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Books by WSU alumni and friends |
| Natural History |
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By Paul A. Johnsgard ’55
Examines obligate interspecific as well as intraspecific
avian brood parasites. Early chapters cover major evolutionary
and comparative aspects of brood parasitism, and the
bulk of the book is devoted to 94 individual species
accounts of avian brood parasites. Emphasis is on field
and in-hand species identification and on those aspects
of breeding biology that are related specifically to
brood parasitism, rather than summarizing overall ecologies
and life histories. Includes b&w drawings and distribution
maps, a glossary, and Latin names.
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Bird Portraits: Watercolors in the Field Museum
By George Miksch Sutton and Paul
A. Johnsgard ’55
From the publisher: George Miksch Sutton is
one of the best known and most beloved bird artists
of the twentieth century. This book presents thirty-five
paintings of downy chicks, nestlings, and fledglings
painted from life by Sutton. The exquisite water-colors,
housed in the Field Museum of Natural History, span
three decades and depict nineteen species of North American
birds. Many of the paintings are reproduced here for
the first time. In his introduction to the collection,
ornithologist Paul Johnsgard discusses Sutton's contributions
to bird art and to ornithology. And in essays accompanying
the paintings, Johnsgard describes his and Sutton's
personal encounters with the birds.
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By Paul A. Johnsgard ’55
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Bustards,
Hemipodes, and Sandgrouse: Birds of Dry Places
By Paul A. Johnsgard ’55
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Carpenter
Ants of the United States and Canada
by Laurel D. Hansen (’68
M.S., ’85 Ph.D.) and John H. Klotz
From the publisher: In the first book devoted
entirely to carpenter ants, Laurel D. Hansen and John
H. Klotz cover the ants' life history and foraging behavior,
then turn to their economic importance. The authors
provide a comprehensive overview of carpenter ant ecology,
morphology, taxonomy, and distribution as well as a
detailed chapter on control and management that will
appeal especially to urban pest control programs and
pest management officials. Carpenter Ants of the
United States and Canada is illustrated with distribution
maps, 94 halftones, 52 line drawings, and 24 color plates
on a four-page insert.
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By Paul A. Johnsgard’55
From the publisher: Graced with illustrations
by the author, Crane Music introduces the two
North American crane species. The sandhill, most often
seen, is within easy reach of bird-watchers in the center
of the continent. Less visible is the whooping crane,
struggling back from near extinction. Paul Johnsgard
follows these elegant birds through a year's cycle,
describing their seasonal migrations, natural habitats,
breeding biology, call patterns—angelic to the
bird-lover's ear—and fascinating dancing. The
largest and most spectacular migratory concentration
of cranes happens each spring when the Platte River
valley becomes the staging ground for an amazing gathering
of four hundred thousand to five hundred thousand sandhills
en route from the South to the Arctic tundra. Johnsgard
describes this incredible event as well as memorable
personal encounters with the cranes. His knowledge of
them transcends natural history, covering their importance
in religion and mythology.
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By Paul A. Johnsgard ’55
From the publisher: Paul Johnsgard is one
of America's most prominent ornithologists and a world
authority on waterfowl behavior. In these popularly
written, often lyrical essays, he describes some of
his most fascinating encounters with birds, from watching
the annual mating displays of prairie-chickens on a
hilltop in Pawnee County, Nebraska, to attempting to
solve some of the mysteries surrounding Australia's
nearly flightless musk duck.
Reflecting his worldwide interests and travels, the
birds Johnsgard describes inhabit many parts of the
globe. Grouping the birds by the element they frequent
most—earth, , water, or sky—he weaves a
wealth of accurate natural history into personal stories
drawn from a lifetime of avian observation. And, as
a bonus, Johnsgard's lovely pen-and-ink drawings illustrate
each species he describes.
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By Bob Gress and Paul A. Johnsgard
’55
From the publisher: In this book, Bob Gress—one
of the region's preeminent photographers—is joined
by the distinguished naturalist Paul Johnsgard to illuminate
the enormous variety and uniqueness of prairie wildlife.
Gress has selected—from the nearly 600 non-fish
vertebrate species found in the Plains—150 of
the most interesting, charismatic, and important species,
while Johnsgard provides a lyrical text covering the
ecology, behavior, and life histories of these creatures.
The result is a vivid and striking marriage of image
and text.
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By Paul A. Johnsgard ’55
From the publisher: Paul Johnsgard is a leading
authority on the ecology of the Great Plains and author
of more than forty books in natural history. With Great
Wildlife of the Great Plains, he has written the
first overview of the region's native fauna, a book
geared to amateur naturalists and general readers who
live in or visit America's vast central expanses.
The book is organized around ten distinct biotic communities,
from the different varieties of native prairies to woodlands
and wetlands, so that human visitors to those habitats
can be on the watch for wildlife most often encountered
there. . . . Johnsgard's pictorial prose calls to the
reader's attention all of the subtleties of geography
and life forms associated with these varied ecosystems.
More than seventy maps and illustrations enhance his
text.
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Hawks,
Eagles, and Falcons of North America: Biology and Natural
History
By Paul A. Johnsgard ’55
From the publisher: The definitive volume
on the biology of North American falconiform (hawklike)
birds. These beautiful winged predators have long excited
human admiration and scientific curiosity. Paul A. Johnsgard
writes with a keen appreciation of both interests, appealing
to the serious birder as well as the ornithologist.
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By Paul A. Johnsgard ’55
From the publisher: Lewis and Clark on
the Great Plains is an easy-to-use reference on
the wildlife that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
encountered during their 1804-6 Corps of Discovery expedition.
Over one hundred animals and plants that were first
carefully described and in some cases discovered by
Lewis and Clark are identified here.
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By Paul A. Johnsgard ’55
From the publisher: Where the eastern and
western currents of American life merge as smoothly
as one river flows into another, is a place called Nebraska.
With characteristic clarity, energy, and charm, Johnsgard
guides us through Nebraska's incredible biodiversity,
introducing us to each ecosystem and the flora and fauna
it sustains and inviting us to contemplate the purpose
and secrets of the natural world as we consider our
own roles and responsibilities in our connection with
it.
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By Paul A. Johnsgard ’55
From the publisher: Paul Johnsgard has completely
updated his highly praised 1988 edition of North
American Owls, and by adding twelve species of
Mexican owls he now covers the entire continent of North
America. This second edition presents updated information,
new and modified figures and range maps, and twelve
new color plates, including illustrations of Mexican
owls. The number of citations has nearly doubled to
900, reflecting more than a decade's worth of scientific
inquiry and discovery. As with the original North
American Owls, this second edition will become
the standard work in the field.
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By Paul A. Johnsgard ’55
From the publisher: Surveying all pheasant
species, from North America's introduced ring-necked
pheasant to the jewel-colored peafowl of southern Asia,
The Pheasants of the World brings together
extensive information on the comparative biology and
conservation status of wild pheasant populations. This
second edition incorporates new information on the conservation
outlook for each species and cites nearly two hundred
new references, many of which represent recent research
on previously little-known pheasants of China.
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Paul A. Johnsgard
One of America's preeminent ornithologists, Johnsgard
blends science, nature, and personal observations to
tell the life histories of thirty-three grassland birds.
Writing with precision and passion, he draws from his
own observations to convey the magic of prairie birds,
taking readers hawk-watching at Scotts Bluff or beside
a prairie river on a spring evening with song sparrows
in the willow thickets and cranes at the water's edge.
The book features forty-seven drawings by the author,
including graphic keys to birdsongs. Appendixes provide
an annotated list of more than one hundred prairie preserves,
bird checklists for primary refuges and sanctuaries,
and a list of all birds and plants mentioned in the
text. A list of more than 600 citations makes this a
definitive reference as well as a pleasurable read.
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By Paul A. Johnsgard ’55
From the publisher: An indispensable and highly
readable introduction to the ecosystem of the shortgrass
prairie, Prairie Dog Empire describes in clear
and detailed terms the habitat and habits of black-tailed
prairie dogs; their subsistence, seasonal behavior,
and the makeup of their vast colonies; and the ways
in which their "towns" transform the surrounding
terrain—for better or worse. Paul A. Johnsgard
recounts how this terrain was in turn transformed over
the past century by the destruction of prairie dogs
and their grassland habitats, together with the removal
of the bison and their replacement with domestic livestock.
A disturbing look at profound ecological alterations
in the environment, this book also offers a rare and
invaluable close-up view of the rich history and threatened
future of the creature once considered the "keystone"
species of the western plains. Included are maps, drawings,
and listings of more than two hundred natural grassland
preserves where many of the region's native plants and
animals may still be seen and studied.
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Waterfowl
of North America: The Complete Ducks, Geese, and Swans
Robin Hill and Paul A. Johnsgard
’55
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