Reviews (6)

This One's Special
A beautiful book, excellent for a gift as well as for one's own library.The illustrations are many, varied, and lovely.The text is engrossing.

Beauty on every page
I've found myself coming back to this book time and time again, just to open at random.I would recommend this book without hesitation.

A marvelous confection...
I found this book in the gift shop of the Point Reyes National Seashore visitor center on a recent trip to Inverness and had to own it.
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Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds in art    4. Essays    5. Literary collections    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Ornithology    9. Special Subjects In Literature    10. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    6. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (4)

excellent, but expensive
The book is without doubt the best ornithology textbook in existance.While this may be aided by the fact that it is virtually the only one there is out there, it is accurate, comprehensive and user friendly. my main problems are that it is starting to be a little dated, and of course - the price.

Bird Biology at its Best!
I searched for a textbook on ornithology that I could use in association with the Bird Biology Home Study Course that I was planning to take through Cornell University.I found the textbook at Amazon.com.The information in this textbook is absolutely wonderful!Frank Gill presents an "encyclopedia" of information in an easy-to-read, comprehensible format.Anyone interested in the serious study of bird biology will want to add this textbook to his or her bookshelf.Within the next few months, I will reread this textbook again.How many textbook readers can honestly state that they would reread any textbook in its entirety?Every chapter intrigued and delighted me.I will be actively searching for more books by Frank Gill, based upon the presentation of materials in Ornithology, 2nd edition.

Could not put it down....
This superb book was such fun to read and it is packed full of interesting and thought-provoking information. Space prohibits a chapter-by-chapter review so I will list the things in the book that I found very interesting: 1. The plumage color patterns of dawny young shorebirds. 2. DNA hybridization experiments and evolutionary tree of herons. 3. Geese flying in formation to save energy. 4. The use of thermals by a gliding vulture to counteract sinking. 5. The unique landing abilities of birds: rotation of center of mass upward to stall directly over the landing site. 6. Vortex creation by beating wings of pigeons and kestrels. 7. Respiratory abilities of birds. 8. High metabolic rates of frizzled chickens. 9. Discussion on avian intelligence. 10. The detection of natural magnetic fields using rhodopsin. 11. Use of echolocation for navigation; asymmetry of ear placement in the owl to pinpoint sound source. 12. The avian taste for chili peppers. 13. Birds having two independent voices. 14. Individual spacing behavior while perching. 15. The nests of swallows reflecting their evolutionary history. 16. Insurance egg laying by penguins and boobies.17. The restoration of the peregrines. 18. The illustrations of the birds of the world in the appendix. 19. The enormous bibliography.This is definitely a book to be read by students and those interested in ornithology. An incredible book....... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Life Sciences - Zoology - Ornithology    2. Science    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Birds (ornithology)   

Reviews (11)

excellent teaching method
I've listened to all 3 cds just once through and already I can identify 5 or 6 birds by their calls.I find myself listening whenever I'm outside to see if I can hear one of the birds in this guide.I highly recommend getting this if you are interested in learning bird calls.It is highly effective.

Wonderful resource!
I am a novice bird watcher, and my enjoyment has increased exponentially after listening to these fabulous recordings.The material is logically organized and beautifully presented.Great to listen to in the car when heading to or from an outdoor adventure!

Superlative!
"The songs we're now hearing are ancient tunes..."
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Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Nature    3. Nature/Ecology    4. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    5. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (1)

Add this book to your collection!
I just got the book and in short, was very impressed.The book fills in the gap in the taxonomic order not covered in the famous Birds of South America Vol. I & II by Ridgely and Tudor.The book is small and compact (5" X 7.5").The illustrations are great...a bit crowded on some pages (as can be expected with the size), but overall are visually appealing and birds are identifiable (unlike other Princeton Illustrated Checklists I've seen recently).The book is just that though, an illustrated checklist.Each bird is illustrated on one side with a corresponding paragraph describing the bird and habitat on the opposite side. Each species has a small range map next to the text block as well.
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Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Nature    3. Nature/Ecology    4. South America    5. Biological Sciences    6. Birds & birdwatching    7. Birds and Natural History    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (21)

EXCELLENT ADDITION TO YOUR COLLECTION
Having been a birder for quite a number of years, I of course have quite a number of bird identification books.This was a very nice addition to my collection.I do carry it on field trips along with a couple of others (Sibley's and Peterson's being the primary ones).I have found that not one bird guide is suitable for everyone.Being from the "old school" I tend to turn to Peterson's more often, but that is probably from pure habit.Some hard to identify birds though do take some work and really more than one reference.This particular work is quite good.The pictures are very helpful and when I use this work with others I find most of my needs meet.I highly recommend this particular book.

The Best Bird Guide
This is the bird guide you should buy. Superior illustrations, easy to read text, thoughtful organization. Best of all-all the species (plus tons or accidentals and casuals)of North America in one handy volume! No worrying if a bird crosses "the border" between the East/West field guide boundary.
Bird Lady of Woodinville
I am very pleased with the book! The pictures & descriptions are excellant,better than anything else I've seen so far through the years. It's very easy to find the species, good size for travel, and just handy to have by the patio! This guide is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks!---Jeannice------ ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Reference    9. Birds & birdwatching    10. Humour    11. Nature / General    12. The Americas    13. USA   

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Calendar    3. Calendars & Diaries    4. Non-Classifiable    5. NATURE / Birds & Birdwatching    6. Photography / Nature & Wildlife   

Reviews (28)

The Best Birding Guidebook for Costa Rica!
This is by far the best birding guide book for Costa Rica.Most of the guides working in the country use this one!If you're planning a trip and don't want to take the whole heavy book, you can take it to a copy center like Kinkos and have the color photo pages cut out and bound with a waterproof cover and a few extra blank pages for notes.This makes an excellent field guide!

Fabulous
This book is a bird lover's God send. On our trip to Costa Rica, it was extremely useful, given its full illustrations of thousands of exotic species to be found in that glorious tropical climate. We were especially delighted to experience sightings of the rare Quetzel and Toucan. A fabulous guide for anyone visiting Costa Rica, or who simply wants to live vicariously.

good but not great
I spent 3 weeks in Costa Rica birding with this guide.There was only one bird in adult plumage that the illustration did not match the bird very well--peg billed finch. The finch is much much darker above than the illustration.
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Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Costa Rica    5. Identification    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Birds (ornithology)   

Reviews (7)

This is still the Galápagos guide you want - this 2nd edition is even better than the 1st!
Original review of 1st Edition, November 9, 2005
One of the best books we bought for our trip
We bought this book as one of 5 guides to the Galapagos which we took with us on our trip in Oct 05. It was really excellent, so good in fact, that our wonderful naturalist guide asked if we could send him a copy. I just gave him ours and now I have to order it again for us!It's organized by type of animal and bird, which makes it easier for novices to experienced wildlife observers alike to identify animals and birds. It has a nice sturdy format also, which is good for taking along onto the islands.
An Identification Guide to the Birds,mammals, and Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands
It is very informative for visitors to the islands and probably be able to recognize some of the birds etc when you see them.Yet to proof it during my next visit to the island in December 2005. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Reptiles & Amphibians    6. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    7. Nature / General   

Reviews (28)

The Classic Guide
My 1966 Golden Field Guide($3.95) is coming unglued.We've used this reference for 40 years from homes in the Northeast, East, Southwest and Southeast U.S.Our life bird list is impressive due to this guide.
An all right book
This book is not bad. It thankfully has been updated since the 80s, as I had heard that it was horridly out of date. The illustrations are a tad fuzzy,and they used one illustration to depict two species in a few instances, which is very frustrating, but overall it is a pretty good guide. I use it as a reference book. It has a few extras, like silhouettes of the birds, and sonograms of songs, and pages showing all the sparrows/ warblers on one page, for at-a-glance comparisons. If you are a new birder, skip this and buy the National Geographic guide or the Stokes guide. If you are an intermediate to advanced birder, get this. It's a good book to have around, just in case.

A Review
Was bought as a gift for a friend. They seem pleased with it.
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Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    4. Identification    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (6)

Extremely informative, with excellent photography
I though this was an excellent resource for identifying hawks in flight. The photos are very informative, and attractive as well. The guide is, in my opinion, very comprehensive and extremely well written.

Hawks from Every Angle
A super-useful reference guide that goes well with HAWKS IN FLIGHT -- and actually I would probably look at this one first. Photographs and text both contain a lot of helpful information to assist in raptor identification -- though the "pitfalls" shots make it clear that not every bird will be identifiable.
another mistitled hawk book
If you're looking for a book that covers all the raptors that regularly occur in North America, forget it. A more honest title would've been 'Raptors of Northeastern Hawkwatch Sites.' Even then, northeastern hawkwatchers won't find Harris' Hawk in the book. The raptors Liguori does cover are done well, by and large, and I was particularly impressed with the treatments of both Harlan's Hawk and the Northern Harrier. But if you live in the West, as I do, you'll find the book less useful than the title suggests. Get yourself a Clark and Wheeler--it'll serve you much better. I'm looking forward to that frabjous day when hawkwatchers will escape their eastern bias, and discover that we have hawks in the West too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Falconiformes    3. Flight    4. Identification    5. Life Sciences - Zoology - Ornithology    6. Nature    7. Nature / Field Guide Books    8. Nature/Ecology    9. North America    10. Pictorial works    11. Biological Sciences    12. Birds & birdwatching    13. Birds (ornithology)    14. Birds and Natural History    15. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (6)

Good, but slightly flawed
Pete Dunne's latest tome, Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion, has been reviewed several times by various bloggers already including As Necessary as Binoculars, for Making/Confirming I.D.s
I won't repeat the (well-deserved!) accolades. Rather, I write to ensure that potential buyers are aware of one particular feature which is as profoundly helpful as it is unique. Each bird discussion includes the assignment of a V.I., that is, Vagarancy Index. This is best explained by example.
A different approach to identification
Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion: A Comprehensive Resource For Identifying North American Birds is weightier than most similar/competing field guides; and for a reason: it too offers a different approach to identification, doing so by bird structure and shape as well as observer's general impression of size and shape. When size, color, behavior, flight pattern and vocalizations come into play in the identification process, much mystery is cleared up: this provides hints and clues to streamline identification efforts and builds a fine guide for all levels of birders. No color photos here; just plenty of tips and description.
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Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Identification    5. Individual Species Of Birds    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Editorial Review

World-renowned birder Kenn Kaufman addresses a long-running paradox of bird field guides with his Read more

Reviews (35)

Kaufman Field Guide to Birds - Excellent
This field guide is a clear, concise, easy to read manual that contributes to the enjoyment of bird watching.I found that the birds I see in my back yard and neighborhood were easy to find and identify correctly.I would recommend this publication for use by any level of bird watcher from beginner to the most experienced.The graphics and color are wonderful.The color coded maps, showing summer and winter ranges for each species, are very helpful.

EXCELLENT CHOICE FORFIELD GUIDE
I do recommend this one highly!I have been birding for well over fifty years now and have used and own quite a number of guides.This work is a great choice.I have used Peterson's guides for years and will probably go to my grave using his guides as my primary choice, but old dogs can learn new tricks and I carry this guide with me along with a few others anytime I am in the field.It is a great supplemental.For myself, as one who has a horrible time with shore birds in particular, often times just one guide will not work.This field guide gives me more information and I find myself turning to it more and mroe for verifications.It is well designed, well organized and quite accurate.Recommend this one highly.

The handiest field guide to North American birds
According to the author, Kaufman Guides are "the best and fastest way to get started... to send you outside quickly, putting names on what you find". If that is the objective, the 'Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America' has realised it admirably.
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Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    5. Identification    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Pictorial works    10. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds, Fossil    3. Earth Sciences - General    4. Evolution    5. Fossils    6. Mesozoic    7. Paleontology    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Birds (ornithology)    11. Palaeozoology    12. Science / Earth Sciences   

Reviews (9)

A must for the duck hunter
This booklet is for the duck hunter, not a PETA activist.The duck needs to be in your hand so you can match the bill and feet to the pictures for accurate ID.This is an excellant booklet for waterfowl ID.

Rip off
This wasn't a "book".It was a few flimsy pages of very thin poor quality paper, tied together with a plastic ring.It did nothing to help identify water fowl in flight.Anyone can identify a duck once it is in hand.This pamplet was a big disappointment.A fair price for it would have been about $1 dollar, not $10.

A Duck Hunter's Must Have.
Great book for in-flight and in-hand ID.The bill ID/comparison charts are excellent.NOTE: The pages are water resistant, not water proof. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Hunting - General    4. Identification    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Waterfowl    8. Birds & birdwatching   

Editorial Review

When Irene Pepperberg, a professor at the University of Arizona, says goodnight, she typically hears the reply "Bye. I'm gonna go eat dinner. I'll see you tomorrow." Though the response itself is not unusual, the source is, for it comes from Alex, a gray parrot, Pepperberg's main research subject for the past 22 years. That parrots can talk is well known; what Pepperberg set out to study was their cognitive abilities. By teaching the bird the meaning--not just the sound--of words in order to communicate, she hoped to discover how his brain worked. She exhaustively details her fascinating results in Read more

Reviews (8)

Excellent information, but ridiculously tough to read
The work that Irene Pepperberg and Alex have done is incredible, and this book would be fascinating if the "Notes" were included in the text and the references were footnoted at the end of the book or at the bottom of the page.While the use of APA style substantiates the credibiltiy of her research and increases the book's value as an intellectual property, it is difficult to find a complete sentence without multiple references cited in parentheses scattered throughout. This makes the normal "flow" of reading almost impossible, and unnecessarily compromises both enjoyment and ease of comprehension.Definitely read this book if you're interested, but keep the aspirin close for the headache you're bound to get while trying to sort out the legitimate text from the references.

A bit too technical for my tastes...
Yes, the intelligence and ability of parrots to communicate concepts IS interesting. But wow! This book has far too much technical detail to keep me turning pages. I bought the book to learn abouthow Alex was trained and how he progressed through the training. But the book goes into too much detail about Pepperberg's scientific and psychological study to keep me awake. Certainly not bedtime reading. I only wish she'd written the book I wanted to read.

No parrot jokes please
I can almost hear Irene Pepperberg saying that to us as she describes the significance of THE ALEX STUDIES. She herself offers a few humorous anecdotes about Alex, but for the most part there is definitely nothing funny about this book. It's written in a deliberately prosaic style for the following reasons. The very tendency for the media and general public to treat Alex as simply the "talking parrot", when in reality his vocalizations represent something much more important in terms of animal cognition and communication. Also stemming from the fact that her findings about bird cognition are so significant, Pepperberg in making her case to scientific colleagues, writes with them in mind. She is incredibly detailed in describing her experiments and the controls used. This is in order to avoid the possibility of cueing and thus comparisons to "clever Hans"; she wants to remove the possibility of persons saying the evidence is that most dreaded scientific epithet - merely "anecdotal". The book is replete with references and Pepperberg places them in the body of her text instead of as footnotes. The book is not a smooth read and only a scientist could describe it as "a delightful and easy read" as ethologist Marc Bekoff says on the cover. This is not a popular science book. But equally it takes an evoltionary biologist and ornithologist to see the "groundbreaking" significance of the book as Bernd Heinrich does. Read more

Subjects:  1. African gray parrot    2. Animal communication    3. Behavior    4. Birds & Birdwatching - General    5. Cognition in animals    6. Cognitive Psychology    7. Communication    8. Experimental Psychology    9. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    10. Psychology    11. Science    12. Animal behaviour    13. Birds (ornithology)    14. Birds, including cage birds    15. Cognitive theory    16. Science / General   

Reviews (8)

Great Content, Terrible Presentation
The single most noticeable thing about this book is how poorly it was manufactured. The spine seems to be made from steel making it impossible to ever fully open the book and an exercise in frustration to read. This problem is greatly exacerbated by the fact that the text runs way down into the deep dark recesses of the crevasse created by the horrible binding. The actaully printing however is very good. The pictures are clear with good color and the paper is of high quality. This makes it even more ofa shame that the binding is so bad.
Terrific information
Well written, good information, well organized. Not a field guide but one of the best reference books I've seen.

Best Bird Book Available
In typical National Geographic fashion, this book is excellent.It is extremely comprehensive with outstanding artwork.This is a must have for anyone who enjoys birding.You should also buy the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America as an easy to carry companion. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bird Watching    2. Birds    3. Birds & Birdwatching - General    4. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides    5. General    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Birds (ornithology)    10. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (2)

WONDERFUL BOOK
If you didn't want to take the time to read the review by Stan Moore, take my word for it...
The best book on peregrine falcons ever.
There have been many books on peregrine falcons over the years, including some very good ones.I have read most of them.Jim Enderson's new book is probably the best book on peregrines I have ever seen, especially if one includes the peregrine/human interface.Jim Enderson not only knows peregrine falcons intimately, but he is intimately acquainted with most or all of the major peregrine falcon biologists in the world, not to mention falconers who train and fly both wild caught and captive bred peregrines.Many of Enderson's generation of peregrine biologists were and are falconers, and the unique and substantive insights of these people, including Enderson, are what make this book so special.
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Naturalists, Gardeners, Environmentalists    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Peregrine falcon    7. Personal Memoirs    8. Birds (ornithology)    9. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching   

Reviews (14)

excellent for beginning and intermediate birders
The alphabetical indexing is excellent for those who have not mastered the taxanomic order as found in most lists and books.The presentation of the song before the identification is useful in honing ones ears.Would like it to be longer than the ~110 species presented.

By far the best bird song training & reviewguide
This is an outstanding CD for learning bird songs.Each song starts with the bird song and then the narrator describes the song and provides a short phrase or description that aids you with identifying it, followed again with the essence of the song.This format allows you to quiz yourself.I bought my first copy two years ago and have bought 5 more to give to friends since then.Everyone has commented that its a great guide.I own several other guides including Birding by Ear and More Birding by Ear and this is by far my favorite.

Highly recommended & exactly what I was looking for.
The CD arrived in the mail yesterday, and I've listened to it once all the way through.The bird songs were recorded in Wisconsin and I live in Connecticut, and I recognized most of the songs as ones I had heard near my house, so it seems that birds selected for inclusion on the CD are widespread enough to make the CD useful for most of the eastern US.
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Subjects:  1. Birds & Birdwatching - General    2. Life Sciences - Zoology - Ornithology    3. Nature    4. Nature / Birds & Birdwatching    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Reference    7. Audio Adult: Other    8. Birds & Birdwatching    9. Birdsongs    10. Identification    11. Midwest    12. Nature / Field Guide Books    13. North America    14. Northeastern states   

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Dictionaries    4. Encyclopedias    5. Nature/Ecology    6. North America    7. Ornithology    8. Sale Adult - Nature / Guide Books    9. Non-Classifiable    10. Sale Books