New Titles

1) Gregory, Phil. Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds: An Identification Guide. 2020. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 416 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY:  Renowned for their dazzling plumages and elaborate courtship displays, birds of paradise and bowerbirds exhibit some of the most astonishing behaviors in the natural world. Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds is the ultimate identification guide to these marvelous birds. This beautiful book features stunning color plates that depict all 108 recognized taxa in these two groups along with more than 200 color photos that showcase a broad range of racial and age-related plumage varieties. The comprehensive text covers identification, taxonomy, and ecology, and is accompanied by detailed distribution maps. Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds is the product of more than two decades of research and field observations, and is a must-have guide for birders, ornithologists, and anyone interested in these sensational birds.

• The ultimate identification guide to these marvelous birds of New Guinea and Australia
• Features stunningly illustrated color plates that depict all 108 recognized taxa
• Covers identification, taxonomy, and ecology
• Includes hundreds of color photos and detailed distribution maps
• Based on more than two decades of research and original field observations

RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for those interested in these species and/or collect bird family monographs.

2) Carwardine, Mark. Handbook of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the World. 2020. Princeton University Press. Paperback: 528 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The most authoritative reference guide to every cetacean species and subspecies in the world.
     Handbook of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the World is the most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to these popular mammals. With nearly 1,000 accurate color illustrations―complete with detailed annotations pointing out significant field marks―this outstanding book covers all 90 species and every subspecies of cetaceans around the globe.
     Leading cetacean biologists have collaborated with pioneering conservationist Mark Carwardine on the concise text, which is packed with helpful identification tips. From the blue whale to the Indo-Pacific finless porpoise, the illuminating species accounts are accompanied by abundant distribution maps and photographs. Designed to ensure easy access to critical information, Handbook of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the World is an indispensable resource that every whale watcher and cetacean seeker will find invaluable.

• Provides details on every species and subspecies of whale, dolphin, and porpoise
• Features nearly 1,000 meticulous color illustrations and 90 distribution maps
• Includes helpful facts about behavior, life history, and conservation

 RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for anyone interested in these species.

3) Heinrich, Bernd. White Feathers: The Nesting Lives of Tree Swallows. 2020. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Hardbound: 232 pages. Price: $27.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The surprising, rich life of tree swallows in nesting season—with Heinrich’s beautiful illustrations and photographs—by the acclaimed naturalist. 
     Heinrich is sparked one early spring day by a question: Why does a pair of swallows in a nest-box close to his Maine cabin show an unvarying preference for white feathers—not easily available nearby—as nest lining? He notices, too, the extreme aggressiveness of “his” swallows toward some other swallows of their own kind. And he wonders, given swallows’ reputation for feistiness, at the extraordinary tameness and close contact he experiences with his nesting birds.
RECOMMENDATION: If you enjoyed the authors' other works, you should enjoy this one.

4) Hammer, Joshua. The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird. 2020. Simon and Schuster. Hardbound: 317 pages. Price: $26.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: A rollicking true-crime adventure about a rogue who trades in rare birds and their eggs—and the wildlife detective determined to stop him.
     On May 3, 2010, an Irish national named Jeffrey Lendrum was apprehended at Britain’s Birmingham International Airport with a suspicious parcel strapped to his stomach. Inside were fourteen rare peregrine falcon eggs snatched from a remote cliffside in Wales.
     So begins a tale almost too bizarre to believe, following the parallel lives of a globe-trotting smuggler who spent two decades capturing endangered raptors worth millions of dollars as race champions—and Detective Andy McWilliam of the United Kingdom’s National Wildlife Crime Unit, who’s hell bent on protecting the world’s birds of prey.
      The Falcon Thief whisks readers from the volcanoes of Patagonia to Zimbabwe’s Matobo National Park, and from the frigid tundra near the Arctic Circle to luxurious aviaries in the deserts of Dubai, all in pursuit of a man who is reckless, arrogant, and gripped by a destructive compulsion to make the most beautiful creatures in nature his own. It’s a story that’s part true-crime narrative, part epic adventure—and wholly unputdownable until the very last page.

RECOMMENDATION: If you liked The Feather Thief, you should like this book too.

5) Kingdon, Jonathan. The Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals: Second Edition. 2020. Princeton University Press. Paperback: 304 pages. Price: $25.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The fully updated second edition of the leading field guide for African safaris, providing unmatched coverage of all the continent’s land mammals in a handy, portable volume.
     Originally published in 2004, The Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals quickly became the field guide of choice to take on safari in Africa, providing the most authoritative and comprehensive coverage available in a handy, portable volume. Now this popular, practical, and beautifully illustrated guide has been thoroughly revised and updated to make it even better than before. Adapted from the revised second edition of the acclaimed and much larger Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals, this second edition of the pocket guide features updated species information and taxonomy and includes several new species. It presents more than 780 superb color illustrations, including several new ones, and 520 distribution maps―200 more than in the previous edition. The concise text, greatly condensed from the larger field guide, focuses on essential information for field identification and distribution, while the illustrations are conveniently located on facing pages. Now, more than ever, The Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals is a must-have companion for anyone interested in African wildlife―from the tourist on safari to the experienced naturalist.

• Covers all of Africa's land mammals, with some smaller groups treated generically
• Includes more than 780 color illustrations and 520 distribution maps
• Features concise text focusing on essential information for field identification―with the illustrations placed opposite the text for quick, easy reference

 RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those with an interest in African mammals.

6) van Winkel, Dylan et al.. Reptiles and Amphibians of New Zealand. 2020. Princeton University Press. Paperback: 366 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The definitive photographic field guide to all of New Zealand's reptiles and amphibians.
     With more than 400 extraordinary color photographs and richly informative text, Reptiles and Amphibians of New Zealand is the definitive field guide to all of the country's tuatara, geckos, skinks, frogs, marine turtles, and marine snakes. From the ancient tuatara, the sole surviving member of its order, to the world's largest collection of long-lived and live-bearing lizards, New Zealand's reptiles and amphibians represent an extraordinary part of the country's biodiversity. The only field guide to cover all of New Zealand's 123 currently recognized species, the book features authoritative and up-to-date species accounts, including names and description, as well as information on distribution, variation and similar species, habitat, and natural history. The book also provides a general introduction to these species, offering an overview of evolution, conservation, observing and collecting, ecosystems, and geographic history.

• Covers all of New Zealand's 123 species of reptiles and amphibians
• Contains more than 400 stunning new color photographs
• Includes a range map for every species
• Presents identification keys for each of the major groups
• Features a regional checklist and a handy quick guide on the inside flaps

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those with an interest in New Zealand's wildlife.