Developing with PDF

Colophon

The animal on the cover of Developing with PDF is a Chilean Plantcutter (Phytotoma rara). Also known as the Rufous-tailed Plantcutter, this small species of bird lives primarily in the scrublands, forests, and river valleys of Chile and western Argentina (and has been sighted on the Falkland Islands). The bird gets its name from the special serrated edge on its beak, which allows it to strip off buds, leaves, and fruits from plants. Although primarily herbivorous, Plantcutters will eat insects when necessary and use them as food for their chicks. These birds do not tend to flock; they are commonly seen either singly or in pairs. All species of Plantcutter are sexually dimorphic, which means that the males and females have obviously different observable characteristics. While males have a distinctly reddish brown underside with black and white wings, females have beige undersides and wings, and may have a red throat and forehead. After a mating pair builds a nest out of root fibers, the female lays two to four blue-spotted eggs at a time. The population of Chilean Plantcutters is large and stable, but other species of this bird have not been so lucky. The Peruvian Plantcutter in particular has suffered a great deal from habitat destruction. It has been classified as endangered as coastal Peruvian forests have been increasingly converted to farmland, displacing the birds and causing a sharp decline in population. Conservation efforts are underway, but it remains unclear whether ...