Customer Reviews

Raptors: The Birds of Prey

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

 

 

Potential buyers need to be aware that this volume is a reissue of my 1996 book "Raptors: The Birds of Prey," which the publisher has released with a new title and cover art, but with no changes to the content. I am embarrassed to see that they have promoted it as though it was a new book; while I'm pleased the book is again in print, I believe they should have been more forthright in making clear that it is a reissue instead of an entirely new work -- Scott Weidensaul. (Ignore the star rating, please -- the review would not post without it.)

This exquisite guide will find a home in any public library and many a personal library: it covers over 300 species of raptors, blending the latest natural history facts and scientific research with photos and details of the birds in nature. From population and distribution statistics to accounts of items recovered from nests and nesting habits, Raptor Almanac is packed with fine details any avid birder will relish.

This book is a great book for people who want to learn more about raptors. It is a lot of information that is very useful, and like the title indicates, this book is quite comprehensive. I would recommend this book in addition to Raptors by John Hendrickson.

I was looking for a book to tell me about the dozens and dozens of turkey vultures that swoop and soar through my neighborhood skies and roost all together in a congenial-seeming large group every night. This book is much more than that; it's an amazingly thorough and comprehensive account of all raptors, which the author writes is the blanket term for hawks, falcons, eagles, vultures and owls. Covering all raptors in subjects like evolution, behavior, social structure, migration, and conservation turned out to be more interesting to me than reading in detail about just one species. Included in this large book are the author's personal story of his interest in the birds, a scientific account of both old and new world raptors--complete with many interesting maps, simple charts, and helpful lists--a species identification guide with both photos and information, the history of the sport of falconry, a summary of how raptors have been used in human myths, and a guide for the best places to view large groups migrating hawks.