1) van Duivendijk, Nils. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 1056 pages (in two volumes). Price: $
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Would you like to be able to identify any bird species in Europe, in all plumages, in every season? ID Handbook of European Birds is the
resource for you. This identification handbook blends incisive
descriptions with stunning high-resolution photos to provide the most
comprehensive, in-depth coverage of European birds available. Never
before has so much current information been brought together in one
place and presented so clearly and completely. This monumental
two-volume work is destined to become a standard reference to Europe’s
birds.
- Covers 733 species known to occur in Europe
- Features more than 5,500 spectacular color photos
- Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, molting, age, and gender
- The high-quality photos depict the characteristics most essential for identification
- Innovatively designed for easy, at-a-glance reference
- An ideal resource for anyone who wants to enhance their experience in the field
- A must for bird-watchers everywhere, from beginners to seasoned birders
RECOMMENDATION: These books are a MUST-HAVE for all serious birders in Europe!
2) Ayyash, Amar. Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 518 pages. Price: $
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The definitive photographic guide to North American gulls.
Gull
identification can be challenging for even the most seasoned birder.
While these birds are common to coasts, lakes, and rivers, they exhibit
remarkable plumage changes related to age, which is sometimes
complicated by similarities between species and a readiness to
hybridize. This book provides an invaluable identification guide to all
regularly occurring gull species and subspecies throughout North
America. It is packed with the very latest research on field
identification, updated taxonomy, current distribution trends, color
maps, and helpful notes on natural history, aging, and molt. The Gull Guide
integrates the essential elements that are critical to understanding
gulls, setting an entirely new standard for identifying and enjoying
these marvelous birds.
• All new design features 95 color plates and
more than 700 images, depicting male, female and, when relevant,
juvenile plumages.
• Species accounts include range maps, detailed
descriptions, distinguishing characteristics, a list of habitats where
the bird is found, behaviors, and vocalizations.
• Winter and
breeding plumages are included for migratory species―extremely useful
for identifying the large number of birds that migrate south from North
America.
A definitive guide from the country's best birders, Arturo Kirkconnell and Orlando H. Garrido, Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba presents a wealth of knowledge accumulated over a lifetime of work.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-HAVE for anyone birding Cuba!
5) Wroza, Stanislas. Helm. Paperback: 240 pages. Price: $
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Identify
migratory birds with this book, containing detailed text on flight and
contact calls, annotated sonograms and QR codes to the calls themselves.
8) Atlas of Feathers for Western Palearctic Birds, Volume 1: Introduction. 2024. Featherguide Publishers. Hardbound: 597 pages. Price:
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: The Atlas of Feathers for Western Palearctic Birds is a
collective project of the Feather Research Group, founded in 1972 by
Wilfried Hansen. This monumental work, depicting the feathers of nearly
all bird species recorded in the Western Palearctic, has been in the
making for over 20 years. More than 150,000 feathers have been scanned
for this encyclopedia, both in private feather collections and in many
natural history museums. These scans, digitally composed into beautiful
pterylographies, reveal hidden details of all major plumages. The Atlas of Feathers for Western Palearctic Birds will consist of a 2-volume concise edition and a 10-volume full edition.
The Introductory Volume to the Atlas of Feathers for Western Palearctic Birds
opens the 10-volume full edition. It looks beyond the geographic limits
of the Western Palearctic and gives a global overview of feather
characteristics. One of the most interesting topics of ornithology is
the origin and evolution of feather emarginations. According to current
scientific knowledge, feather emarginations were not present yet in
Mesozoic birds.
This volume features the first-ever survey and
quantification of feather emarginations (recesses or notches in the
margins) in all living bird species of the world as well as many
recently extinct species. The most extensive scientific study on
emarginations to date was published in the Journal of Morphology and quantified
the emarginations of 135 bird species. In spite of scientific peer
review, three out of these 135 species were classified wrongly, either
as being emarginated when they were not, or vice versa. This showed the
need for a clear definition of what constitutes an emargination, and the
need for more extensive peer review. The Feather Research Group invites
the public at large to participate in this peer review as citizen
scientists. The links to the scans of feathers and photographs of live
birds that were used for evaluation will be made available on a separate
website, where anyone will be able to help the editorial team verify
and correct the results.
One of the surprising results is the
amount of phenotypic plasticity that is found in many species regarding
the number and extent of emarginations. A more detailed search by more
people is likely to reveal a much greater extent of phenotypic
plasticity in many more species. Another surprising finding is the
existence of emarginations in adult males of certain hummingbird
species. Hummingbirds, just as the related family of Swifts, do not
normally have emarginations, as they make no aerodynamic sense for the
way they fly. Possibly their presence in males indicates ornamental or
acoustic roles during courtship display rather than any aerodynamic
purpose, though this hypothesis would require further research on the
behaviour of these species.
The family summaries for all 244 bird
families of the world give further details of the avian flight
apparatus, including the number of primaries, secondaries and rectrices,
including unusual variations, the presence or absence of remicle and
carpal remex, the prevalence of eutaxy and diastataxy, the position of
the longest primary, the relative length of the outermost primary, as
well as the ranges of variability in the longest alula feather, longest
secondary and longest tail feather, all in per cent of the longest
primary. The family summaries are followed by short summaries on genus
level and then present the currently available data for each species.
9) Lam, Ed. Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 446 pages. Price: $
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Dragonflies are large and beautiful insects, diverse in color
and pattern. This premier field guide provides all the information you
need to identify every male and female dragonfly found in North America,
whether in the field, in the hand, or under the microscope. The
extensive illustrations are the heart of the book. Close-up color
portraits of each species, often several times life size, show the best
possible specimens for close examination. Each sex is depicted using
multiple images, with postures and viewpoints consistently maintained to
aid comparison. Dragonflies of North America is the ultimate guide to these extraordinary insects.
- Covers all 329 North American species, including distinctive subspecies and variations
- Features nearly 1,900 highly detailed paintings and drawings, providing clarity and consistency that photographs cannot match
- Illustrates each species with multiple views for easy identification and comparison
- Gives an invaluable introduction to dragonfly anatomy, behavior, and life cycle
- Offers additional guidance for the most challenging species that defy field identification, highlighting anatomical characteristics to aid identification in the hand
- Includes a distribution map for every species
Beautifully illustrated species accounts of deer, antelopes, sheep and goats, cattle, and other truly exotic animals such as giraffes and zebras are the highlight of this book. Also included are chapters about the history of exotics in the United States, where to see them, and hints on exotic animal ownership. Like the original field guide, each animal profile includes native range maps, information about food habits, habitat, temperament, breeding and birth seasons, fencing needs, and photographs of the animals. Updated lists of exotics-related organizations and further readings, a glossary, and a comprehensive reference section round out the text, making this new edition even more useful as a field tool for both new and experienced exotic animal owners and conservationists.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone with an interest in the exotic hoofed mammals of the region.
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