Paperback
978-1-77212-374-6Size: 6" x 9"
Pages: 272
Pages: 296
epub
978-1-77212-644-0Pages: 296
The Flying Zoo
Birds, Parasites, and the World They Share
By Michael Stock
“My work as a scientist who studies bird parasites causes me to wonder about the hidden part of the drama unfolding before my eyes: the flying zoo that makes each bird what it is. As I gaze out at my favourite birds, I wonder what role their parasites have played in shaping their fascinating behaviours and alluring appearance.” — From Chapter 1
In The Flying Zoo, Michael Stock gives readers an enthusiastic tribute to birds and the parasites that live in and on them. From the Crozet Archipelago and the Galapagos Islands to our own backyards, parasites—fleas, lice, ticks, and flukes—live in a sinister yet symbiotic relationship with their host birds. With a scientist’s exuberance, Stock reveals a co-evolutionary dance among an astounding cast of creatures living in a complex and paradoxical co-habitation. Following in the footsteps of Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos, this contemporary classic deserves a place on the shelves of students and teachers of biology, natural history buffs, and birders.
Book details
Publication date: October 2019Features: 36 images, notes, bibliography, index
Keywords: Parasitology / Ornithology
Subject(s): SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / Ornithology, Environment, Animal Studies, Parasitology / Ornithology, NATURE / Animals / Birds, Wildlife: birds & birdwatching: general interest, Parasitology / Ornithology, Science
Publisher(s): The University of Alberta Press
Book details
Publication date: October 2019Features: 36 images, notes, bibliography, index
Keywords: Parasitology / Ornithology
Subject(s): SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / Ornithology, Environment, Animal Studies, Parasitology / Ornithology, NATURE / Animals / Birds, Wildlife: birds & birdwatching: general interest, Parasitology / Ornithology, Science
Publisher(s): The University of Alberta Press
Michael Stock. Michael Stock is a specialist of parasitology and Associate Professor in Biological Sciences at MacEwan University.
“Stock provides a fascinating glimpse into birds, their parasites, their mutual impact on one another, and the role of environmental characteristics on the relationship. Chapters cover primary types of avian parasites: lice, fleas, ticks, mites, flies, worms, and "oddities," such as moths, leeches, and bedbugs. What makes this book rich is the author's use of his examples illustrating types of birds and their parasites to explore larger issues…. Illustrations, references, a list for further reading, and an index add to the impact. Summing Up: Highly recommended.”
"This gentle introduction to the fascinating world of avian symbionts will appeal to naturalists, bird enthusiasts, and early-career biologists."
"Michael Stock’s entertaining and informative book introduces readers to the biology of parasites that live in and on birds, to the host-parasite coevolutionary interactions between these groups, and the myriad of fascinating adaptations that have resulted from this co-evolution."
INDIE Book of the Year Awards (Nature), Foreword INDIES, United States
Short-listed
2020
Alberta Chapter of the Wildlife Society's Best Wildlife Publication Award in the Popular Category, Canada
Winner
2021
1 A World on a Bird | 1
2 Lice
It’s a Beautiful Life | 17
3 Fleas
The Circus in the Zoo | 45
4 Tough Ticks | 61
5 Mites
Little Things Mean a Lot | 75
6 Flying Zoo Flies | 99
7 The Worms that Ate the Bird | 119
8 Oddities in the Flying Zoo | 151
9 Flying Zoo Behaviour | 167
10 Environmental Impacts
The Future of the Flying Zoo | 193
Notes | 215
Further Reading | 235
Index | 239
Michael Stock. Michael Stock is a specialist of parasitology and Associate Professor in Biological Sciences at MacEwan University.
“Stock provides a fascinating glimpse into birds, their parasites, their mutual impact on one another, and the role of environmental characteristics on the relationship. Chapters cover primary types of avian parasites: lice, fleas, ticks, mites, flies, worms, and "oddities," such as moths, leeches, and bedbugs. What makes this book rich is the author's use of his examples illustrating types of birds and their parasites to explore larger issues…. Illustrations, references, a list for further reading, and an index add to the impact. Summing Up: Highly recommended.”
"This gentle introduction to the fascinating world of avian symbionts will appeal to naturalists, bird enthusiasts, and early-career biologists."
"Michael Stock’s entertaining and informative book introduces readers to the biology of parasites that live in and on birds, to the host-parasite coevolutionary interactions between these groups, and the myriad of fascinating adaptations that have resulted from this co-evolution."
INDIE Book of the Year Awards (Nature), Foreword INDIES, United States
Short-listed
2020
Alberta Chapter of the Wildlife Society's Best Wildlife Publication Award in the Popular Category, Canada
Winner
2021
1 A World on a Bird | 1
2 Lice
It’s a Beautiful Life | 17
3 Fleas
The Circus in the Zoo | 45
4 Tough Ticks | 61
5 Mites
Little Things Mean a Lot | 75
6 Flying Zoo Flies | 99
7 The Worms that Ate the Bird | 119
8 Oddities in the Flying Zoo | 151
9 Flying Zoo Behaviour | 167
10 Environmental Impacts
The Future of the Flying Zoo | 193
Notes | 215
Further Reading | 235
Index | 239
