BEST BIRD BOOKS OF 2022

 

The following are my picks for the best bird books of 2022:

BEST BOOK:

 

 

 

1) Tuttle-Adams, Linda. Baby Bird Identification: A North American Guide. 2022. Comstock/Cornell University Press. Paperback: 401 pages. Price: $39.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Baby Bird Identification is a comprehensive illustrated guide for distinguishing hundreds of North American bird species in their early stages of life. From the just hatched to the fledgling, Linda Tuttle-Adams walks readers through the process of identifying baby birds that they may encounter in the wild―a first step to ensuring proper care and rehabilitation.

     Successful rehabilitation of birds found in the wild requires species-specific attention. But the identification of a baby bird, whether altricial or precocial, may seem overwhelming at first, even to a trained ornithologist. Tuttle-Adams lays out an approachable and systematic method for discerning a baby bird's identity, offering descriptions of telling anatomical and environmental features as well as details of a bird's day-to-day growth.

      With over four hundred original watercolor paintings and an illustrated glossary, Baby Bird Identification is an invaluable resource for wildlife rehabilitators, those who find baby birds in their yards or recreational places, and anyone who enjoys watching or studying birds in the wild.

RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for all bird rehabilitators in the continental United States and Canada!  

 HONORABLE MENTIONS:

 

 

 

 

1) Lees, Alexander and James Gilroy. Vagrancy in Birds. 2022. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 400 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Avian vagrancy―the appearance of birds outside of their expected habitat―is a phenomenon that has fascinated natural historians for centuries, from Victorian collectors willing to spend fortunes on a rare specimen to today’s bird-chasing “twitchers.” Yet despite the obsessions of countless ornithologists, what do we actually know about the enigma of vagrancy? In Vagrancy in Birds, Alexander Lees and James Gilroy explore the causes, patterns, and processes behind the occurrences of these unique birds.

     Lees and Gilroy draw on recent research to answer fundamental questions: What causes avian vagrancy? Why do some places attract so many vagrant birds? Why are some species more predisposed to long-range vagrancy than others? The authors present readers with everything known about the subject, and bring together different lines of evidence to make the case for vagrancy as a biological phenomenon with important implications for avian ecology and evolution.

     Filled with a wealth of photographs, Vagrancy in Birds will fascinate avian enthusiasts everywhere.

RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for anyone with an interest in this aspect of bird migration!

 

 

 

 

2) Myers, Susan. The Bird Name Book: A History of English Bird Names. 2022. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 416 pages. Price: $39.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The Bird Name Book is an alphabetical reference book on the origins and meanings of common group bird names, from “accentor” to “zeledonia.” A cornucopia of engaging facts and anecdotes, this superbly researched compendium presents a wealth of incisive entries alongside stunning photos by the author and beautiful historic prints and watercolors. Myers provides brief biographies of prominent figures in ornithology―such as John Gould, John Latham, Alfred Newton, and Robert Ridgway―and goes on to describe the etymological history of every common group bird name found in standardized English. She interweaves the stories behind the names with quotes from publications dating back to the 1400s, illuminating the shared evolution of language and our relationships with birds, and rooting the names in the history of ornithological discovery.

     Whether you are a well-traveled birder or have ever wondered how the birds in your backyard got their names, The Bird Name Book is an ideal companion.

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for those with an interest in ornithological etymology!

 

 

 

 

3) Bartley, Glenn and Andy Swash. Hummingbirds: A Celebration of Nature's Jewels. 2022. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 288 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: With their glorious colors, glittering iridescence, astonishing powers of flight, and many characteristics unique in the world of birds, hummingbirds are extraordinary―true jewels of nature. This beautiful book is a celebration of all aspects of hummingbirds and their world. It features hundreds of the most spectacular photographs of hummingbirds ever taken, exquisite illustrations, and a lively, readable text that presents the latest scientific information and includes up-to-date details about every species.

     A familiar sight across much of the Americas, hummingbirds have long captured the imagination and played an important part in myths, legends, and other aspects of human culture. Today, hummingbirds are among the most popular of all birds, sought after by serious and casual birders alike. They inspire questions in anyone lucky enough to see them. How can they fly like that? Why are they so colorful? How many are there? Where and how do they live? How do they survive? This book answers these and many other questions, providing an enlightening and enjoyable guide to hummingbirds that can only deepen their wonder.

• A definitive yet accessible account of all aspects of hummingbird life
• More than 540 spectacular color photographs, illustrating all 101 hummingbird genera and over two-thirds of the world’s 369 species
• Specially commissioned illustrations revealing details of anatomy and behavior
• Meticulously researched facts and figures on status, population, distribution, and conservation designations of all the world’s hummingbirds 
  

RECOMMENDATION: A must have for hummingbird fans!

 

 

 

 

4) Birkhead, Tim. Birds and Us: A 12,000-Year History from Cave Art to Conservation. 2022. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 441 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Since the dawn of human history, birds have stirred our imagination, inspiring and challenging our ideas about science, faith, art, and philosophy. We have worshipped birds as gods, hunted them for sustenance, adorned ourselves with their feathers, studied their wings to engineer flight, and, more recently, attempted to protect them. In Birds and Us, award-winning writer and ornithologist Tim Birkhead takes us on a dazzling epic journey through our mutual history with birds, from the ibises mummified and deified by Ancient Egyptians to the Renaissance fascination with woodpecker anatomy―and from the Victorian obsession with egg collecting to today’s fight to save endangered species and restore their habitats.

     Spanning continents and millennia, Birds and Us chronicles the beginnings of a written history of birds in ancient Greece and Rome, the obsession with falconry in the Middle Ages, and the development of ornithological science. Moving to the twentieth century, the book tells the story of the emergence of birdwatching and the field study of birds, and how they triggered an extraordinary flowering of knowledge and empathy for birds, eventually leading to today’s massive worldwide interest in birds―and the realization of the urgent need to save them.

     Weaving in stories from Birkhead’s life as scientist, including far-flung expeditions to wondrous Neolithic caves in Spain and the bustling guillemot (murre) colonies of the Faroe Islands, this rich and fascinating book is an unforgettable account of how birds have shaped us, and how we have shaped them.

RECOMMENDATION: If you liked the author's other books, you will want to read this one!