Customer Reviews

Smithsonian Handbooks: Birds of Florida (Smithsonian Handbooks)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As the other reviewers have pointed out, this book covers every bird that has ever been seen in FL (well, not counting the dusky-headed parakeet we saw south of Tampa), but the index is terrible. On arrival in Florida we saw two egrets, one of which I knew was a great egret and other of which I knew was a snowy egret - but which was which? Unfortunately, when I went to the index for page numbers, all that was listed under "egrets" was cattle egret and rusty egret. The others were listed by their latin names only in another listing. The information was in the book, but not to be found through the index. The same with herons - the index lists only great blue, green, little blue and tricolored, although the book also includes info on the black crowned night-heron, and yellow crowned night-heron, both permanent Florida residents. I turned back to my Sibley's almost immediately because I had lost confidence in this book. Better books are available in Florida.

Whether you want to take up the hobby of birdwatching, identify the water birds you see while touring the Everglades, or simply recognize the birds at your backyard bird feeder, this is a great guide to the birds of Florida. As with every DK guidebook I have ever used, this one is high quality. Within its heavy paper covers are lots of brilliantly colored illustrations and a wealth of information about each of the 331 species of birds known to occur regularly in Florida. It is published in association with the Smithsonian Institution.

Information in the full page profile of each species includes clear drawings and photographs with distinguishing features labelled, song, behavior, breeding, nesting and nest identification, flight patterns, location, habitat, and migratory habits. There is also general information on the anatomy and topography of birds, species and gender variations, birdwatching techniques, and tips on ways to identify birds, including physical and flight characteristics.

Since the bird profiles are arranged in taxonomic order, you have to page through the book, matching illustrations, in order to locate the profile of the bird you wish to identify. To help speed up identification, use the handy "similar birds" feature. When you find a bird close in appearance to the one you are seeking, this feature lists other species that are similar in order to help you hone in on the one you are looking for. This guidebook is a great resource for everyone from the casual observer to the serious birdwatcher. Happy birding!

Eileen Rieback

Great book for novice up to advanced bird watchers! So good I'm even buying one for my friend. Easy to understand, with great pictures. I'm hooked!

This book is wonderfully informative and a must have for any interested in birding and living in Florida.

My only complaint is that you have to know what type of bird you are looking for to find it easily. It's kind of like going to a dictionary to find the spelling of a word.

I just arrived in Florida and tried to find 3 birds I was not familiar with. Only one of three clearly indentified. I went back to the tried and true Golden Book and found two of the three. Gulls are insufficiently covered in the Smithsnian book , particulary as Gulls may not have final markings for 2-4 years. No color illustrations of these. A disappointing book.

the title should be "Every bird that has ever been in Florida and might return" that and the small print are my only complaints. The pictures are great. Every bird is described in great detail including behavior, nesting habits, frequency, voice. The maps show all of North America so a bird that hugs the coast in the winter is hard to see. This book will be in my pocket during my upcoming trips to Florida.

An excellent book for identifying birds. Anyone interested in Florida birds can use this book. However, its main drawback is that it offers very few specifics on when and where to find these birds IN FLORIDA. The main reason to consider a book on FLORIDA BIRDS is that it will tell you how to find these birds IN FLORIDA. For example, it states that the Swallow-tailed Kite is listed as endangered in South Carolina, which is unfortunate to be sure, but totally useless to finding this bird in Florida.

The book is all inclusive as far as birds go and the break down for each bird is so very much also. The pages before the individual birds is all comprehensive too. The one thing I would criticize would be is the size (to small)of print but at the same time it could not be larger and fit so nicely into such as this.

This is the best bird guide I have used. Each bird is given one page which is loaded with a wealth of information about the bird as well as comparing it to similiar birds (just so you are sure that you are watching the bird you think you are watching!!). The pictures are clear and the colours are true. this is a guide you could read at any time and in any place. An excellent choice if you enjoy bird watching.

I bought this book as a gift for a friend in Florida, & she loves it. Especially useful is that for each description of a native bird, there are 2 more birds that look similar. Would recommend it to any bird lovers.