Understanding MySQL Internals

Colophon

The animal on the cover of Understanding MySQL Internals is a banded broadbill (Eurylaimus javanicus). Broadbills are a family of small-to medium-size passerine (perching) birds marked by their bright colors and a whitish dorsal patch. They have large heads, rounded wings, and short to long tails. Their name originates from their large, flattened, hooked bill (often covered by a short crest), which they use to snap up insects in a kingfisher-like fashion. They also feed on fruit, seeds, and small vertebrates.

Broadbills live in the subcanopies of tropical forests: 11 species can be found in southeast Asia, the Philippines, Borneo, and Sumatra; and 4 others are native to central African rainforests. Because of their dense habitats, they are often incredibly difficult to observe despite their bright coloring. Broadbills build elaborate, pearshaped nests, which are suspended on tree limbs over quiet forest backwaters and streams. Biologists believe this may be an adaptive behavior to deter mammalian and reptilian predators. Adult broadbills will also sometimes feign injury to draw predators away from their nests.

Broadbills are gregarious creatures and are often found in small feeding flocks. They communicate using a variety of mating and territorial displays. Male green broadbills, for instance, have a spinning display, while other species of broadbills may employ head bobbing, wing flapping, and feather fluffing. Some have display flights in which their primary wing feathers ...