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The three bird families covered in this monograph are all fish-eaters with similar anatomical adaptations for this diet, especially feet with all four toes webbed to facilitate underwater pursuit of prey and specialized bills to capture it. (Oddly, unlike most aquatic birds, none has fully waterproof plumage.) In this first comprehensive study of the world's 32 species of cormorants and shags, two species of darters, and seven species of pelicans, Johnsgard, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the author of numerous books (e.g., Hawks, Eagles and Falcons of North America , LJ 10/15/90), has again written a splendid synthesis of the published literature. Part 1 analyzes comparative biology and Part 2 gives detailed accounts of individual species. Color illustrations and anatomical drawings are included. Provides a summary of the biology, status, taxonomy, zoogeography, behavior, population and breeding dynamics, phylogeny, and other information about each bird species. Scholarly but not pedantic and accessible to serious amateurs, this book is recommended for academic and larger public libraries.