Sparrows of the United States and Canada: A Photographic Guide (A Volume in the AP Natural World Series) (Paperback)

~ James D. Rising (Author), (Author), James Rising (Author) "On this hillside covered with low brushy alders and willows and cow-parsnips, near Portage, Alaska, both Golden-crowned and Sooty Fox sparrows were common..." (more)
Key Phrases: presupplemental molt, eyeline stripe, limited prealternate molt, British Columbia, Measurements Length, New Mexico (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...highly recommended for birders who are trying to sort out the members of this challenging family." -- Wildlife Archivist, Spring 2002

"...is small enough to be taken in the field and should help greatly with some of these mysteries of identification" -- Samuel H. Sage, for Central New York Environment, June 2002

Review

"The book is small enough to be taken in the field and should help greatly with some of these mysteries of identification"
-Samuel H. Sage for CENTRAL NEW YORK ENVIRONMENT (June 2002)
"...a book that can be carried into the field with ease. This book should turn those 'little brown jobs' into interesting individuals, and is highly recommended for birders who are trying to sort out the members of this challenging family."
-WILDLIFE ARCHIVIST (Spring 2002)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 1 edition (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0125889755
• ISBN-13: 978-0125889759
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,838,938 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book for id of sparrows!!, November 28, 2003

By	merrymousies (Waterford, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

In the winter time here in Virginia we get a number of differnt types of sparrows that migrate in. I love watching them but was having difficulty determining which types were which from just the regular field guides so I asked around and one of our local birders recommended this to me. Its terrific! The pictures of the birds are close-up - as if you were holding the bird or were sitting on the ground less than a foot away looking at the bird. This really helps when trying to distinguish the slight differences in colors or patterns. Each species has a chapter that strats out with measurements (size, weight etc) then there's a range map, and some text on habitat, then some text on behavior and voice/songs. There's writing about similar species, geographic variation, distribution (winter, breeding, migration periods), conservation status, and molt. There's also text descriptions for specific markings etc to hone in on, and discussion of hybrids if any. Then the chapter has pictures, of boys, girls, adults, juveniles, etc. Really a great book that has helped me a lot. I'd buy it again in a heart beat.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sparrows for the rest of us, July 25, 2006

By	William J. Ostrander "Bill Ostrander" (Benicia, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sparrows of the United States and Canada: The Photographic Guide (Paperback)

This book is great for those having difficulty identifing sparrows or LBJ's (Little Brown Jobs). It has many actual pictures of each sparrows which shows the different variations from region to region, young to old, and from season to season.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent...!, June 24, 2008

By	S. Kral (Northeast Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sparrows of the United States and Canada: The Photographic Guide (Paperback)

This edition has a lot of text in it, so it's not really geared towards field use. Yet, the pictures provided are really good. However, for an in-depth study of sparrows, it's an excellent source. Definitely recommended.