查看完整版本: Ecology of birds of Hong Kong 香港鳥類生態-英文版

Ecology of birds of Hong Kong 香港鳥類生態-英文版

新書介紹，暫只有英文版。這本書並非圖鑑，而是講述香港鳥類與本地環境關係。

A book about ecology of the birds of Hong Kong. This book introduces the relationship between local birds and the environment. Authors are John Allcock, Geoff Carey, Cheung Ho Fai, Richard Corlett, Mike Kilburn, Kwok Hon Kai, Paul Leader, Michael Leven, Fiona Lock, Captain Wong and Llewellyn Young. Editors are Captain Wong, Vicky Lam and Gary Ades. The book is published by Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden.

Book chapters are

Ch 1 The Environmental History of Hong Kong
Ch 2 Seabirds
Ch 3 Rocky and Sandy Coasts
Ch 4 Coastal Wetlands
Ch 5 Inland Wetlands
Ch 6 Farmland Birds
Ch 7 Forest
Ch 8 Shrubland and Grassland
Ch 9 Urban Areas
Ch 10 Frugivory and Seed Dispersal by Birds
Ch 11 Climate Change and the Avifauna of
Hong Kong
Ch 12 Conservation of Birds in Hong Kong

[IMG]http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e75/wongcaptain/BirdBook_PromoPoster_091209.jpg[/IMG]

[[i] Last edited by wcaptain at 10/12/2009 15:08 [/i]]

Is it known whether it is only available from the shop at KFBG?

After missing out on the Photoguide (reprint soon?) I don't want to miss out on this one.

Mike Turnbull

Photoguide

Hi Mike,

I'm told the HK Wetland Park may still have some stock of these, - as they were the main sponsors of the project.


John

Hi Mike

Perhaps you could combine a visit to KFBG with a trip to Ng Tung Chai?

Cheers
Mike

Photoguide at the HK Wetland Park

Hi All,

AS YOU WERE : no, Wetland Park is out-of-stock, too  

John

We are arranging to reprint the photoguide. We hope stocks will be available in the coming April or May.

For the book of Ecology of birds of Hong Kong. There are several copies in the HKBWS office. You can come up and purchase.

HKBWS Office

Commercial Press, New Town Plaza, Sha Tin still had copies of the Photoguide a few days ago...

dave

The book (ecology of the birds of HK) will be available at the HKBWS office next week.

The book is now available at the NHBS bookstore. Pls see this webpage.

此書現可在網上書店(NHBS)訂購。請看以下網頁。

[url]http://www.nhbs.com/ecology_of_the_birds_of_hong_kong_tefno_175964.html&tab_tag=desc[/url]

Book review on the bird journal, Ibis. Oct 2010.

[url]http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2010.01063.x/full[/url]

Wong, L.C., Lam, V.W.Y. & Ades, G.W.J. ( eds ) Ecology of the Birds of Hong Kong . 229 pages, many colour photographs, figures and tables . Hong Kong Special Administrative Region : Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden , 2009 . Paperback, HK$230.00, ISBN 978-962-8869-52-7 . Website: [url]http://www.kfbg.org.hk[/url] .

This attractive book is a synthesis of the information that has been gathered on the ecology of the birds of Hong Kong, in particular the results of studies in the past 20 years. The concept for the book was developed after the publication of the Avifauna of Hong Kong (Carey et al. 2001; reviewed in Ibis144: 353–354), which covered the taxonomy, status and distribution of the birds of the Special Administrative Region, but not the information available on their ecology.

Much of the book consists of chapters summarizing what is known about the bird communities which inhabit eight major habitat types: Seabirds; Rocky and sandy coasts; Coastal wetlands; Inland wetlands; Farmland birds; Forest; Scrubland and grassland; and Urban areas. There are also chapters on frugivory and seed dispersal by birds; climate change and the avifauna of Hong Kong; and conservation of birds in Hong Kong. An introductory chapter on the environmental history of Hong Kong summarizes the dramatic changes in land use and vegetation that have taken place there since the first European descriptions of the landscape were written (from 1751 onwards). Some of the most interesting information in the book relates to the impacts of these environmental changes on the bird communities.

For example, the chapter ‘Forest’ describes how Hong Kong was largely or entirely deforested for several centuries prior to 1945, but since then tree-planting and natural succession have rapidly expanded the area of forest and shrubland. By 2007, 22.3% of the total area of Hong Kong was covered by forests, and recent studies of the bird communities in these regenerated forests have found that they are dominated by a few habitat-generalist species and are much less diverse than those of remnant patches of older and less disturbed forest in neighbouring parts of southern China. Some forest species with high dispersal abilities have recolonized, but other new arrivals are known or suspected to have originated from Hong Kong’s high-volume wild bird trade, including species that may have been constituents of the primeval bird community and several exotic species that clearly were not. Some forest-dependent groups such as pheasants (Phasianidae) and trogons (Trogonidae) are entirely absent, and a conservation dilemma is whether to consider the reintroduction of presumed former resident species before their niches are filled by non-native escapes.

Hong Kong lies on the Pearl River delta, the largest intertidal area in southern China, and the extensive wetlands around Deep Bay support internationally important concentrations of waterbirds in winter and during passage, notably 20% of the global wintering population of the Endangered Black-faced Spoonbill Platalea minor. The chapter ‘Coastal wetlands’ summarizes the results of long-term monitoring of waterbird numbers at Deep Bay, which show a large increase since regular counts began in 1979, apparently because organic pollutants have increased the availability of intertidal mudflat invertebrates. A wide range of studies have been undertaken on the habitat use and foraging ecology of Black-faced Spoonbill, herons and egrets (Ardeidae) and other waterbirds, which have helped to guide the management of the intertidal shrimp ponds and other key habitats for waterbirds around Deep Bay.

Rice was the major crop grown in Hong Kong until the 1960s, but rice farming then declined rapidly because of low economic returns and has now been entirely abandoned. There have been rather few studies of the interactions between birds and agriculture in Hong Kong, as in most parts of Asia, but ‘Farmland birds’ summarizes what is known and shows that the loss of rice fields and other agricultural changes have had a significant impact on many species, including large declines in the numbers of several breeding birds.

The history of Hong Kong as a British Crown Territory has meant that its avifauna has probably been studied for a longer period and in greater depth than in any other region of China. By synthesizing the wealth of information available on the ecology of Hong Kong’s birds, this book provides a valuable reference for local researchers about what has already been done, and identifies many gaps in knowledge where new studies are needed. It will also be of interest to ornithologists and conservationists in other parts of East Asia, where similar land-use changes have taken place and the same conservation challenges are being faced.

Michael J. Crosby

I would like to reserve ONE book for the conservation of birds in Nam Sang Wai.
How much is it at the moment?
I am a student that study Ecology and Biodiversity as my Major subject in Hong Kong and I would like to protect NSW so as to conserve Mei Po. I believe that the number of BFS in the world will be increased after I read this book as soon as possible.

Thanks much!

Best wishes,
ann

Available at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (Lam Tsuen, Tai Po) and the HKBWS office at Yau Mei Tei.

The Book is available at HKBWS office at $200. (same price for members/non-members).