Book description
No book has ever before specifically focused on the birds of prey of
New Mexico. Both Florence Bailey (1928) and J. Stokley Ligon (1961)
published volumes on the birds of New Mexico, but their coverage of
raptors was somewhat limited. In the ensuing years a great deal of new
information has been collected on these mighty hunters' distribution,
ecology, and conservation, including in New Mexico.
The book begins with a history of the word "raptor." The
order of Raptatores, or Raptores, was first used to classify birds of
prey in the early nineteenth century, derived from the Latin word
raptor, one who seizes by force. The text then includes the writings
of thirty-seven contributing authors who relate their observations on
these regal species.
For example, Joe Truett recounts the following in the chapter on the
Swainson's Hawk:
"From spring to fall each year at the
Jornada Caves in the Jornada del Muerto, Swainson's hawks assemble
daily to catch bats. The bats exit the caves--actually lava
tubes--near sundown. The hawks swoop in, snatch bats from the air, and
eat them on the wing."
Originally from France, Jean-Luc Cartron has lived and worked on
several continents, finding his passion in the wide-open spaces of New
Mexico. He became fascinated by the birds of prey and has studied
their ecology and conservation for nearly twenty years.
Raptors of New Mexico will provide readers with a comprehensive
treatment of all hawks, eagles, kites, vultures, falcons, and owls
breeding or wintering in New Mexico, or simply migrating through the
state. This landmark study is also beautifully illustrated with more
than six hundred photographs, including the work of more than one
hundred photographers, and more than twenty species distribution maps.
Jean-Luc E. Cartron (M. D., 1991, University of Paris Val de Marne,
France; and Ph. D., 1995, Biology, University of New Mexico) is a
research assistant professor at UNM and the director of the Drylands
Institute New Mexico office. He has written numerous articles on raptor
ecology and is the editor of
Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Conservation
in Northern Mexico.
