New Titles

 

1) Lee, Cin-Ty and Andrew Birch. Field Guide to North American Flycatchers: Kingbirds and Myiarchus. 2024. Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 190 pages. Price: $19.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A richly illustrated, portable guide to two of the most challenging groups of flycatchers to identify in the field

     The identification of flycatchers can be a daunting challenge for even the most seasoned birder. The Field Guide to North American Flycatchers series takes bird identification to an entirely new level by training readers to observe subtle differences in structure, color patterns, and vocalizations before delving into the finer details of a particular species.

     Because the plumages of flycatchers are so similar, this innovative guide uses illustrations that highlight slight variations among species that photos often miss. One of the last frontiers of bird identification is now accessible to everyone—once one knows what to look for.

• Uses a holistic approach that makes flycatcher identification possible even for beginners
• Features a wealth of beautiful illustrations that depict every species in North America
• Shows how to observe subtle differences in structure, plumage contrasts, and vocalizations, which together create a distinctive overall impression of the bird
• Includes detailed audio spectrograms and seasonal distribution maps for each species
• Shares invaluable tips for successful identification in all kinds of field settings
• Compact and field-friendly—the ideal travel companion for any birder

     This guide is dedicated to kingbirds and Myiarchus flycatchers. Combined with the first volume in this identification series, which focuses on Empidonax flycatchers and pewees, these companion guides are the most comprehensive and accessible treatments of flycatcher identification to date. 

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-have for anyone birding North America! 

2) Beehler, Bruce. Birds of North America: A Photographic Atlas. 2024. Johns Hopkins University Press. Hardbound: 559 pages. Price: $59.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The most up-to-date and gorgeous photographic collection of all 1,144 bird species in North America (including Hawaii!).

     A Great Blue Heron, a Wood Duck, a Baltimore Oriole, an Eastern Bluebird, or a Belted Kingfisher―which North American bird species is your favorite? In Birds of North America: A Photographic Atlas, Bruce M. Beehler provides the information and images you need to identify and enjoy each of the 1,144 amazing and diverse bird species recorded in the United States and Canada, including Hawaii and Alaska. Featuring more than 1,200 full-color photographs and illustrations and more than 700 range maps, this comprehensive reference provides both beginners and seasoned birders with important facts about each bird's ecology, behavior, seasonal movements, nesting biology, and conservation status.

     Birds of North America gives bird-lovers everything they could ask for: The photographs and illustrations, selected and curated by Brian E. Small, one of America's most talented nature photographers, depict each species in its most beautiful plumage and natural habitat. The largest, most detailed, and most up-to-date range maps available anywhere provide invaluable insider information on the best birding hotspots. And the special sections rounding out the book offer helpful guidance on birding gear, field trip planning, critical resources, and conservation issues. This is the book for aspiring and veteran bird enthusiasts alike.

RECOMMENDATION: A well illustrated general reference book for the birds of North America.

3) Ferren, Richard L. and Richard R. Veit (editor). Birds of Rhode Island: Seasonal Distribution and Ecological History. 2024. Comstock Publishing Associates/Cornell. Hardbound: 559 pages. Price: $59.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Birds of Rhode Island documents the status and distribution of birds in the state since the late nineteenth century. Based on comprehensive fieldwork and research by Richard L. Ferren and edited by Richard R. Veit, this book describes the habitats and locations of more than four hundred species of birds along with data on the seasons of their occurrence.

     This volume features:

- An introductory section that includes a history of ornithology in Rhode Island, descriptions of the state's most important bird habitats and biogeographical regions, and an overview of factors affecting species populations
- Species accounts with information on changes in abundance and distribution as well as conservation and management methods
- An eighty-year history of banding and migration watching at Block Island, seventy years of seabird migration quantification at Point Judith, a detailed history of the state's seabird colonies, and multiple surveys of the state's breeding birds
- Color photographs taken in the field of recent rarities discovered in Rhode Island

     Offering a chronicle of changing avian population dynamics, Birds of Rhode Island is an indispensable resource for ornithologists and bird enthusiasts interested in the avifauna of Rhode Island and beyond. Copublished with the Nuttall Ornithological Club, No. 27 in the series Memoirs of the Nuttall Ornithological Club.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-have for anyone birding Rhode Island! 

 

4) Pfannmuller, Lee A. et al.. The Breeding Birds of Minnesota: History, Ecology, and Conservation. 2024. University Of Minnesota Press. hardbound: 685 pages. Price: $59.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Unique among North American states, Minnesota sits squarely at the convergence of four major ecological regions, or biomes: aspen parklands, prairie grasslands, deciduous forest, and boreal forest. Consequently, the state hosts remarkably diverse avifauna. The Breeding Birds of Minnesota, the first comprehensive and in-depth assessment of Minnesota’s breeding birds in nearly a century, offers an unprecedented, extraordinarily detailed, finely illustrated account of 250 of those birds, including their historical and present breeding distribution, habitat, population abundance, and prospects for the future. 

     For each species, The Breeding Birds of Minnesota gives a brief life history, providing Minnesota seasonal status, migration, foods consumed, nest structure, and name origin; a summary of identification hints, primary vocalizations, and specific features of distribution or behavior; and descriptions of breeding habitat, population abundance and trend, and conservation status and threats. The heart of each account focuses on the species’ statewide distribution and abundance, beginning with a wealth of historical information from ornithological records dating from the 1800s to the early twenty-first century. An assessment of the species’ current status draws on data collected by hundreds of participants over the course of five breeding seasons, from 2009 through 2013, which was published online in 2017 in the first  Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas. 

     Along with permanent and complete documentation of Minnesota’s breeding birds from years past to present, this volume also identifies critical issues bird populations—and those who would protect them—will confront in coming years, including predictions of how each species will respond to climate change. Reference to T. S. Roberts’s foundational two-volume Birds of Minnesota (1936) also reveals the remarkable recovery of birds once consigned to extinction in the state (such as the American White Pelican, Sandhill Crane, and Common Raven) and the serious decline of others, like the Black Tern and Eastern Meadowlark. 

     In The Breeding Birds of Minnesota, three of Minnesota’s premier ornithologists present an authoritative history of the state’s avifauna, from waterfowl and waterbirds to flycatchers, thrushes, sparrows, and warblers. 

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone with a serious interest in the birds of Minnesota! 

5) Mackrill, Tim. The Osprey. 2024. T & AD Poyser. Paperback: 304 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The Osprey is a large, fish-eating bird of prey. Distinctively marked in deep brown and white, with a piercing yellow eye and powerful hooked bill, the Osprey snatches its prey in spectacular swoops above lakes and wetlands around the world – it is one of the most widespread of all birds. Persecuted mercilessly in Britain, it became extinct in the 1890s before returning to the famous Loch Garten in Scotland in the 1950s. The return of the bird has been slow, but reintroduction programmes elsewhere – notably at Rutland Water – have been successful, and this remarkable raptor is an increasingly common sight in our skies.

     This Poyser monograph is dedicated to this fine species and includes more than 150 colour photographs. The Osprey looks at the distribution, foraging ecology, migration, breeding behaviour and population dynamics of this spectacular bird, with emphasis placed on conservation efforts both in Britain and in the species' African haunts, which have been discovered only very recently thanks to advances in satellite tagging technology.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone with an interest in Ospreys, mostly from a British perspective.  

 

6) Reedman, Ray. The Vanishing Mew Gull: A Guide to the Bird Names of the Western Palaearctic. 2024. Pelagic Publishing. Hardbound: 374 pages. Price: $92.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Modern taxonomic studies have created a revolution in the genetic sequencing of bird families and have resulted in confusing changes to the names of many species, particularly in the scientific nomenclature. This book presents all the birds of the Western Palaearctic under the latest taxonomic scheme followed by the International Ornithological Congress. The geographic scope embraces about 10% of the world's bird species, covering almost 1,100 in total. Each species is considered in order, discussing aspects of both vernacular and scientific names, as well as supplementary information such as status, appearance and history. An introduction elucidates the history of the linguistic elements concerned, taking into account the major languages of Europe, and offers a condensed analysis of the ‘authority' for any bird names.

     Good dictionaries of avian names are thin on the ground: most are only partial in coverage, and the majority are word-centric. Hence, British and European birds have long lacked a work that truly wraps the names – both vernacular and scientific – around the birds themselves.

     This reference will be appeal to any bird enthusiast, but also to those seeking out the background on particular species or simply trying to make some sense of what can seem like a somewhat confused scenario. Filling a critical gap, it will be a useful tool for any student of ornithology, whatever their level of experience.

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone with a serious interest in ornithological etymology! 

 

7) Paul, Gregory S.. The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (Third Edition). 2024.  Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 384 pages. Price: $39.95 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The bestselling Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs remains the must-have book for anyone who loves dinosaurs, from amateur enthusiasts to professional paleontologists. Now extensively revised and expanded, this dazzlingly illustrated large-format edition features nearly 100 new dinosaur species and hundreds of new and updated illustrations, bringing readers up to the minute on the latest discoveries and research that are radically transforming what we know about dinosaurs and their world.

     Written and illustrated by acclaimed dinosaur expert Gregory Paul, this stunningly beautiful book includes detailed species accounts of all the major dinosaur groups as well as a wealth of breathtaking images—skeletal drawings, “life” studies, scenic views, and other illustrations that depict the full range of dinosaurs, from small feathered creatures to whale-sized supersauropods. Paul’s extensive introduction delves into dinosaur history and biology, the extinction of nonavian dinosaurs, the origin of birds, and the history of dinosaur paleontology, and also gives a taste of what it might be like to travel back in time to the era when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

• Now covers more than 800 dinosaur species, including scores of newly discovered ones
• Provides startling perspectives on the famed Brontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus
• Reveals that the largest dinosaurs weighed as much as the biggest whales, and shows why that happened
• Features hundreds of color and black-and-white drawings and figures, including life studies, scenic views, and skull and muscle drawings
• Includes color paleo-distribution maps and a color time line
• Describes anatomy, physiology, locomotion, reproduction, and growth of dinosaurs, as well as the origin of birds and the extinction of nonavian dinosaurs

RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-have for anyone with an interest in dinosaurs!

 

8) Tan, Amy. The Backyard Bird Chronicles. 2024. Knopf. Flexibound: 288 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, author Amy Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world.

     In 2016, Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the world: Hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds visiting her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater—an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired. 

RECOMMENDATION: The author's annotated artwork highlights this book!

 

 

9) Ollerton, Jeff. Birds and Flowers: An Intimate 50 Million Year Relationship. 2024. Pelagic Publishing. Hardbound: 321 pages. Price: $32.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Most people are familiar with hummingbirds and the balletic ways in which they feed on flowers. But did you know that these kinds of relationships first evolved at least 50 million years ago? And that nowadays at least 64 families of birds include species that act as pollinators, for tens of thousands of different plants? Not only of great ecological significance, such interactions have been the inspiration for art and literature, for stories about gods and warriors, and for branding guitars and even cheese.

     This is the first book that deals with bird pollination in all of its diversity. It looks beyond the iconic hummingbirds, sunbirds and honeyeaters, to assess the real breadth and significance of avian involvement with flowers. Pollinating birds have intricate lives that are often highly dependent on flowers, and the plants themselves are at the whim of birds for their reproduction. This makes them crucial players within many ecosystems, but these relationships are threatened by disease, habitat destruction and climate change. Yet there are also optimistic stories to be told about conservation and restoration projects that reveal the commitment of scientists, conservationists and the public to preserving these ecologically vital connections.

     This groundbreaking study reclaims birds as pollinators. It rescues them from being mere novelties of (especially Neotropical) natural history, and explores their interaction with flowers in all its significance. These associations carry huge importance in the world’s ecosystems, and are the drivers and objects of evolution. In addition, as a source of cultural inspiration, with a history stretching back millennia, they are part of the ongoing relationship between humanity and the rest of nature.

RECOMMENDATION: A detailed treatment on the subject of bird pollination. 

10) Olson, Roberta J. M.. Audubon as Artist: A New Look at The Birds of America. 2024. Reaktion Books. Hardbound: 383 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Exquisitely illustrated and innovative, an investigation of the artistic evolution of John James Audubon.

     John James Audubon (1785–1851), artist, naturalist, and creator of the celebrated The Birds of America, is widely regarded as America’s first exceptional watercolorist. This book offers a unique exploration of Audubon’s artistic journey intertwined with the drama of his life, unveiling how he studied both past and contemporary artists to forge something entirely innovative. Through this book, readers are invited to rediscover Audubon’s groundbreaking watercolors as exemplary works of fine art. Moreover, the book delves into the controversies surrounding this legendary figure, who, for the first time in history, accurately represented all avian species life-size. Beautifully illustrated, it chronicles how Audubon infused ornithological illustration with a sense of exhilaration, breathing new life into once-conventional formulas and transforming them into awe-inspiring masterpieces.

 

RECOMMENDATION: A well illustrated and detailed overview of Audubon's artwork by an art historian.

 

 

 

11) McNeur, Catherine. Mischievous Creatures: The Forgotten Sisters Who Transformed Early American Science. 2023. Basic Books. Hardbound: 418 pages. Price: $32.50 U.S.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: In Mischievous Creatures, historian Catherine McNeur uncovers the lives and work of Margaretta Hare Morris and Elizabeth Carrington Morris, sisters and scientists in early America. Margaretta, an entomologist, was famous among her peers and the public for her research on seventeen-year cicadas and other troublesome insects. Elizabeth, a botanist, was a prolific illustrator and a trusted supplier of specimens to the country’s leading experts. Together, their discoveries helped fuel the growth and professionalization of science in antebellum America. But these very developments confined women in science to underpaid and underappreciated roles for generations to follow, erasing the Morris sisters’ contributions along the way.

     Mischievous Creatures is an indelible portrait of two unsung pioneers, one that places women firmly at the center of the birth of American science.

 

RECOMMENDATION: A readable narrative of these pioneering women in United States biological sciences. 

 

 

 

12) Turvey, Samuel. The Tomb of the Mili Mongga: Fossils, Folklore, and Adventures at the Edge of Reality. 2024. Bloomsbury Sigma. Hardbound: 304 pages. Price: $28.00 U.S.

 

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: A fossil expedition becomes a thrilling search for a mythical beast deep in the Indonesian forest – and a fascinating look at how fossils, folklore, and biodiversity converge.

     A tale of exciting scientific discovery, The Tomb of the Mili Mongga tells the story of Samuel Turvey's expeditions to the island of Sumba in eastern Indonesia. While there, he discovers an entire recently extinct mammal fauna from the island's fossil record, revealing how islands support some of the world's most remarkable biodiversity, and why many of these unique endemic species are threatened with extinction or have already been lost.

     But as the story unfolds, an unexpected narrative emerges – Sumba's Indigenous communities tell of a mysterious wildman called the 'mili mongga', a giant yeti-like beast that supposedly lives in the island's remote forests. What is behind the stories of the mili mongga? Is there a link between this enigmatic entity and the fossils that Sam is looking for? And what did he discover when he finally found the tomb of a mili mongga?

     Combining evolution, anthropology, travel writing and cryptozoology, The Tomb of the Mili Mongga explores the relationship between biodiversity and culture, what reality means from different cultural perspectives, and how folklore, fossils and conservation can be linked together in surprising ways.

 

RECOMMENDATION: If you enjoyed Gregory Forth's Between Ape and Human, you should like this book.