Programming MapPoint in .NET

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The animal on the cover of Programming MapPoint in .NET is a great frigate bird (fregata minor), also known as a man-of-war bird. Once thought of as a bad omen by Europeans settling in the Western Hemisphere, frigate birds are indeed unpopular with other tropical birds, whose prey they steal with their long, hooked beaks.

However, frigate birds are not bullies simply for the pleasure of harassing other birds. Although their diet consists solely of fish, their disproportionately small feet and lack of waterproofing oil on their feathers make catching fish difficult. Although their relatively large wingspan and light body weight enable them to swoop low to the ocean surface to snatch fish, their main food supply comes from chasing other birds and attacking them until they relinquish their fish, either by dropping fresh kills from their beaks or by regurgitating their recently eaten meals, both of which frigate birds will greedily gobble up.

Despite their inability to swim, frigate birds are tropical sea birds that come to land only to breed. About the size of a large chicken, they weigh only four pounds and have a wingspan of up to six feet, so they can fly for extremely long distances, sometimes staying on ocean updrafts for days. ...