A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrows of the United States and Canada provides comprehensive information on all the features that make possible identification of all 62 species of sparrows that occur in North America. The text gives detailed descriptions of the summer, winter, and juvenile plumages of each species, as well as comparisons with similar species. The species accounts are illustrated with range maps and superb line drawings showing behavioral postures and, where useful, fine features of tail feather patterns. The 27 color plates splendidly illustrate the various plumages of each species with the emphasis on the distinctive appearance of birds of different sex, age, and geographic regions. This beautiful and authoritative book is a must for the library of all keen birders living in and visiting North America. Species accounts include discussions of species': * Identification * Measurements * Voice * Habitat * Ecology * Nesting biology * Distribution * Taxonomy * Geographic variations * Historical and present status

A comprehensive dictionary listing all the people whose names are commemorated in the English and scientific names of birds. Birdwatchers often come across bird names that include a person's name, either in the vernacular (English) name or latinised in the scientific nomenclature. Such names are properly called eponyms, and few people will not have been curious as to who some of these people were (or are). Names such as Darwin, Wallace, Audubon, Gould and (Gilbert) White are well known to most people. Keener birders will have yearned to see Pallas's Warbler, Hume's Owl, Swainson's Thrush, Steller's Eider or Brünnich's Guillemot. But few people today will have even heard of Albertina's Myna, Barraband's Parrot, Guerin's Helmetcrest or Savigny's Eagle Owl. This extraordinary work lists more than 4,000 eponymous names covering 10,000 genera, species and subspecies of birds. Every taxon with an eponymous vernacular or scientific name (whether in current usage or not) is listed, followed by a concise biography of the person concerned. These entries vary in length from a few lines to several paragraphs, depending on the availability of information or the importance of the individual's legacy. The text is punctuated with intriguing or little-known facts, unearthed in the course of the authors' extensive research. Ornithologists will find this an invaluable reference, especially to sort out birds named after people with identical surnames or in situations where only a person's forenames are used. But all birders will find much of interest in this fascinating volume, a book to dip into time and time again whenever their curiosity is aroused.

A comprehensive and beautifully illustrated overview to the birds of Maine The first comprehensive overview of Maine’s incredibly rich birdlife in more than seven decades, Birds of Maine is a detailed account of all 464 species recorded in the Pine Tree State. It is also a thoroughly researched, accessible portrait of a region undergoing rapid changes, with southern birds pushing north, northern birds expanding south, and once-absent natives like Atlantic Puffins brought back by innovative conservation techniques pioneered in Maine. Written by the late Peter Vickery in cooperation with a team of leading ornithologists, this guide offers a detailed look at the state’s dynamic avifauna—from the Wild Turkey to the Arctic Tern—with information on migration patterns and timing, current status and changes in bird abundance and distribution, and how Maine's geography and shifting climate mold its birdlife. It delves into the conservation status for Maine's birds, as well as the state's unusually textured ornithological history, involving such famous names as John James Audubon and Theodore Roosevelt, and home-grown experts like Cordelia Stanwood and Ralph Palmer. Sidebars explore diverse topics, including the Old Sow whirlpool that draws multitudes of seabirds and the famed Monhegan Island, a mecca for migrant birds. Gorgeously illustrated with watercolors by Lars Jonsson and scores of line drawings by Barry Van Dusen, Birds of Maine is a remarkable guide that birders will rely on for decades to come. Copublished with the Nuttall Ornithological Club

Ornithology in Laboratory and Field is intended as an aid to ornithological study at the college or university level. Students who lack the background knowledge usually acquired during a course in general zoology or biology should keep it handy for ready reference a standard elementary text on the subject. This book contains extensive material for purely informational reading, possibly enough to supplant the need of an additional textbook. Its principal purpose still complies with the title of its predecessors for it is essentially a manual to guide and assist the student in direct observations. All twenty sections, except the last (""The Origin, Evolution, and Decrease of Birds""), suggest methods and provide instructions for studies; and all conclude with an extensive list of references, frequently annotated, for further information. The twenty sections of the book can be taken up in almost any order and some may be omitted without affecting the instructional value of the others. A feature of this new edition is an introduction to birds and ornithology, intended for reading at the beginning of a course. The purpose is twofold: to show the significance of birds for study and to give an overall preview of ornithology, the subject, with emphasis on its wide scope, how it is studied, and some of the continuing and exciting opportunities that it offers for investigation.

Updates the bible of New York State ornithology, John Bull's 1974 Birds of New York State. The species accounts, contributed by 60-plus individual birders, include information on range, abundance, breeding, occurrence, and remarks about subspecies and records from neighboring states. Several prefatory essays cover New York's physical environment, the role of the Federation of New York State Bird Clubs in conservation efforts, and long-term changes in the birdlife of New York State. Includes some bandw drawings, but not for every bird listed, as well as four color maps. Indexed by scientific and English bird names. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Arctic birds have long held a fascination for Richard Vaughan, whose trips to the region, watching and photographing birds, have provided the raw material for a number of previous publications. Here, he focuses on the historical aspects of Arctic ornithology, bringing to life not only the birds but the activities of those who have lived with them, or explored in search of them. A general introduction to the Arctic and the forces that shape its bird populations and their biology is followed by sections on native peoples, whaling and discovery ships, and the famous ornithologists who have investigated these often inhospitable habitats. Conservation, both of individual species and of habitats, is discussed against the background of threats to the Arctic environment. Since half the Arctic lies in Russia, detailed consideration is naturally given to Arctic bird studies in that country, as well as in North America and Greenland. Purely ornithological interludes look in detail at the Gyrfalcon, Knots, Ross's Gull, geese, divers, Snowy Owls and many more. The book includes practical advice on how to visit the Arctic and where and when to go. Richard Vaughan's own photographs and the drawings of Swedish artist Gunnar Brusewitz do real justice to the beauty of both the environment and its birds.

British Columbia has one of the richest assemblages of bird species in the world. The four volumes of The Birds of British Columbia provide unprecedented coverage of this region's birds, presenting a wealth of information on the ornithological history, habitat, breeding habits, migratory movements, seasonality, and distribution patterns of each of the 472 species of birds. This third volume, covering the first half of the passerines, builds on the authoritative format of the previous bestselling volumes. It contains 89 species, including common ones such as swallows, jays, crows, wrens, thrushes, and starlings. The text is supported by hundreds of full-colour pictures, including unique habitat photographs, detailed distribution maps, and beautiful illustrations of the birds, their nests, eggs, and young. The Birds of British Columbia is a complete reference work for bird-watchers, ornithologists, and naturalists who want in-depth information on the province's regularly occurring and rare birds.