Birds of Texas: A Field Guide (W. L. Moody, Jr., Natural History) [Hardcover]

John H. Rappole (Author), Gene W. Blacklock (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John H. Rappole is research coordinator at the Conservation and Research Center, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, in Front Royal, Virginia.Gene W. Blacklock was curator of natural history and coordinator for education programs at the Welder Wildlife Foundation in Sinton, Texas, for twenty years. He is currently a wildlife consultant living in Corpus Christi, Texas.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press; 1st edition (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890965447
• ISBN-13: 978-0890965443
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,903,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely helpful for beginners, May 3, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Laredo, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birds of Texas: A Field Guide (W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series) (Paperback)

Great for easy identification of birds. Contains some beautiful pictures and helpful information on habitats. Paperback edition is convenient for birding walks and drives. Really fueled my interest in birdwatching.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Almost useless, May 19, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Birds of Texas: A Field Guide (W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series) (Paperback)

This is useless as a field guide. Too big to be carried comfortably during a field walk. To bunch all photos at the end and to have just scores of descriptions in the front, with area ranges is not helpful for a quick guide in the field. Look elsewhere for better materials.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars very poor at best, May 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Birds of Texas: A Field Guide (W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series) (Paperback)

Rappole and Blacklock's book is a very poor choice for a book covering Texas birds. The range maps are generally inaccurate and horrible for many species. The descriptive part of the text is fine for what it is, but Texas and range sections are full of misinformation. There are many very nice photos in the back of the book, but with only one per species it makes the book useless as a field guide. Many species are depicted in plumages that are rarely seen in Texas (e.g. (Oldsquaw in breeding plumage). There are a number of birds included in the book that have never been documented in the state (e.g. Bristle-thighed Curlew, Great Knot, Blue Ground-Dove, Smooth-billed Ani). There are also a few mis-identified photographs (e.g. Double-crested Cormorant, Couch's Kingbird). There are other better choices that cover Texas (although most of those books cover all of North America).