Wetland birds : habitat resources and conservation implications / Milton W. Weller.

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Introduction -- Wetlands: what, where, and why -- Major groups of birds that use wetlands -- Water and other resource influences -- Foods, feeding tactics, strategies, and guilds -- Bird mobility and wetland predictability -- Other behavioral and physical influences on wetland living -- Spatial and structural patterns -- Habitat dynamics: water, plant succession, and time -- Population consequences of wetland abundance and quality -- How birds influence wetlands -- Conservation implications -- Measures of bird habitat use and quality -- Current status and some conservation problems -- Conservation and management strategies -- Outlook.

Wetland birds provide us with some of nature's most wonderful sights, from vast flocks wheeling overhead to newly-hatched chicks drying in the sun. Apart from their beauty, recreational and economic importance, they are excellent indicators of water quality and measures of biodiversity. But how do they use wetland habitats, and how can we best conserve and maintain them for the future? Here, Milton Weller describes the ecology of wetland birds by identifying patterns of habitat use and typical bird communities that result from the use of resources such as food, cover and breeding sites. He integrates basic and practical information on bird/habitat relationships for researchers, landowners, managers and keen birders alike. As wetlands continue to decline, this book will help us to understand the potential and limits of wetlands as bird habitats now and in the future.