The following are my picks for the best bird books of 2024:
BEST BOOK:
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!
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
1) 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.
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Learn all you need to know about identifying and attracting finches with this comprehensive, gloriously colorful field guide from America’s foremost authorities on birds and nature.
Following the extraordinary finch superflight of 2020-2021, birders across the country became obsessed with finches. With The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada, you can gain expert knowledge on these beautiful birds and bring them into your own yard. This fully illustrated guide tells you all you need to know about attracting, observing, and protecting finches.
The book also includes:
- A special section on endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper finches, plus other rare and vagrant species
- Detailed identification information on each finch species’ plumages, subspecies, and voice
- The most complete and up-to-date range maps, including maps of core occurrence and irruption ranges for all red crossbill call types, which have never before been published in a guide
- Complete life history information
- Scientific studies on finch migrations and conservation
- More than 345 stunning full-color photographs and over 50 range maps covering 43 species
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-HAVE for anyone with an interest in the finches of the region!
4) Kaufman, Kenn. Avid Reader Press. Hardbound: 387 pages. Price: $
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Renowned naturalist Kenn Kaufman examines the scientific discoveries of John James Audubon and his artistic and ornithologist peers to show how what they saw (and what they missed) reflects how we perceive and understand the natural world.
Raging ambition. Towering egos. Competition under a veneer of courtesy. Heroic effort combined with plagiarism, theft, exaggeration, and fraud. This was the state of bird study in eastern North America during the early 1800s, as a handful of intrepid men raced to find the last few birds that were still unknown to science.
The most famous name in the bird world was John James Audubon, who painted spectacular portraits of birds. But although his images were beautiful, creating great art was not his main goal. Instead, he aimed to illustrate (and write about) as many different species as possible, obsessed with trying to outdo his rival, Alexander Wilson. George Ord, a fan and protégé of Wilson, held a bitter grudge against Audubon for years, claiming he had faked much of his information and his scientific claims. A few of Audubon’s birds were pure fiction, and some of his writing was invented or plagiarized. Other naturalists of the era, including Charles Bonaparte (nephew of Napoleon), John Townsend, and Thomas Nuttall, also became entangled in the scientific derby, as they stumbled toward an understanding of the natural world—an endeavor that continues to this day.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-HAVE for anyone with an interest in the ornithological history of the USA!
