Customer Reviews

A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America (Peterson Field Guides)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is the latest edition in a long line of Peterson Field Guides. As such it has a lot to live up to. It is written in a similar format to the series most recent work on the Warblers of North America (John Dunn and Kimball Garrett, 1997) and includes the same basic categories of description, behaviour, habitat, similar species, status and conservation, and subspecies and taxonomic relationships in the species accounts.

The book covers over 30 species of hummingbirds that regularly occur in the United States or have the potential for occurence as vagrants from Mexico. It is entirely a photographic guide which has both advantages and disadvantages from paintings or illustrations.

Its a good 1st start, but there are some issues that need to be addressed. First, the photographs for each species are somewhat small, especially those that depict live birds in the field. This and the low-quality of some photos often obscure important identification features. On the other hand the plates showing close-up photographs of spread tail patterns and the head and bill are especially benefical (even if the birds are unnaturally depicted held in the hand). These characters are extremely useful in species identification, and I know of other guide that shows them so well (I have yet to look at Steve Howell's book on Hummingbirds, so I can't comment on that book).

The book continues the Peterson tradition of using arrows to point out important field characters. However, there seems to be a disparity between the photographs and the accompanying text adjacent to the plates. The end result is often confusion and leaves the reader trying to figure out what is specifically important about a particular feature. For instance, an arrow may point to a bill of a hummingbird, but it is sometimes difficult to find in the text what is diagnostic about that particular species bill. The information is there, but it is simply buried in the text and you have to read to find it. Bulleted highlights might make this easier.

Additionally, the accompanying text/captions for each plate are not arranged in a logical fashion which compounds the problem. In many cases they are written as a block of text describing the field characters for an sex/age class with data on individual species given below as subcategories. In many cases there is one paragraph giving species characters, but there are several photographs, none of which are referenced in the text. It would be better to address each photograph individually and mention the important points that are specifically shown in that photo separately instead of trying to write a broad description that is not connected with the pictures. This would make the guide more user-friendly and visually appealing (i.e. 4 photos on one page would correspond with 4 separate blocks of text describing each picture in one-to-one context). It may be that there is just too much information to present in a organized fashion. I realize this is a problem with any book that tries to cover the large amount of detail that this book presents.

The range maps for each species are exceptionally well done and appear up to date. They include the most current records of vagrants that I know of.

I especially like the inclusion of the many Mexican species that although have yet to be conclusively documented in the United States range close enough to warrant mentioning. This alerts the observer to the possibility of those species which are not typically shown in the standard North American bird guides. There are several species however that are mentioned but have no photographs (Golden-Crowned Emerald and Canivet's Emerald). Photos of these birds would have be useful.

Also important are the many photographs showing hybrid combination of hummingbirds. Hummingbird species tend to hybridize more regularly than other bird groups so these photos are a plus.

Finally, the information on Plumage Variation and Molt in the species accounts is a huge benefit.

Overall, the information in the book is accurate, informative, and useful. However it is perhaps a better guide for banders who have the bird in the hand and want to visually see examples of tail pattern, etc. (however, the book lacks those important measurements that the banders rely on). As a field guide it contains a massive amount of information that could overwhelm the backyard birder who simply wants to enjoy these feathered jewels. The book is geared mainly towards those advanced birders who are mostly aware of the many characters used to separate hummingbird species. Its definitely worth having if you are bibliophile or just enthusastic about birds.

This book is wonderful!! I just finished reading it. I'd been waiting so long for a hummingbird book with photos of the females and the immature birds. In the past, I've had so much trouble looking through art drawings of hummingbirds. Now we have photos of each bird to help with identification in the field.

This book is a must-have for hummingbird enthusiasts! Make sure to read the text too, because tons of fabulous facts and trivia are included. For instance, females of some species sing, and females outnumber the male hummers most of the time, but in one instance a female was killed and a male was seen feeding the babies she'd left behind! How interesting!

I ordered this book along with two others when my grandchildren and I decided we needed more background on the hummingbirds who visit my feeders every day. There is an abundance of wonderful info on the hummingbird types and habitats in this book. The pictures are exceptional. I especially love the small size...making it easy to handle while we're outside. After using the book, we're on the search for a hummingbird nest in our nearby maple tree. It seems to be the place where most of the hummingbirds perch between feedings. The book talks about the nests and how they come back to the same next year after year. Very, very interesting.

If you are buying only one book on hummingbirds, this would be the one to buy.

We just wanted a book to teach us the basics about Hummingbirds & help us to learn one type from the next. This book is working out very well for us so far. Already we have learned that what appeared to be a 'baby' hummingbird with the naked eye, was actually a moth via binoculars and the moth was shown in the book~! The book is well made, very nice pictures, small enough to leave on a kitchen counter or drawer for easy access and user friendly. I recommend this book for anyone looking to learn about Hummingbirds.

As stated, it is difficult to go wrong with and of the Peterson Field Guides. This work is certainly no exception. Do be warned though, if you are a beginning birder, that NO field guide can meet all needs. This guide, like others, must be supplemented with as many different guides as possible. In this case, I might recommend Howell's wonderful work.

That being said, you certainly need to add this one to your collection. This work covers the thirty or so species found in the U.S. along with several that may or may not be seen. The range maps are great, but again, another warning to the newcomer to this wonderful pastime. The range of many of birds found in the U.S. in changing, almost at a yearly rate. We can go on forever as to why this is occurring, but it never-the-less is. As the natural habitat of these amazing creatures is shrinking, so are the bird populations.

The photographs in this book are a bit small and the quality is not what I would like, but the photographs are quite adequate, particularly if they are supplemented with other guides. The information found in the text is quite informative and accurate, as are the range maps, as far as we know (see above paragraph). There is much good information in this book concerning behavior, nesting habits and feeding patterns. This is certainly a book I would not want to be without when out in the field specifically looking for this particular family of birds. Recommend this one highly.

I selected this book because it was a Peterson field guide but am somewhat disappointed. One small change would greatly improve its practicality and convenience - combining the two main sections, Plates and Species Accounts so that all information for each bird is together. The challenge with the current organization is that you look in the plate section to find a bird that looks like the one you're viewing but then have to flip back to look in the species section to determine if the bird is an inhabitant of your location. It's really quite overwhelming.

I ended up buying a second book which I love - it's the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds for Arizona and New Mexico. It's compact, and all info for each bird is together, making it easy to use. Even though it covers more than hummingbirds, because of the tight geographic area, it's a benefit to have many birds that are possibilities and to branch off to other birds - I actually saw a great blue heron at the canal that runs through my neighborhood last week. It's much less complete than the Peterson guide, but it's all I need at this early stage in my birding experience. I also love the checklist section where I can check off birds as I identify them, as well as the color index that gives me a starting point for identifying a bird by the color of its head - mostly black, predominantly green, etc.

I buy this book for my wife, who is an specialist on hummingbirds, and she said me that this guide is perfect for humms lovers, maybe basic for specialist (she recommends the Howell book). Anyway, BUY IT...is beautiful !

Great book for learning about these little birds and identifying them. The photographs are nice and help in the identification process along with the wealth of additional information. This book helped me identify more species south of Tucson when I went to photograph and videotape the 10 different varieties near the Mexican border.

I've always thought that aliens visiting planet Earth would avoid the big geology that is the centerpiece of many of our national parks. All planets have spectacular geological features. Mars, for instance, has the largest (known) volcano in our solar system.

Instead, the aliens would concentrate on life exclusive to Earth. Among these unique creatures must be the jewel-like hummingbirds.

D.H. Lawrence writes of a world "where the humming-bird flashed ahead of creation" and "This little bit chipped off in brilliance...went whizzing through the slow, vast, succulent stems..."

Do you remember when you saw your first hummingbird? One of my earliest memories, half-seen, half-heard, is of a buzzing emerald of a bird hovering in front of the flat cup of a hollyhock, flashing its iridescent feathers only inches from my face. After that, nothing could persuade me there was not magic in the world.

Imagine yourself visiting this blue-and-green world and seeing a hummingbird for the first time.

Well then, back to business. This Peterson Field Guide fulfills its promise to deep-dive into the world of North American hummingbirds. I was particularly interested in Rufous Hummingbirds because I thought I had seen one at our backyard feeder. Only three Rufous sightings have been verified in this state, so being able to record another would be quite a coup.

According to this guide, it's not quite that easy. What I might have seen was a Ruby-Throat with pollen on her breast--or a hybrid Ruby-Throat. It's actually easier to verify the age and sex of a particular hummingbird than its species! Not only that, but hybridization between species is frequent--this book has photographs of "adult male Costa's x Anna's," "adult male Rufous x Calliope," "adult male Broad-tailed x Black-chinned" etc. etc.

So, back to the deck until I can photograph my green hummingbird with the orange-gold gorget. Meanwhile, I've read this book from cover to cover. It is packed with fascinating text on the habitats, feeding, territoriality, communication, courtship and nesting (the latter is strictly up to the female), migration, and life spans of North American hummingbirds. Even without the photographs, it would have been an interesting read.

With the photographs, this book is a gem. Most of the colored photos are included as aids to species (and hybrid) identification, but I think some were incorporated just for the sheer joy of viewing these little birds. The author, Sheri L. Williamson is one of North America's foremost experts on hummingbirds and has spent hundreds of hours in the field, observing and banding several thousand individuals of 16 species. The result is a book no hummingbird enthusiast will want to be without.

Book was in new condition, arrived before it was anticipated and is extremely complete in its content. I am very satisfied with this purchase.