The Birds of Northern Melanesia: Speciation, Ecology, and Biogeography: 9780195141702: Mayr, Ernst, Diamond, Jared

The Birds of Northern Melanesia is a comprehensive study of a rich avifauna, offering unparalleled insights into the process of speciation.

This landmark book provides a detailed examination of how co-existing daughter species evolved from a single ancestral species, with a focus on the unique bird distributions in the Bismarck and Solomon Archipelagoes.

The authors' 30 years of collaboration have resulted in a vast database, complete with distributions of all 195 breeding land and fresh-water bird species on 76 islands, as well as their taxonomy, colonization routes, ecological attributes, and abundance.

This book is a must-read for evolutionary biologists, ecologists, and any individual interested in the fascinating process of speciation.