Ecology and Conservation of Mountain Birds

Ornithology, 2024, 141, 1–2 https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukae017 Advance access publication 28 May 2024 Book Review Book Review Ecology and Conservation of Mountain Birds Ecology and Conservation of Mountain Birds provides a comprehensive account of the research on our world’s montane avifauna. The editors, Dan Chamberlain, Aleksi Lehikoinen, and Kathy Martin, with a whopping 7 decades of combined experience studying alpine birds, provide not only detailed descriptions of mountain bird biology, but also present a robust roadmap for future research on their ecology and conservation. An impressive 52 authors from 24 countries have contributed the 10 chapters in this book. Ecology and Conservation of Mountain Birds is a definitive guide and essential starting point for anyone interested in birds on mountains. In chapter 1, the editors, along with Davide Scridel, discuss the foundational questions of what are mountains and what are mountain birds? The editors largely focus on the biology of birds that live at or above the treeline, but also acknowledge that most birds that live on mountains occur below the treeline. Martin et al. then follow this chapter with an examination of the abiotic challenges species face at high elevations and the adaptations birds possess to overcome them. We particularly enjoyed the extensive examples of adaptations from species of various realms and habitats, such as box 2.2, which highlights the largely underappreciated and under-studied challenge of egg-shell morphology and embryonic development at high elevations. de Zwaan et al. then describe and compare alpine habitats across the world (12 major regions) in chapter 3. This chapter highlights that tropical mountains are expectedly hyperdiverse, but temperate mountains, while being species poor, do support substantial functional diversity. In chapter 4, Chamberlain et al. provide a convincing account of the importance to treeline and alpine habitats. Outside of the Andes the treeline ecotone is probably too narrow for specialization and therefore these communities seem to be intermediate between montane and alpine communities based on local conditions. Largely uncelebrated in montane bird research, the chapter’s emphasis on treeline ecotone habitats is especially pertinent in this time of global change. In chapter 5, Lehikoinen et al. use robust meta-analyses to highlight population trends of mountain birds. While the best information is provided from studies in Europe and North America, table 5.2 provides an excellent resource that lists all known long-term studies globally including those in South America, Asia, and Africa. James W. Pearce-Higgins and Kathy Martin next review the literature that has considered how climate change is likely to impact mountain birds at various spatio-temporal scales. Given the speed at which climate change research is being published, the authors have done a commendable job of incorporating recent research. The authors also nicely highlight the context dependence that is important for predicting the impact of climate change on birds. For example, how the shape of the mountain may affect avian response to climate change. In the following chapter, Caprio et al. systematically Copyright © American Ornithological Society 2024. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact . by Dan Chamberlain, Aleksi Lehikoinen, and Kathy Martin, Editors. 2023. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom. 450 pp. $120.00 (hardcover). ISBN 9781108837194. $44.99 (paperback). ISBN 9781108940429. $44.99 (eBook). ISBN 9781108945684. Book Reviews 2 From the natural history focused boxes in chapters 1 and 2 to boxes that describe more complex concepts in later chapters, like box 9.1 and figure B9.1, are striking examples of how these boxes add tremendous value to each chapter and enhance the reading experience. There are also some very useful tables with information that every mountain bird ecologist seeks. Good examples are table 3.1, which highlights mountain bird diversity across the world broken up by geographic region, and table 6.1, which synthesizes climate change driven elevational range shifts documented from mountains across the world. The figures are also informative and well-made especially working against the constraint of being in grayscale. Each chapter covers a unique perspective and is a comprehensive review of the available literature. We feel this book is a must-read for early-career researchers interested in mountain birds. It will help situate their research within a broader perspective and will be an excellent source of new research ideas and future directions. Reviewed by Sahas Barve and Tarun Menon Sahas Barve Avian Ecology Program, Archbold Biological Station, Venus, Florida, USA Tarun Menon Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute for Science, Bengaluru, India Book Review Editor: Jay Mager, review the anthropogenic threats that assail mountain birds. A common pattern in mountain systems world over is the movement away from agriculture and towards tourism resulting in a visible change in demography and land use. The chapter discusses literature on a wide range of human impacts including skiing, hiking, renewable energy, and the overall build-up of tourist infrastructure. These two chapters are particularly crucial in that they highlight the vulnerability of mountain systems and the actions required to conserve them. With improving computing power, species distribution models (SDMs) have become a popular analytical tool for conservation scientists, and Brambilla et al. review the various biotic and abiotic factors, and their interactions, which drive species distributions on topographically complex mountainous landscapes in chapter 8. Jon Fjeldså and colleagues next delve into descriptions of the phenomenal diversity and endemism seen on tropical (and sub-tropical) mountains. In this chapter, they examine how biogeography and evolutionary processes have driven high rates of diversification in tropical mountains leading to them being termed as cradles of biodiversity. With the final chapter, the editors synthesize the knowledge from the previous 9 chapters to produce 10 Knowledge Gaps and 7 Research Priorities that will help gain a more complete understanding of mountain bird biology and ensure their conservation. From this chapter, it becomes amply clear that a lot more work needs to be done in simply documenting species and their life histories from tropical mountains in the global south. In addition, long-term monitoring programs and adaptive protected area networks come across as the underlying need of the hour. Overall, the book is an enjoyable read with notably accessible language. We esp (...truncated)