1-2) Floyd, Ted. National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada―East, and West (2nd Editions). 2025. National Geographic. Flexibound: 447 and 495 pages respectively. Price: $24.99 U.S. each.
An
entirely updated edition of the classic bestselling regional bird field
guide from National Geographic, covering the U.S. and Canada east of
the Rockies.
Provides ID information, data-driven maps, and annotated illustrations of more than 800 bird species.
Backyard
beginners and dedicated life-listers alike will love the expanded new
edition of this trusted guide to the birds of eastern United States and
Canada. With new text, revised art, and data-derived range maps, this
valuable resource complements the apps and online resources used by
birders today.
Groundbreaking new features join tried-and-true traditions. This field guide offers:
- More pages, more species than the first edition
- More than 800 species, including 586 likely to be observed and 240 that occur more rarely
- Organized according to current taxonomy
- Informative notes explaining evolution, etymology, and more
- User-friendly format with explanatory text on the left and matching annotated art on the right
- Easy-to-carry paperback with thumb tabs and a visual index
- All-new maps based on crowd-sourced data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's eBird, the world's top database of bird observations
All told, this second edition of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada—East is a must-have guide for birders young and old, avid and beginner. An
entirely updated edition of the classic bestselling regional bird field
guide from National Geographic, covering the western U.S. and Canada,
including Hawaii.
Birdwatchers from the Rockies west will find
nearly 1,000 species in this user-friendly guide, with all new text,
updated art, and data-driven maps
Backyard beginners
and dedicated life-listers alike will love the expanded new edition of
this trusted guide to the birds of western United States and Canada,
including Hawaii. With new text, revised art, and data–derived range
maps, this valuable resource complements the apps and online resources
used by birders today.
With groundbreaking new features plus tried-and-true traditions, this field guide offers:
- More pages, more species, than the earlier edition
- Nearly 1,000 species, 717 likely to be observed and 253 that appear more rarely
- Organized according to current taxonomy
- User-friendly format with explanatory text on the left and matching annotated illustrations on the right
- Easy-to-carry paperback with thumb tabs and a visual index for easy navigation
- All-new maps based on crowd-sourced data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's eBird, the world’s top database of bird observations
All told, this second edition of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada—West is a must-have guide for birders young and old, avid and beginner.RECOMMENDATION: The page counts have increased from 431 to 447 (East) and 447 to 495 (West). Physically the books are about the same size as the first edition ones. Hawaiian birds have been added to the West guide. Most of the artwork has been recycled from the first edition. With the new range maps, the colors are dull especially the yellow and the political boundaries are faint and hard to see, but this should be corrected in later printings. The gray text font can also be hard to see. These books are probably best for more experienced beginning/intermediate birders.
3-4) Campbell, Iain et al.. Habitats of North America, and Africa: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists, and Ecologists (Habitats of the World). 2025. Princeton University Press. Flexibound: 376 and 448 pages respectively. Price: $35.00 U.S. each.
A
richly illustrated field guide to all of North America’s major
habitats—packed with invaluable information to help you get the most out
of your outdoor adventures
Whether you’re a birder,
naturalist, outdoor enthusiast, or ecologist, knowing the surrounding
habitat is essential to getting the most out of your experiences in the
field. This compact, easy-to-use guide provides an unparalleled
treatment of the wonderfully diverse habitats of North America. Incisive
and up-to-date descriptions cover the unique features of each habitat,
from geology and climate to soil and hydrology. Requiring no scientific
background, Habitats of North America offers quick and reliable information for anyone who wants a deeper understanding and appreciation of the habitats around them.
- Covers 81 major North American habitats, including wetlands and oceanic habitats
- Features
hundreds of color photos of habitats and their wildlife, a wealth of
helpful diagrams and illustrations, and a detailed distribution map for
each land habitat
- Concise
text provides all the information you need to identify and understand
habitats anywhere in North America quickly and accurately
- Discusses iconic and indicator species of birds, mammals, and plants
- Includes an in-depth section on habitat classification—invaluable for ecologists
- Representative habitat accounts describe what you can expect to see and experience there
- Formatted like a field guide for easy reference
A
richly illustrated field guide to all of Africa’s major habitats—packed
with invaluable information to help you understand these habitats and
their wildlife
With breathtaking wildlife and
stunningly beautiful locales, Africa is a premier destination for
birders, conservationists, ecotourists, and ecologists. This compact,
easy-to-use guide provides an unparalleled treatment of the continent’s
wonderfully diverse habitats. Incisive and up-to-date descriptions cover
the unique features of each habitat, from geology and climate to soil
and hydrology, and require no scientific background. Knowing the
surrounding environment is essential to getting the most out of your
travel experiences. Habitats of Africa offers quick and reliable information for anyone who wants a deeper understanding and appreciation of the habitats around them.
- Covers 73 major African habitats, including oceanic habitats
- Features
hundreds of color photos of habitats and their wildlife, a wealth of
helpful diagrams and illustrations, and a detailed distribution map for
each land habitat
- Concise text provides all the information you need to identify and understand habitats anywhere in Africa quickly and accurately
- Discusses iconic and indicator species of birds, mammals, and plants
- Includes an in-depth section on habitat classification—invaluable for ecologists
- Representative habitat accounts include a feature describing what you can expect to see and experience there
- Formatted like a field guide for easy reference
RECOMMENDATION: These books are a MUST-HAVE for anyone with an interest in the natural history of North America and/or Africa!
5) Pasquier, Roger F.. Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep. 2025. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 338 pages. Price: $35.00 U.S.
Birds at Rest is the first book
to give a full picture of how birds rest, roost, and sleep, a vital
part of their lives. It features new science that can measure what is
happening in a bird’s brain over the course of a night or when it has
flown to another hemisphere, as well as still-valuable observations by
legendary naturalists such as John James Audubon, Alfred Russel Wallace,
and Theodore Roosevelt. Much of what they saw and what ornithologists
are studying today can be observed and enjoyed by any birder.
From
the poles to the tropics, how, when, and where birds sleep reflect the
ecology and behavior of each species, as well as their evolution from
dinosaur ancestors. Some sleep briefly, their brain half awake, others
spend long cold nights in torpor, and a few can sleep while flying.
Their roosting habits are also varied. Most birds sleep alone, some in
pairs or families, while others in flocks of millions. Birds at Rest
explains how each strategy works over the course of a season, a year,
or a lifetime by providing protection, mating opportunities, information
about food, and other survival benefits.
With evocative drawings by artist and illustrator Margaret La Farge, Birds at Rest
discusses how environmental challenges such as artificial lights and
noise, invasive species, and climate change are disrupting avian sleep
and proposes solutions to ensure that birds get the rest they need.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in this aspect of bird behavior.
6) Eipper, Tie and
Scott. Snakes of Australia. 2025. Princeton University Press. Hardbound: 368 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S.
A comprehensive and user-friendly photographic field guide With more than 1,000 photographs, Snakes of Australia
illustrates and describes in detail all 240 of the continent’s species
and subspecies—from file snakes, pythons, colubrids, and natricids to
elapids, marine elapids, homalopsids, and blind snakes.
- Features
introductions to each family, species descriptions, type locations,
distribution maps, and quick-identification keys to each family and
genera
- Covers English and scientific names, appearance, range, ecology, disposition, danger level, and IUCN Red List Category
- Illustrates every species and has multiple images for some species to show variation
- Presents information on habitat types, snakes in the environment, and snake-bite prevention and first aid
- Includes a checklist of all the snakes, a glossary, and a table of venom toxicity
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a MUST-HAVE for anyone with an interest in the snakes of Australia.
7) Nentwig, Wolfgang et al.. House Spiders - Worldwide. 2024.
Springer. Paperback:
223 pages. Price: $32.99 U.S.
To
avoid any misunderstandings: this book is not about spiders as pets,
but about those spiders that live in our houses and apartments as
lodgers. Mostly ignored and sometimes (wrongly) feared, there is hardly a
building in the world that does not harbour some species of spider.
What is fascinating is that we always find the same species. These
spiders must have special adaptations, because the humidity in our homes
is far too low, they are too clean, and the food supply is usually
scarce. However, those spiders that have made the leap into our four
walls are rewarded with a worldwide right to stay. This, in turn, is due
to people's eagerness to trade and migrate worldwide: Humans tirelessly
transport their belongings and an endless stream of goods around the
world in sacks, parcels and containers. And our domestic spiders, as
stowaways, travel just as tirelessly and unrecognized. It is therefore
possible to present domestic spiders found throughout the world in a
single book, as they are essentially the same everywhere. The 50 or so
most important species and species groups are presented here in a
generally understandable way, with a detailed profile, photos and
distribution maps. The authors of this book are
experts who work at museums, universities and in administration in
Europe and North America. They are not only recognized scientists, but
have also been avowed spider fans for decades.
RECOMMENDATION: This book is a must-have for anyone with an interest in domestic spiders!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.