Smithsonian Handbooks Birds of North America: Western Region (Turtleback)

by Fred J. Alsop (Author)
Key Phrases: nonmigratory weight, migrate weight, altricial young stay, Plumage Sexes, Migration Migratory Weight, North America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
By partnering with the Smithsonian Institution and by using the popular photographically-rich design of the DK Handbook series, the books [Smithsonian Handbooks of Birds of North America (Eastern Region and Western Region)] promise to catch the attention of veteran and novice birders. With 750-plus pages per handbook, each species receives it's own full-page profile, including a concise overview and color photos. The books also cover songs, behavior, breeding, population and conservation issues. (Birder's World, June 2001)

Product Description
The winning photo-encyclopedic formula of the DK Handbook series, which have sold over five million copies, is taken to new heights in these comprehensive guides to the birds of North America. Created in association with one of America's leading learning institutions, the Smithsonian, Birds of North America are an absolute staple for any birder or ornithologist. Containing a superior visual format with more information than any other bird guides on the market, these books feature more than 700 species in the United States and Canada, each one receiving its own full-page profile along with a precise description and annotated photographs to highlight chief characteristics and other points of interest. An introductory overview for each species is followed by six important sections that no competitor to these books covers in full. With over 1,000 total photographs and a range map for each entry, these remarkable guides will have bird-lovers soaring! The 100th Parallel of Longitude is the dividing line between the Eastern and Western volumes.

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Product Details

• Turtleback: 752 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (April 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789471574
• ISBN-13: 978-0789471574
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #278,791 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Apparently still a secret, July 10, 2001

By	R. Lee Wagner (San Diego, California United States) - See all my reviews

As a 40+ year novice birdwatcher, and incurable lover of books, I have acquired numerous field guides over the years. Raised on Peterson, in recent years I have enjoyed the Audubon guides by Farrand. Looking for something newer, I was assured that "The Sibley Guide to Birds" was now the king of the hill. Next to Sibley on my dealer's bookshelf was this Alsop. I already knew the publisher-Dorling Kindersley. They have perfected the art of visual teaching. This same teaching technique works very well for a nature field guide. There is a single page devoted to each species. The page is well laid out but packed with the information you want. The illustrations are superb-better than the Sibley. This book is a masterpiece, and I think will become a well-loved legend. It far surpasses Sibley, Peterson, and other field guides at this general, comprehensive level. Despite its breadth, it would be perfect for a beginning birdwatcher of any age. It must be new-I can't find it reviewed anywhere!

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not really a field guide, not really a natural history guide, March 1, 2002

By	Douglas A. Greenberg (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Once upon a time, people who wished to identify and learn about birds found few books from which to choose. Today, however, there are many, and the competition between them for birders' purchasing dollars is keen. I tend to buy just about any book that bills itself as a "guide to the birds of North America," however, so I recently picked up Fred J. Alsop III's new Smithsonian Handbook. There is much to appreciate and enjoy here, and I can recommend the book as a welcome supplement to anyone's basic bird guide collection (especially people living the western states). However, by itself it is adequate neither as a guide to bird identification nor as a supplemental source of information about bird habits and natural history.

This book is long (752 pages) and definitely hefty. No one but a true masochist would consider carrying it into the field. Consequently, in terms of helping with bird identification, this guide at best can serve as a supplement to other current field guides. In this capacity, the book will indeed be useful with respect to many birds. Each full-page treatment of a species includes lots of useful information, including key field marks, range, vocalizations, distinctive behavioral habits, nesting habits, and even flight patterns.

The key to whether or not this works for particular types of birds lies in Alsop's approach to bird illustration. Here, he relies mainly upon high-quality photographs. For most birds, particularly songbirds, this works adequately. However, as is just about always the case with bird guides illustrated with photos, the results are uneven. Some of the photos are spectacular, but a few are so-so. What's more important, however, is that Alsop's reliance upon a single large photo for each bird precludes adequate illustration of species for which inclusion of more than one picture is essential. This mainly includes species for which flight patterns are important, including gulls, terns, pelagics, hawks, shorebirds, waterfowl, swifts and swallows, and nightjars. This adds up to a lot of species.

Traditional field guides also provide additional illustrations to show immature or fall plumages. Alsop does try to include additional illustrations for some of these plumages, but these extra drawings mostly are so tiny as to be virtually useless. For some species, at least, he would have done better to limit some of the verbal information to accommodate more space for these additional illustrations.

One of the strengths of the book is Alsop's obvious commitment to providing the reader with information pertaining to each bird's behavior, nesting habits, and population/conservation. Because the author is combining this effort with identification material, however, the book doesn't measure up to certain others in terms of being a complete "natural history guide."

To his credit, Alsop includes some extra materials that are welcome and well-done. There is a section on extinct species (including the Ivory-billed woodpecker, which apparently may not be extinct after all), and also some "how to's" on birding as a pastime.

Overall, however, I can recommend this book mainly to people who really enjoy owning lots of bird books. A good strategy for birders generally is to purchase one (or more) good field guides for identification purposes, and then to supplement these with another good book that provides natural historical information. This volume certainly has its uses and contains lots of excellent information, but in trying to be both identification guide and natural history guide, it doesn't truly succeed in either function.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true all inclusive guide..., September 8, 2001

By A Customer

This is a wonderful book; each page has a single bird on it with all related information to the bird i.e. migrations (map showing in color what time of year the bird is found where), feeders, identifacation with clear pictures, song of the bird, behavior, breeding, nesting, population, conservation, size, wingspan, family, species, nest identification tips and chart, and habitat locations. In my opinion this book would be classified as a "must have" for a lover of birds and especially for a novice just getting into birds it is a excellent identification tool.