A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrows of the United States and Canada (Natural World) [Paperback]

James D. Rising (Author)

Book Description

Series: Natural World | Publication Date: September 4, 1996

While good general guides to North American birds are widely available, these days careful and avid birders require the most specialised information on bird identification, especially for the more complex species groups. A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrows of the United States and Canada provides comprehensive and up to date information on all the features that make possible the identification of all 62 species of New World sparrows that occur in North America, north of Mexico, including vagrant Asiatic buntings and Latin American grassquits. The text gives detailed descriptions of the summer, winter and juvenile plumages of each species, as well as comparisons with similar species with which confusion may be possible.
Although the major theme of the guide is identification, each species account also includes a discussion of its measurements, voice, habits, ecology, nesting biology, distribution, taxonomy and geographic variation, as well as notes on its historical and present status. Many of these additional features of course also serve to aid correct identification.
The accounts are illustrated with range maps and superb line drawings showing behavioral postures and, where useful, fine features of fail feather patterns. The 27 colour plates splendidly illustrate the various plumages of each species with the emphasis on the distinctive appearance of birds of different sex, age and geographical regions.
This beautiful and authoritative book will be a must for the library of all keen birders living in and visiting the United States and Canada.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book is well produced... The plates are generally of high quality and illustrate not only the standard poses found in field guides but also views of birds in flight."
--James Briskie in RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS
"Risings first-hand experience with the North American sparrows is apparent, especially so in his sections on voice, habits, and habitat. I highly recommend Sparrows of the United States and Canada to all birders and field ornithologists with any interest in these birds. It contains up-to-date information... as well as some of the best available illustrations of this difficult-to-identify group of birds, and all at a very reasonable price."
--Guy McCaskie in AMERICAN BIRDING ASSOCIATION; BIRDING
"The plates are, on balance, excellent, and the text is informative and easy to read."
--Jon L. Dunn in BIRDING WORLD
"The quality of the plates is excellent... I highly recommend this excellent book."
--Colin Bradshaw in BRITISH BIRDS
"In the future, I doubt that I will head into the field without (this guide)... (The color plates) are beautiful, and they complement the text descriptions... This book offers North American birders all that they need and a little more."
--GREG CHILTON, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
"A birder's book in every sense of the word... a coming of age of experienced birding... The book will be of immense value to both beginning and experience birders faced with the challenge of sparrow identification."
--Barry Kent MacKay in THE TORONTO STAR
"An excellent companion for any birder with an interest in the sparrows of North America."
--Tim Harris in BIRDWATCH
"If you are interested in the finer points of identification, or love sparrows, or have been driven slightly crazy by them, this book will be a welcome addition to your library."
--BIRDWATCHERS DIGEST
"The plate illustrations of juvenal plumages, the line drawings of tail patterns, and the charts alone are worth the price. This book will help with many identification problems."
--NORTH AMERICAN BIRD BANDER
"...is worth buying and because of the information it contains is almost a must for the keen North-America birder."
--ALULA
"The greatest strength of the book is in its descriptions and illustrations of the various seasonal and geographical variations in this group of primarily 'little brown birds'. Rising and Beadle should be congratulated on producing a very useful and appealing volume on an interesting group of often overlooked birds."
--BRITISH COLUMBIA BIRDS (1998)

From the Back Cover

While good general guides to North American birds are widely available, these days careful and avid birders require the most specialised information on bird identification, especially for the more complex species groups. A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrows of the United States and Canada provides comprehensive and up to date information on all the features that make possible the identification of all 62 species of New World sparrows that occur in North America, north of Mexico, including vagrant Asiatic buntings and Latin American grassquits. The text gives detailed descriptions of the summer, winter and juvenile plumages of each species, as well as comparisons with similar species with which confusion may be possible.
Although the major theme of the guide is identification, each species account also includes a discussion of its measurements, voice, habits, ecology, nesting biology, distribution, taxonomy and geographic variation, as well as notes on its historical and present status. Many of these additional features of course also serve to aid correct identification.
The accounts are illustrated with range maps and superb line drawings showing behavioral postures and, where useful, fine features of fail feather patterns. The 27 colour plates splendidly illustrate the various plumages of each species with the emphasis on the distinctive appearance of birds of different sex, age and geographical regions.
This beautiful and authoritative book will be a must for the library of all keen birders living in and visiting the United States and Canada.

Product Details

• Paperback: 365 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 1 edition (September 4, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0125889712
• ISBN-13: 978-0125889711
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #251,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Ornithology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A readable, useable, technical guide., February 24, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Cooperstown, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrows of the United States and Canada (Natural World) (Paperback)

Sparrows. Yippee. But if you want to learn them, this is the book.

Lots of detail, as you'd expect, but very clearly presented. Terrific illustrations and range maps. And what I like, but some will hate, is the fairly detailed treatment of every field-identifiable subspecies. Some of these subspecies will become full species some day, if present trends continue, and you'll be way ahead of the game if you've already been working on telling them apart. Plus it's fun; just try to keep an open mind.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensible for the serious birder, March 3, 2001

By 

Greg Rice (Idaho Falls, ID United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrows of the United States and Canada (Natural World) (Paperback)

This book is one of my favorite birding books. I am reticent to call it a field guide because it is so much more than that. Incredible amounts of information on all the sparrows. Great range maps AND descriptions of migration and vagrancy (can I hope to see this bird in my area?), and all the other natural history and behavior information you'd expect. Beautiful plates showing ALL the different plumages, primary and basic, male, female and juvenal. And it's not just a wealth of information, it's a beautiful book, well written and a delight to own.