American Serengeti: The Last Big Animals of The Great Plains

Book by Dan Flores

University Press of Kansas. 2016. 213p. 26 black-and-white photographs, maps, and petroglyphs. Paperbound.  $32.50.

Flores is Professor Emeritus at the University of Montana.  American Serengeti, although somewhat dated, is his paean to the vast Great Plains, the immense flat lands that extend, or used to, from Texas north into the Canadian prairie provinces.

Aside from his engaging general commentary, the book’s chapters include those on pronghorns, coyotes, horses, grizzly bears, bison, and wolves.  There is much concern about so-called wild horses and the alleged damage they do to native vegetation.  Flores points out that horses evolved in the prairies and were eventually reintroduced by the early Spanish settlers.  He sees bison as analogous to Africa’s wildebeests, pronghorns to antelopes and gazelles, wild horses to zebras, wolves to wild dogs, grizzly bears to lions, and coyotes as jackals.

This fine book focuses on the current large mammals of the Plains, but Flores makes tantalizing reference to the many prehistoric species that were abundant here, such as dire wolves, scimitar cats, saber-toothed cats, short-faced bears, steppe lions, zebras, camels, megatherium, jaguars, various elephants, long-horned bison, hyena, and 2 species of “false” cheetahs.  Originally grizzly bears were very widespread on the Plains.

It would have added much interest to American Serengeti if some or all of these extinct mammals had been illustrated.  Clearly they and the surviving big mammals would have rivaled any place in Africa for their spectacular numbers and movements in this primordial vast sea of grasses and flatlands.

Especially of interest is the story of the coyote, small North American wolves in Flores’ words.  In spite of massive, widespread persecution they have prospered and are now found in eastern states and provinces in good numbers.

Another non-mammalian phenomena of interest are the large number of bird species that in their elliptical migrations populate the Great Plains in the spring, having wintered in Patagonia, and, for the most part, migrated south in the East: American Golden-Plover, White-rumped Sandpiper, Hudsonian Godwit, Pectoral Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper et al.  These are outside of the scope of Flores’ book.  I can’t help but think that there are still some Eskimo Curlew out there somewhere.

Flores does an excellent job of reviewing the historical literature of the Great Plains.  He sees that the best chance of a partial re-wilding of the Great Plains, the American Prairie Preserve, is in northeastern Montana, where there are already large preserved areas.

Otherwise there is just a very small percentage of the original Plains remaining, especially areas where Bison have become established or re-established.  A thoughtful look at what was once one of the great ecosystems of the world.  A glossary and a few more maps would have enhanced an already fine book.  There are extensive reference lists for each chapter.

- Henry T. Armistead.

Hummingbirds: A Celebration of Nature‘s Jewels

Book by Glenn Bartley and Andy Swash

Princeton U. Pr., BirdLife International & WILDGuides. 2022.  288p. Hardbound. $35.00.

With over 540 superb photographs and a deeply-informative text this splendid, semi-outsized title (c. 9” X 11”) is almost a bargain at $35.  Perennial favorites, owls and hummers enjoy a new title or two every year.  This one is arguably the best ever for hummingbirds.

The arresting color photos show all 101 hummer genera and more than two thirds of the world’s 369 hummingbird species.  Pages 256-273 list all species and include their conservation status, a map of their range, if monotypic or with subspecies, pages for further detail, elevational distribution, population trend, written range description, and seasonal distribution.

There is so much more value in this book than the outstanding illustrations.  For instance there are chapters or sections on conservation, hummingbirds and people, taxonomy, iridescence, breeding behavior, pollination, threats, anatomy, flight mechanisms, torpor, bills, and hybrids.  Pages 274-275 list hummers originally described as distinct species, but later research determined these were “the same as another named species”, aberrant, or immature forms of other species.

Especially dramatic are full-page photos of some of the more spectacular hummers, especially those with incredibly long tails, or complex, astounding plumages, such as Sapphire-spangled Emerald, the two Jamaican streamertails, Horned Sunbeam, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Red-tailed Comet, Blue-throated Hillstar, and several dozen others whose names alone hint at their extravagant appearance.

The “Further reading and sources of useful information” is a bit minimalist. On p. 277 only 11 book sources are listed, and just 2 “key papers”, and 5 “online resources and taxonomic lists”.  Granted, the literature on hummers is vast, but Hummingbirds would have been more valuable still if these lists had been more extensive.  I would have liked to have seen an essay on the recent great increase of western hummingbird occurrences in the U.S. East.  And more information about the extraordinary authors!

Photographs of habitat and of hummers on their nests are other features enhancing Hummingbirds, as is an aerial shot of a 300+ foot geoglyph, centuries old, probably inspired by the Sword-billed Hummingbird.

Countries with the greatest hummingbird variety include Colombia (161 species), Ecuador (136), Peru (132), and Venezuela (104).  The authors even list the more exotic sources of hummers’ names, including gemstones (53 names, such as amethyst, emerald, garnet, topaz), metals (33 names, such as bronze, copper, gold), celestial terms (59 names, including comet, star, sun), “manifestations of color” (33 names, e.g. scintillant, glowing, spangled), and colors per se (109 names).

It is hard in just a few hundred words to give enough credit to this splendid book.  Start off just looking at the shots of the unbelievable Marvelous Spatuletail.  The rest of Hummingbirds only will increase one’s awe and wonderment.

- Henry T. Armistead

Gulls of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East: an identification guide & Gulls of the Americas

Gulls of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East: an identification guide by Peter Adriaens, Mars Muusse, Philippe J. Dubois, and Frédéric Jiguet. Princeton U. Pr.  2022.  320p.  flexbound.  $39.95.  c. 1,400 photographs.  45 species.  5 hybrids.

Gulls of the Americas by Steve Howell and Jon Dunn. Houghton Mifflin, 2007.  516p.  hardbound.  $35.00.  1,160 photographs.  36 species.  14 hybrids.

Most Norteamericanos should make out just fine sticking with Howell.  Both titles treat the problematic Thayer’s Gull as a full species, although, to the relief of many, American authorities now consider it a race of Iceland Gull.

Adriaens gives full treatment to 21 species that also occur in North American, including strays such as Common Gull, Kelp Gull, Slaty-backed Gull, and the so-called European Herring Gull.

To give some idea of the richness of these 2 fine monographs, here are the number of illustrations for selected species, the 1st number representing those in Adriaens, the 2nd in Howell: ring-billed gull (26; 25), Lesser Black-backed Gull (34; 37), and Glaucous Gull (22; 23).  The illustrations are all annotated in both titles, which also go into detail concerning subspecies and hybrids.  Both books give full photographic and written descriptions of all the phases, cycles, of the species they treat as well as range maps, maps lacking in Adriaens for the species that do not breed in the western palaearctic.

These 2 titles should be immensely satisfying for gull fanatics in their great level of detail.  I am not much of a full fanatic, but over the years have had some stimulating gull experiences, nonetheless, as detailed below.  Adriaens and Howell provide more than I want to know about these often difficult to ID taxa,  The field is intensely scrutinized and no doubt will be subject to future changes, especially due to how close some species are to other related gulls, and the frequency of hybridization.

“Birds have wings and sometimes they use them.” Attributed to Frances Hamerstrom, her reaction to extralimital records.  There is a record of a Kelp Gull in Morocco, mentioned in Adriaens.  Also of interest is the recent Ivory Gull at an inland Georgia waterway, that died there.

SOME OF MY GULL EXPERIENCES: Sort of off topic: Many years as a birder not focused especially on gulls, but these show in part how ubiquitous and interesting they are:

As a pre-teen, swimming after fuzzy young “escaping” Herring Gulls at Sharp’s I., MD, and banding them with Dick Kleen’s bands, the 1st breeding record (his) in Maryland, one day in the mid-1950s.  Recording with help from 3 others the nest contents of > 1,000 Herring Gull nests at Easter Point, Smith I., MD, one June morning.

A young kittiwake circling my skiff for half an hour; after a while my non-birding companion would say “Here comes the kittiwake again.”  One hovering kestrel or kingfisher-like over Bodie Island Lighthouse Pond.  Chasing successfully with 3 companions the Back River Sewage Treatment Plant Ross’s Gull near Baltimore.  A Great Black-backed Gull flying with an intact Horned Grebe corpse in its bill near Thoms Creek, VA.  Another one drowning and then eating a Red-breasted Merganser at Pea I. N.W.R.

Seeing the Ross’s Gull near its nest at Churchill, one of the inspirations for George’s interest in birding.  Learning of extralimital breeding of Herring Gulls at Key West and the Texas coast.  A Glaucous Gull on coastal Texas near High Island.  Us finding a Lesser Black-backed Gull near Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point), Baja California.  An Asian species, Black-tailed Gull on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

On a pelagic trip off of Avalon, NJ, it was disconcerting to see Laughing Gulls hitting on Ruby-crowned Kinglets that had been blown offshore.  A couple of times when we’d flushed Short-eared Owls on the Virginia  barrier islands and in a strong NW winds they also got blown offshore Herring Gulls would attack and sometimes kill them.

Somewhat relatedly once in August when Gull-billed Terns - larids at least - were hunting over the soy bean fields a Grasshopper Sparrow, which nest in the fields when the beans are low, rose up and attacked one of the terns.

Unrelatedly but at least with some larid overtones, there is the Gull-winged Mercedes-Benz 300SL coupe, the best-looking sports car ever designed.  If my family had much much deeper pockets than they do, one would be fine for Father’s Day.  In German racing gray, please.

Henry T. Armistead

Turtles of the World: A Guide to Every Family

Book by Jeffrey E. Lovich and Whit Gibbons

Princeton University Press. 2021.  240p. Hardbound. $29.95. 

More than a guide to “families”, since some families consist of only 1-3 species, there is often information down to individual species or else to genus level.  Over 250 excellent color photographs accompany this admirable title.  An overview of the world’s 354 species.

For each entry there is information on distribution (with a map in most cases), genera, habitats, size, life span, activity (diurnal vs. nocturnal, etc.), reproduction, and diet.  “Size” always lists length with respect to “CL”, carapace length, but lacks weight for smaller taxa.

Some extremes listed here: Alligator Snapping Turtles can reach 249 lbs., Eastern Box Turtles can live to be over 100, some Galapagos Tortoises get up to 882 lbs. and some recent ones were probably alive when Darwin visited.  Leatherback Sea Turtles can reach 2,016 lbs.

Detailed introductory material describes turtle anatomy, physiology, global and regional distribution, behavior, feeding habits, extinct turtles, reproduction, evolution, systematics, taxonomy, growth, longevity, ecological and cultural importance, and conservation.

Full of interesting facts.  Ranges of some species are restricted to small river systems in Australia and Africa.  Some species have only been discovered in the past few decades.  Burrows of Gopher Tortoises are used by “over 250 species of vertebrates and invertebrates” (p. 153).

Helpful are appendices with a 72-term glossary, a list of 7 turtle conservation organizations, 18 general books, and 15 relevant journal articles.  Reference is made at several spots on the deleterious effects of the pet trade, often an illicit phenomenon. There is a large sub-culture of illegal reptile captivity.

This book is solid and well-reproduced.  Highly recommended.

Henry T. Armistead
March 3rd, 2023

Birds of The Mesozoic: An Illustrated Field Guide

Book by Juan Benito and Roc Olivé Pous

Lynx. 2022. 272p.  Flexbound.  $39.50.

An extraordinary title featuring 208 species for which there is fossil evidence during the periods of the dinosaurs.  For every species there is text on known material (which fossil remains that there are), morphology, plumage & soft tissue, biology, and notes.

On the facing page are the impressive illustration(s), accompanied by brief information on location, geological setting, age (number of millions of years ago), body length, and wingspan.  Of course, given the usually limited fossil record, a lot of the color paintings are highly conjectural, especially concrning plumage coloration.

This is a highly technical book with descriptions such as “the skull is subtriangular, with a short edentulous beak probably covered by a horny rampthofeca, and slender lower jaws with a spatulate anterior end.” (p. 188 for Archaeorynchus spathula).  Following the scientific name is an English name, usually a translation of the former, in this case “Spatulate ancient beak”.  Many of these Mesozoic birds had teeth.

The technical writing is probably off-putting for most of us, but this should not matter in view of the marvelous color plates, many of them either of stubby, short-tailed, rather comical-looking creatures, or, by way of contrast, birds with very long tails.

The majority (159) of these species are known from only one fossil, or part of one, but in some few cases, there have been hundreds or even thousands of finds, such as for Confuciusornis sanctus (Holy Confucius bird), permitting depictions of males and females, or as is the case with Sapeornis chaoyangensis (SAPE bird from Chayoang), adults, subadults, and juveniles based on remains of at least 100 specimens.

Areas with the greatest number of fossils, in descending order, highest first, are China, U.S., Germany, and Argentina but Madagascar and even Antarctica are also represented.  Originally the famous Archaeopteryx was the only known fossil bird (discovered in 1860), but fortunately for us there have been huge expansions of findings and knowledge of others since.

This fine book has an expansive list of relevant journal articles, a not-so-expansive 3-page glossary (that lacks many of the terms on the text, such as “avialans”, “avialae” or even “Mesozoic”), and a surprisingly long list of previously-described forms (91) that are no longer considered valid.

If one has a time machine it would be hard to resist the temptation to get on board for a tour of the Jurassic and Cretaceous to see some of these unbelievable creatures.  Perhaps you would be able to add species of Songlingornithidae, Longipterygidae, or Scansoriopterygidae to the list of new birds in your favorite birding patch.

Henry T. Armistead
March 4, 2023