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 Agricultures 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 blackbirds "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