The handbook of Australian sea-birds.

[First paragraph(s)...]
This book begins with 44 pages of interesting general information on the subjects of the marine environment around Australia; the numbers, distribution, breeding habitats and biology of sea-birds in Australian seas; and conservation problems and research in Australia. There follows a systematic account of all sea-birds known from this region covering 194 pages. Each species is considered under the headings of field characteristics and general habits, measurements, status, migration, voice, display, breeding season, nest, egg, incubation, nestling, enemies and mortality, food and breeding distribution. It is an indication of the dearth of our knowledge about many of these species that informationis often lacking on such subjects as migration, voice, display, breeding biology, mortality and food. Some 105 species of sea-birds are described, including 55 species of the Procellariiformes (albatrosses, shearwaters and petrels). Finally, there are 349 references-a full, but not exhaustive, bibliography.