Review by Barb & Ron Kroll

Guidebook Title:

Book of North American Birds
(Reader's Digest, 2005) ISBN 978-0762105762 0762105763

Theme:

Book of North American Birds is an easy-to-read source of basic information on the 600 most common species of North American birds.

Sample Items:

Golden Eagle. Red-tailed Hawk. Great Gray Owl. Rock Dove. Greater Roadrunner. Belted Kingfisher. Eastern Bluebird. Song Sparrow. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Pileated Woodpecker. Brown-headed Nuthatch. Hermit Thrush. Gray Catbird. Black-throated Blue Warbler. Northern Waterthrush. Evening Grosbeak. Common Loon. Snow Goose. American Coot. Franklin's Gull. Elegant Tern. Cattle Egret. Long-billed Curlew. Pectoral Sandpiper. Altamira Oriole.

Notable Elements:

The full-color paintings and black and white sketches are very helpful for bird identification.

Readers will learn what birds and their nests look like, what they eat, where they live, when they migrate, mating behavior, breeding ranges, how to identify eggs, incubation period and when the chicks hatch and fledge. More detailed information on songs and sound patterns would be helpful.

Tone / Style:

The Gallery section divides more than 450 species into eight groups by type and habitat. On each page, a painting depicts the more colorful breeding male and occasionally, the female. A short essay describes unique habits and activities of the bird. References detail size, color, and markings of males and females, habitat, nesting and feeding information. A map provides information on winter, summer and year-round range. Black and white sketches depict unique behaviors and appearance.

The Special Collection lists 117 rare, or limited-range species, with two or three to a page. A painting portrays each species along with common name, scientific name, a brief description, recognition information, habitat, nesting details, food sources and a range map.

The Traveler's Guide provides a list of more than 350 prime locations for bird sightings organized by U.S. states and Canadian provinces and territories. It includes addresses, national parks, wildlife refuges, swamps, sea shores and best viewing times.

Visuals:

Detailed color paintings depict each bird species. A map of North America uses colors to illustrate the winter/summer range of habitat. Smaller black and white sketches show a characteristic feature of the bird.

Contents:

• GALLERY
  • Birds of Prey
  • Large Land Birds
  • Smaller Open Country Birds
  • Smaller Woodland Birds
  • Ducklike Birds
  • Gull-like Birds
  • Large Wading Birds
  • Shorebirds
• SPECIAL COLLECTION
  • Traveler's Guide
  • Parts of a Bird
  • Index of Scientific Names
  • General Index
  • Credits

Authors:

Project Editor: James Cassidy
Sr. Staff Editor: Richard L. Scheffel
Sr. Editor: Gayla Visalli
Editor: Rita Christopher
Copy Editor: Patricia M. Godfrey

Writers:

Norman M. Barrett, Chuck Bernstein, Robert M. Brown, Jack Connor, Kate Dunham, Pete Dunne, John Farrand, Jr., David B. Hopes, Kenn Kaufman, Norman Lavers, Mary Leister, Rick Marsi, Wayne R. Petersen, Jan Pierson, Alan Pistorius, Judith Toups

Paintings:

Raymond Harris Ching, John Dawson, Walter Ferguson, Albert Earl Gilbert, Cynthia J. House, H. Jon Janosik, Ron Jenkins, Lawrence B. McQueen, Garry Moss, John P. O'Neill, Hans Peeters, H. Douglas Pratt, Jim Prutzer, Don Radovich, Chuck Ripper, David Simon, John Cameron Yrizarry, Julie Zickefoose

Drawings:

Amy Harold, Olena Kassian, Cynthia J. Page, Don Radovich, Dolores R. Santoliquido

General Consultants:

John Farrand, Jr., Editor, The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding
Harold F. Mayfield, Past President, American Ornithologists' Union
David M. Bird, Ph.D., Director, Avian Science and Conservation Centre, McGill University

 
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