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Elsevier

Saving Songbirds

Imperatives of Conservation in a Changing World

  • 1st Edition - November 1, 2026
  • Latest edition
  • Editors: Stefania Casagrande, Katherine L Buchanan, Stephen Pruett-Jones
  • Language: English

Saving Songbirds: Imperatives of Conservation in a Changing World is a timely work that delves into the complexities of songbird conservation. Central chapters discuss the physio… Read more

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Description

Saving Songbirds: Imperatives of Conservation in a Changing World is a timely work that delves into the complexities of songbird conservation. Central chapters discuss the physiological and behavioral adaptations of songbirds to modern stressors such as climate-driven threats. The book bridges gaps in current knowledge and introduces fresh perspectives on songbird conservation and scientific research, offering actionable advice and strategies for conservationists, policymakers, and scientists and providing a unique resource for university courses, ranging from ecology to environmental policy. Its structured layout and comprehensive scope make it suitable for diverse academic levels, from undergraduate to postgraduate studies.

The book concludes with a look to the future of songbird populations and the landscape of management and conservation opportunities to protect these critical species.

Key features

  • Reviews the global state of songbird populations
  • Investigates the physiological, ecological, and anthropogenic factors influencing songbird status
  • Offers tangible solutions and forward-thinking strategies for the conservation of songbird populations

Readership

Advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying ornithology and conservation ecology

Table of contents

1. Introduction: Why Songbirds Matter

2. State of the World’s Songbird Populations

3. Why Are Migratory Songbirds Declining?

4. How Thermal Extremes Challenge Songbird Physiology and Survival

5. Songbirds in a Changing World: Understanding the Varied Effects of Climate Change on Songbird Biology

6. The Silent Fields: Agricultural Intensification and Its Effects on Songbird Populations

7. The Impact of Environmental Pollutants on Songbirds

8. Introduced Predators and the Conservation of Songbirds

9. Dangerous Skies: The Impact of Poaching on the African–Eurasian Migratory Flyway

10. Population Genomics of Songbirds in the Anthropocene: Evolutionary Potential in the Wake of Human-Induced Demographic Declines

11. Environmental Endocrinology and Songbird Conservation

12. Urban Adaptation: Can Songbirds Navigate the Concrete Jungle?

13. Communication Under Threat and Fitness Consequences in a Changing World

14. Addressing Future Threats and Challenges for Songbird Conservation

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: November 1, 2026
  • Language: English

About the editors

SC

Stefania Casagrande

Dr. Stefania Casagrande is a Principal Investigator at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence. She obtained her PhD from the University of Parma and conducted her postdoctoral research through two Marie Curie Fellowships at the University of Groningen and the University of Antwerp. Her research focuses on avian eco-physiology, with particular emphasis on stress physiology, reproductive behavior, development, avian visual and acoustic communication, and the physiological mechanisms through which birds, including songbirds, respond to environmental challenges. She has served as a board member of the Flanders Research Foundation Research Funding Panel and is currently an Associate Editor of the Journal of Avian Biology.

Affiliations and expertise
Department of Evolutionary Physiology, Max Planck Institute of Biological Intelligence, Germany

KB

Katherine L Buchanan

Professor Katherine L. Buchanan is an avian behavioural ecologist. Originally from the UK, she obtained her BSc in Zoology from the University of Glasgow and her PhD from the Royal Holloway University of London, before moving to Deakin University’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Australia. Her research focuses on the evolution of complex avian vocalisations and the information conveyed, in a number of different songbird species. In particular, she is interested in the physiological constraints and developmental processes which give rise to such complex behaviours. She has served as Editor-in-Chief for the journal Emu Austral Ornithology for 14 years.

Affiliations and expertise
Deakin University School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Australia

SP

Stephen Pruett-Jones

Stephen Pruett-Jones is an emeritus Associate Professor in Ecology & Evolution at the University of Chicago. His research focused on the ecology and behavior of birds, and he worked in Australia and New Guinea for more than 45 years on birds of paradise, bowerbirds, and fairywrens. He has also worked on introduced and naturalized parrots, culminating in the publication of the book Naturalized Parrots of the World: Distribution, Ecology, and Impacts of the World’s Most Colorful Colonizers (Princeton University Press). He was the recipient of the Norman Maclean Faculty Alumni Award from the University of Chicago in 2025.

Affiliations and expertise
University of Chicago Department of Ecology & Evolution, Chicago, IL, USA