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Band-tailed Pigeon, Wilderness Bird at Risk, Worth Mathewson, art by David Hagerbaumer. 2005. 183 pp. Timber, Portland, Oregon, USA. $19.95 (hardcover).

This book contains a collection of articles by Thompson and coauthors with the stated purpose of describing the latest sampling designs and counting (estimation) techniques for reliably estimating occupancy, abundance, and other population parameters of rare or elusive plants and animals. It is written primarily for the field ecologist who has some background in population monitoring and survey sampling but who has not kept current of new developments in sampling and estimation concepts targeted specifically at rare and elusive species. After reading this book, you will have a good appreciation of general difficulties associated with monitoring rare species but also many ideas to accomplish the task. In general, each chapter follows a similar pattern of presenting an overview of theoretical developments followed by examples of field applications that elucidate these concepts. Given the potential to fill the book with equations, the authors succeeded in minimizing biometric jargon and keeping most of the book’s material within reach of any professional wildlife biologist. There are a few chapters that require some quantitative training or a more persistent reader but, by including examples of field applications, even the most challenging chapters still offer insightful advice. The examples encompass a wide array of species in a diversity of ecosystems; thus, it is likely that after reading this book you will come away with good ideas for monitoring your favorite rare or elusive species. Each chapter has an extensive bibliography allowing interested readers to easily delve into more detail about specific topics. As an added bonus, contact information for all contributing authors and reviewers is included, which will no doubt serve as an important resource for those who adopt the methodology espoused in this book. The book is divided into 5 parts. Part 1 consists of 4 chapters that, combined, provide an introduction to the unique difficulties of monitoring rare and elusive species and background on key concepts developed to address these difficulties (e.g., spatially clustered populations, double-sampling, and detection probabilities). Chapter 2 is one of the more enjoyable in the book primarily because the author does an excellent job of explaining basic concepts while maintaining a relaxed writing style. The chapter reads as if an experienced colleague is providing a career’s worth of advice over beer at a local tavern. Many examples are discussed of both successful and failed monitoring protocols that help elucidate key features of a successful monitoring program. Having failures as examples is a rarity in the published literature and, in this case, is very valuable for learning. Chapter 3 focuses on the problem of monitoring populations where individuals may or may not be available for sampling. This issue is a spin-off of the broader issue of detection probability. The authors assume that readers are familiar with concepts like ‘‘distance sampling’’ and ‘‘robust design.’’ Those who are not may find this chapter a bit opaque, though the main point is that probability of being available for sampling has profound importance for properly monitoring many species. Chapter 4 weighs in on the debate of using population indices as surrogates for estimates of population size. Predictably, the authors argue strongly and successfully against indices and, in so doing, provide further justification for understanding basic sampling principles and incorporating them into a properly designed protocols. Part 2 focuses on the first stage of a 2-stage monitoring plan, that being selecting appropriate sampling units within the geographical range of the population of interest. It contains 3 chapters all of which focus on a variant of adaptive sampling. For those unfamiliar with this relatively recent development in sampling, chapter 5 serves as an outstanding introduction. This chapter reviews the basics of adaptive sampling, challenges associated with implementing it, and questions to be addressed to determine if this technique is appropriate for particular situations. This chapter also presents 3 case studies that illustrate the application of adaptive sampling and define future needs to make adaptive sampling procedures more useful. Chapters 6 and 7 give details on variants of adaptive sampling (i.e., 2-phase adaptive