapter 5 ("General family accounts") departs from the interfamilial comparative approach of the previous chapters and instead emphasizes features specific to each family and on comparisons among species within each. Nevertheless, comparisons among families can easily be made because each family account follows the same format. Topics covered in this chapter include voice, external features and anatomy, locomotion, body maintenance, molt, range and status, foraging, social behavior, habitat, and breeding biology. Throughout Part I, as well as the species accounts that follow, Nelson adeptly weaves factual information about anatomy, physiology, habitat, behavior, feeding, and breeding into a comprehensive and understandable "adaptive web" for each family and species.
Each of the 65 detailed species accounts in Part II follows a format similar to that in the family accounts. This not only facilitates comparisons among species, whether in the same family or not, but also highlights what is still unknown about a particular species, thereby providing a guide for future research. Written in telegraphic style, the accounts vary greatly in length, depending upon the amount of published information available and the author's personal field experience. Not surprisingly, the account for the Atlantic gannet (Morus bassanus), a species on which Nelson is an undisputed authority, is the longest.
The appendix provides measurements (wing, tail, tarsus, and bill lengths; body weight) for each of the 65 pelecaniform species. Unfortunately, references are cited for only 2 of the species, units of measurement are rarely given, and measures of variability are not identified (does ± n refer to ± SE or ± SD?). The latter 2 flaws also occur throughout the text. The bibliography contains about 1370 references, despite several cited in the text not being included, and is alone a significant resource on the Pelecaniformes. One drawback is that, due to a "long delay between submission of the completed and up-to-date manuscript and the eventual publication date" (p. v), only 14 of the references in the bibliography were published after 1999, and none were more recent than 2002 (and this one was listed as "in press"). Consequently, the text is not as up-to-date as the 2006 publication date would suggest.
Nevertheless, Pelicans, Cormorants, and their Relatives is impressive in its depth and breadth of coverage. This book will long serve as the definitive reference on the Pelecaniformes. Anyone interested in the biology and ecology of this interesting group of seabirds, or even seabirds in general, will want a copy. This volume should be on the shelves of every university library, where it will be available to students (and junior faculty!) who probably will not be able to afford its hefty price tag.
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