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9781498799614

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"Recommended by CHOICE (January 2018 Vol. 55 No. 5) for upper-division undergraduates and above; faculty and professionals. The beauty of a displaying territorial male red-winged blackbird pales when magnified a million fold. Blackbirds, cowbirds, grackles, and starlings are among the most conspicuous and abundant North American birds and gather in huge flocks in the non-breeding season. These birds can inflict costly damage on crops, and their huge roosts can be a nuisance. Mainly through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, researchers have studied the biology of these birds and invested in a variety of ""control methods."" Red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds, cowbirds, and grackles each merit a chapter reviewing their ecology. General chapters address economic impacts, habitat and climate change, and management, including repellents, frightening devices, and lethal methods. A chapter on preventive strategies for avoiding damage is unique, and the chapter entitled ""The Future of Blackbird Management Research"" is promising. Each chapter has its own extensive bibliography. Additionally, each chapter is a valuable contribution to the comprehension of blackbird’s ""functional roles."" This work will also benefit those who handle the management of blackbird flocks and roosts. Inexplicably, there is hardly a mention of the European starling, which also forms huge, hungry flocks and roosts in urban areas. --M. Gochfeld, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School"

Recommended by CHOICE (January 2018 Vol. 55 No. 5) for upper-division undergraduates and above; faculty and professionals. The beauty of a displaying territorial male red-winged blackbird pales when magnified a million fold. Blackbirds, cowbirds, grackles, and starlings are among the most conspicuous and abundant North American birds and gather in huge flocks in the non-breeding season. These birds can inflict costly damage on crops, and their huge roosts can be a nuisance. Mainly through the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, researchers have studied the biology of these birds and invested in a variety of control methods. Red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds, cowbirds, and grackles each merit a chapter reviewing their ecology. General chapters address economic impacts, habitat and climate change, and management, including repellents, frightening devices, and lethal methods. A chapter on preventive strategies for avoiding damage is unique, and the chapter entitled The Future of Blackbird Management Research is promising. Each chapter has its own extensive bibliography. Additionally, each chapter is a valuable contribution to the comprehension of blackbird's functional roles. This work will also benefit those who handle the management of blackbird flocks and roosts. Inexplicably, there is hardly a mention of the European starling, which also forms huge, hungry flocks and roosts in urban areas. --M. Gochfeld, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Recommended by CHOICE (January 2018 Vol. 55 No. 5) for upper-division undergraduates and above; faculty and professionals. The beauty of a displaying territorial male red-winged blackbird pales when magnified a million fold. Blackbirds, cowbirds, grackles, and starlings are among the most conspicuous and abundant North American birds and gather in huge flocks in the non-breeding season. These birds can inflict costly damage on crops, and their huge roosts can be a nuisance. Mainly through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, researchers have studied the biology of these birds and invested in a variety of ""control methods."" Red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds, cowbirds, and grackles each merit a chapter reviewing their ecology. General chapters address economic impacts, habitat and climate change, and management, including repellents, frightening devices, and lethal methods. A chapter on preventive strategies for avoiding damage is unique, and the chapter entitled ""The Future of Blackbird Management Research"" is promising. Each chapter has its own extensive bibliography. Additionally, each chapter is a valuable contribution to the comprehension of blackbird’s ""functional roles."" This work will also benefit those who handle the management of blackbird flocks and roosts. Inexplicably, there is hardly a mention of the European starling, which also forms huge, hungry flocks and roosts in urban areas. --M. Gochfeld, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Recommended by CHOICE (January 2018 Vol. 55 No. 5) for upper-division undergraduates and above; faculty and professionals. The beauty of a displaying territorial male red-winged blackbird pales when magnified a million fold. Blackbirds, cowbirds, grackles, and starlings are among the most conspicuous and abundant North American birds and gather in huge flocks in the non-breeding season. These birds can inflict costly damage on crops, and their huge roosts can be a nuisance. Mainly through the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, researchers have studied the biology of these birds and invested in a variety of control methods. Red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds, cowbirds, and grackles each merit a chapter reviewing their ecology. General chapters address economic impacts, habitat and climate change, and management, including repellents, frightening devices, and lethal methods. A chapter on preventive strategies for avoiding damage is unique, and the chapter entitled The Future of Blackbird Management Research is promising. Each chapter has its own extensive bibliography. Additionally, each chapter is a valuable contribution to the comprehension of blackbird's functional roles. This work will also benefit those who handle the management of blackbird flocks and roosts. Inexplicably, there is hardly a mention of the European starling, which also forms huge, hungry flocks and roosts in urban areas. --M. Gochfeld, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Author Information

DR. GEORGE LINZ is a recently retired Research Wildlife Biologist at the National Wildlife Research Center. He served as the North Dakota Field Station Leader and the Blackbird-Sunflower research project leader for 25 years. Dr. Linz has led multiple studies in basic and applied wildlife biology, including (1) prevalence of avian-borne diseases in dairies and feedlots, (2) use of aquatic herbicides for altering roost habitat favored by blackbirds in North Dakota, (3) migration patterns of blackbirds in relation to sunflower damage, and (4) use of alternative feeding sites (wildlife conservation sunflower plots) for reducing blackbird damage to crops. DR. MICHAEL AVERY is the Project Leader of the National Wildlife Research Center's Florida Field Station in Gainesville. He is recognized nationally and internationally for his expertise in a number of wildlife management areas including avian collisions with manmade structures (towers, powerlines, etc.); avian damage to grain and fruit crops; repellents and chemical deterrents; avian contraception methods. DR. RICHARD DOLBEER is a retired Research Wildlife Biologist at the National Wildlife Research Center and USDA APHIS Science Advisor. He served as project leader of the Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Sandusky, OH, field station from 1971-2002. Dr. Dolbeer led several research programs focused on resolving wildlife-human conflicts, from blackbird depredations in grain crops to aircraft engines ingesting birds.

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