Amazon.com
New Zealand, noted life scientist Jared Diamond has remarked, offers science an approximation of studying life on other planets, because the islands of New Zealand lie so distant from other landmasses that their flora and fauna are markedly unlike those of other places. Of particular interest to biologists is the kea, Nestor notabilis, a small parrot found only in the alpine beech forests of South Island, and one that has evolved in curious ways. A survivor of the great wave of extinctions that occurred when humans arrived in New Zealand a thousand years ago, the kea has long been hunted, especially by European ranchers who found it a danger to their livestock--for, as Judy Diamond and Alan Bond write, while the kea once preferred to feed on insect larvae, it shifted its dietary habits with the arrival of new food sources. This transformation, the authors suggest, speaks to the bird's adaptability and intelligence. With the change to carrion eating, the kea's population grew, although it is now again in decline. And with that change, the authors write, new characteristics emerged, so that kea groups are now male-dominated, aggressive, and hierarchically organized, unusually so for an avian species. Diamond and Bond have conducted long-scale fieldwork among keas in their native habitat, and their well-written study speaks beyond the description of one species to the benefits--and limitations--of evolutionary flexibility in general. --Gregory McNamee
From Publishers Weekly
In kea country, tourists are often advised to close their windows before going out, lest the birds get in and maul their rooms. A crow-sized parrot native to New Zealand's South Island, the kea's intelligence rivals that of monkeys, but on the island it is best known for its playful, inordinately destructive behavior. Diamond and Bond, professors at the University of Nebraska, report on the first extensive field study of the world's only alpine parrot. While tracing the history of New Zealand's unique avifauna, including the fabled moa and the lowland kaka, the authors show how the kea's unique adaptability has led to both its survival and its sometimes contentious relations with humans. Seen as a pest by sheep farmers whose livestock were picked at by the birds, keas were ruthlessly shot until 1953 and were not fully protected until 1986. Though it is now uncommon to find keas outside nature preserves and national parks, their mischievous play?tipping garbage cans, breaking TV antennas, shredding camping tents?continues to frustrate human neighbors. The authors found that these annoying behaviors are similar to object play and are socially facilitated. Though the kea's cheeky character makes for lively anecdotes and complicated history that may interest birders, this is primarily a scientific report and its methodical tone may put off the general reader. 1 color and 28 b&w photos, 3 maps, 14 tables.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
