Customer Reviews

The Hummingbirds of North America

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

 

 

This is a truly fascinating book on hummingbirds. It is a must-have guide for anyone looking for complete technical information on these birds. Numerous charts, maps & b/w illustrations really help.

The book starts out with 24 color plates of paintings showcasing a wide variety of hummingbird species. Next, hummingbirds are classified & their general attributes are described.

Then distribution is covered. The evolution of the birds & how they became specialized in also explained. The following chapters compare anatomy, physiology, biology, ecology & reproduction of the different species.

Over 40 different species are described in detail, including range, size, habitat, movements & foraging behavior. Identification keys for both North American & Mexican hummingbirds are a great bonus.

I am thrilled with this purchase. I already own several coffeetable photograph books on hummingbirds so was looking for one with more technical, scientific information. Since this book is published by the Smithsonian, in its second printing, and got excellent reviews from scientific publications (see the reviews listed on the back cover when you "look inside the book"), I figured it would meet my need for more in-depth information. I was right.

However, be advised, the color plates are beautiful paintings but not photographs. In fact, there isn't a photograph in the entire book, so if that's what you're searching for, buy a different book. If you want an in-depth study of North American and Mexican hummingbirds, complete with range, identification information, habitats, breeding etc., this is your book. And while it is based on scientific and technical references, the writing style is interesting and accessible for us lay people.

By the way, according to this book, the Portuguese name for "hummingbird" literally means "flower-kisser," while the literal translations for Central and South American names for "hummingbird" include: "rays of the sun" and "tresses of the day-star." If you're interested enough in hummingbirds to be researching books on them, I thought you'd enjoy knowing this.

Wow! The best book on hummingbirds that I have ever seen.

The problem that most other books seem to ignore is the fact that the hummingbirds are all photographed which in some cases the birds may be turned the wrong way or the light is poor. For hummingbirds to be properly identified, they need to be illustrated in the proper position that shows the key field marks and captures them in the right light. This book has all that and more. With 25 full color plates that illustrate all of the hummingbirds of North America and Mexico, and detailed text that follows suit, this book is a must have for all hummingbird fanciers and bird enthusiasts.

Each hummingbird is illustrated in full color, described, and identified. Book is done by the great Paul A. Johnsgard who has some other great books on birds.

If you are looking for general information about hummingbirds, not bad at all.

Trying to use this book to identify the birds is almost impossible. I bought the book because I live in Mexico and there are lots of hummers here.

Evidently the person(s) who set this book up either had never, ever SEEN a decent field guide (yes, I know this is not a field guide) or thought that nobody would buy the book who couldn't already identify each species.