The first comprehensive field guide to the birds of Central America Birds of Central America is the first comprehensive field guide to the avifauna of the entire region, including Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Handy and compact, the book presents text and illustrations for nearly 1,200 resident and migrant species, and information on all rare vagrants. Two hundred sixty detailed plates on convenient facing-page spreads depict differing ages and sexes for each species, with a special focus on geographic variation. The guide also contains up-to-date range maps and concise notes on distribution, habitat, behavior, and voice. An introduction provides a brief overview of the region's landscape, climate, and biogeography. The culmination of more than a decade of research and field experience, Birds of Central America is an indispensable resource for all those interested in the bird life of this part of the world. Detailed information on the entire avifauna of Central America 260 beautiful color plates Range maps, text, and illustrations presented on convenient facing-page spreads Up-to-date notes on distribution supported by an extensive bibliography Special focus on geographic variation of bird species

Published to great critical acclaim in 2009 and with a 2nd edition in 2011, this is a fully revised and updated edition of the most user-friendly field guide to the birds of Borneo, covering Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and the Indonesian states of Kalimantan. The book gives descriptions of 669 species living or reported on the island, including 51 endemic species. These are superbly illustrated in 141 colour plates with more than 2,000 full colour bird images, including most of the sexual variants and immature forms of polymorphic species. Each plate is accompanied by species descriptions covering taxonomy, size, call, range, distribution, habits and status. Distribution is shown by detailed thumbnail maps. There are 7 habitat plates, 12 regional maps showing Borneo's top 130 birdwatching sites, fast-find graphic indexes to the birds of Kinabalu, and a full overview of vegetation, climate and ecology.

With heart-shaped face, buff back and wings, and pure white underparts, the barn owl is a distinctive and much-loved bird which has fascinated people from many cultures throughout history. How did the barn owl colonise the world? What adaptations have made this bird so successful? How is the increasing impact of human disturbance affecting these animals? Answering these questions and more, Roulin brings together the main global perspectives on the evolution, ecology and behaviour of the barn owl and its relatives, discussing topics such as the high reproductive potential, physiology, social and family interaction, pronounced colour variation and global distribution. Accessible and beautifully illustrated, this definitive volume on the barn owl is for researchers, professionals and graduate students in ornithology, animal behaviour, ecology, conservation biology and evolutionary biology, and will also appeal to amateur ornithologists and nature lovers.

The cognitive abilities of birds are remarkable: hummingbirds integrate spatial and temporal information about food sources, day-old chicks have a sense of numbers, parrots can make and use tools, and ravens have sophisticated insights in social relationships. This volume describes the full range of avian cognitive abilities, the mechanisms behind such abilities and how they relate to the ecology of the species. Synthesising the latest research in avian cognition, a range of experts in the field provide first-hand insights into experimental procedures, outcomes and theoretical advances, including a discussion of how the findings in birds relate to the cognitive abilities of other species, including humans. The authors cover a range of topics such as spatial cognition, social learning, tool use, perceptual categorization and concept learning, providing the broader context for students and researchers interested in the current state of avian cognition research, its key questions and appropriate experimental approaches.

This volume is dedicated to the field identification of pigeons and doves, and it incorporates much recent information on the family.;Pigeons and doves are a large family of birds occurring throughout the world. Many species are specialist frugivores, while others feed on seeds. Most are arboral and the tropical species in particular are often brightly coloured. The family includes gregarious migratory species, as well as shy, ground-dwelling forms such as the exotic crowned pigeons of New Guinea.

In this beautiful follow-up to 2012's hit, Our Garden Birds, street artist Matt Sewell offers more watercolours and quirky descriptions of British songbirds. In Matt's world, the peewit sings the blues, and the bittern fills his neck 'like a tweed pair of bellows'. Distinctive and enchanting, with a songbird for each week of the year, this delightful gift book will appeal to birders, children and adults, and art and design fans alike.

A fully comprehensive field guide to the 521 officially recorded bird species of Mongolia. The species are clearly illustrated in over 154 plates, showing plumage variation between sexes, seasons and age classes, as well as the upper side and underside of birds in flight. Common, scientific and Mongolian names are given for each species. The main identifying features of each species are described and key facts cover habitat, identifying features and voice. Distribution maps provide an at-a-glance view of where and when the birds can be found. The book also includes information on the geography and major habitats of Mongolia.

From the cave walls at Lascaux to the last painting by Van Gogh, from the works of Shakespeare to those of Mark Twain, there is clear evidence that crows and ravens influence human culture. Yet this influence is not unidirectional, say the authors of this fascinating book: people profoundly influence crow culture, ecology, and evolution as well. Examining the often surprising ways that crows and humans interact, John Marzluff and Tony Angell contend that those interactions reflect a process of "cultural coevolution." They offer a challenging new view of the human-crow dynamic--a view that may change our thinking not only about crows but also about ourselves.
Featuring more than 100 original drawings, the book takes a close look at the influences people have had on the lives of crows throughout history and at the significant ways crows have altered human lives. In the "Company of Crows""and ""Ravens" illuminates the entwined histories of crows and people and concludes with an intriguing discussion of the crow-human relationship and how our attitudes toward crows may affect our cultural trajectory. As the authors state in their preface: "Crows and people share similar traits and social strategies. To a surprising extent, to know the crow is to know ourselves."

Authoritative, lavishly illustrated, and beautifully designed, this photographic ID of British and Irish flora and fauna will captivate nature enthusiasts of every age and ability. From golden eagles in the Scottish Highlands to Portuguese Man 'o' War jellyfish off the coast of Cornwall, the British Isles boasts an astonishing array of wildlife and habitat - and in this photographic tour, DK invites you to explore its extraordinary beauty, diversity, and wonder from the comfort of your living room. Habitat by habitat, British and Irish wildlife is revealed, and changes to the seasons are uncovered. Profiles of trees, flowers and plants, fungi, insects, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, invertebrates, fish, and birds provide key information on when and where to experience animals and plants in the flesh and at their best, while hundreds of spectacular photographs offer visual prompts to identification by showing them in their natural environments. An outstanding reference for the whole family - and the perfect armchair companion on days when you cannot get out and about - Wildlife of Britain and Ireland is a glorious visual testimony to the extraordinary scope and depth of the wildlife of the British Isles.

Read the powerful account of one woman's fight to reshape her identity through connection with nature when all normality has fallen away. When lifelong bird-lover Hannah Bourne-Taylor moved with her husband to Ghana seven years ago she couldn't have anticipated how her life would be forever changed by her unexpected encounters with nature and the subsequent bonds she formed. Plucked from the comfort and predictability of her life before, Hannah struggled to establish herself in her new environment, striving to belong in the rural grasslands far away from home. In this challenging situation, she was forced to turn inwards and interrogate her own sense of identity, however in the animal life around her, and in two wild birds in particular, Hannah found a source of solace and a way to reconnect with the world in which she was living. Fledgling is a portrayal of adaptability, resilience and self-discovery in the face of isolation and change, fuelled by the quiet power of nature and the unexpected bonds with animals she encounters. Hannah encourages us to reconsider the conventional boundaries of the relationships people have with animals through her inspiring and very beautiful glimpse ofwhat is possible when we allow ourselves to connect to the natural world. Full of determination and compassion, Fledgling is apowerful meditation on our instinctive connection to nature. It shows that even the tiniest of birds can teach us what is important in life and how to embrace every day.

Whether you are a beginner or an expert, this beautifully detailed field guide to the common birds of Ireland will give invaluable advice on how to identify each species: their calls, songs, diets and habitats, as well as up-to-date distribution maps of each species.

Eric Dempsey s text covers all the important bird identification features, while the superb illustrations of over 200 bird species by Michael O Clery highlight these features in lifelike detail.

This long-awaited new edition reflects the changes that have occurred in the distribution and breeding status of Ireland s common birds as well as including species once considered rare but which are now more regularly seen.

This is an ideal companion to the Complete Field Guide to Ireland s Birds."

The father of Minnesota ornithology, whose life story opens a window on a lost world of nature and conservation in the state’s early days Imagine a Minneapolis so small that, on calm days, the roar of St. Anthony Falls could be heard in town, a time when passenger pigeons roosted in neighborhood oak trees. Now picture a dapper professor conducting his ornithology class (the university’s first) by streetcar to Lake Harriet for a morning of bird-watching. The students were mostly young women—in sunhats, sailor tops, and long skirts, with binoculars strung around their necks. The professor was Thomas Sadler Roberts (1858–1946), a doctor for three decades, a bird lover virtually from birth, the father of Minnesota ornithology, and the man who, perhaps more than any other, promoted the study of the state’s natural history. A Love Affair with Birds is the first full biography of this key figure in Minnesota’s past. Roberts came to Minnesota as a boy and began keeping detailed accounts of Minneapolis’s birds. These journals, which became the basis for his landmark work The Birds of Minnesota, also inform this book, affording a view of the state’s rich avian life in its early days—and of a young man whose passion for birds and practice of medicine in a young Minneapolis eventually dovetailed in his launching of the beloved Bell Museum of Natural History. Bird enthusiast, doctor, author, curator, educator, conservationist: every chapter in Roberts’s life is also a chapter in the state’s history, and in his story acclaimed author Sue Leaf—an avid bird enthusiast and nature lover herself—captures a true Minnesota character and his time.

A Naturalist's Guide to the Birds of the Middle East is a compact, incisive photographic identification guide to 280 bird species found in the Middle East, including Egypt, and the countries of the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula. The book shows the region's most commonly seen, unique and endemic species, and is perfect for resident and visitor alike. High quality photographs from the region's top nature photographers are accompanied by detailed species descriptions, which include nomenclature, size, distribution, habits and habitat. The user-friendly introduction covers biogeography, migration, bird topography and a glossary. Also included is an all-important checklist of all of the birds of Egypt and the Middle East encompassing, for each species, its common and scientific name as well as its status in each country and its global IUCN status.

The Gem State's diverse habitats are the permanent or migratory home of 409 species of birds, including the stunning state bird, the sky blue mountain bluebird. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar and unique species and includes an ecoregion map featuring prominent bird-viewing areas. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, pocket-sized folding guide is an excellent source of portable information and ideal for field use by visitors and residents alike. Made in the USA.

The diverse landscapes in Germany - ranging from the remote northern coastlines to its vast forests and towering Alps - support over 515 resident and migratory bird species. This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar and unique species and includes a map featuring prominent bird-viewing areas. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, pocket-sized folding guide is an excellent source of portable information for anyone interested in birds, and is ideal for field use by residents and visitors alike. Made in the USA.www.waterfordpress.com

Foreword by Chris Packham. Do you have a passion for wildlife, and do you enjoy watching birds? Are you also hopeless at identifying some of the more difficult ones? Do you feel lost without a field guide, and can you count on both hands the number of birds that you can identify by their calls alone? If the answer to these questions is 'yes' you are not alone. In Winging it - Birding for low-flyers, Andrew Fallan recounts the highs and the lows, the trials and tribulations, of being an avid birder in a world seemingly populated by experts and high-flyers. All those with an interest in birds and other wildlife will identify with and enjoy these engaging tales. Hence, they are invited to join an often humorous and irreverent journey around the UK: from the heavily industrialised Thames estuary to Minsmere and the north Norfolk coast, from the Scilly Isles to the majestic scenery of Wales, all the way in fact to the rocky grandeur of the highlands and islands of Scotland. Against the backdrop of our green and pleasant land, the author examines - through his own experiences - the often spectacular beauty of our wildlife, and encourages us to seek solace in the simple enjoyment of birds.

At the center of Stefan Bargheer's account of bird watching, field ornithology, and nature conservation in Britain and Germany stands the question of how values change over time and how individuals develop moral commitments. Using life history data derived from written narratives and oral histories, Moral Entanglements follows the development of conservation from the point in time at which the greatest declines in bird life took place to the current efforts in large-scale biodiversity conservation and environmental policy within the European Union. While often depicted as the outcome of an environmental revolution that has taken place since the 1960s, Bargheer demonstrates to the contrary that the relevant practices and institutions that shape contemporary conservation have evolved gradually since the early nineteenth century. Moral Entanglements further shows that the practices and institutions in which bird conservation is entangled differ between the two countries. In Britain, birds derived their meaning in the context of the game of bird watching as a leisure activity. Here birds are now, as then, the most popular and best protected taxonomic group of wildlife due to their particularly suitable status as toys in a collecting game, turning nature into a playground. In Germany, by contrast, birds were initially part of the world of work. They were protected as useful economic tools, rendering services of ecological pest control in a system of agricultural production modeled after the factory shop floor. Based on this extensive analysis, Bargheer formulates a sociology of morality informed by a pragmatist theory of value.

What is it about puffins that makes them so endearing? Is it their portly, wide-eyed, toy-like appearance, or their large, brightly colored bills? Whatever the reason, puffins appeal to practically everbody. And the puffins on these pages are no exception. These sixty-four pictures of puffins at their most amusing, paired with witty commentary, are a unique presentation of Maine's favorite sea bird.

This revised and expanded edition of "Birds of Western Africa" is now the most up-to-date field guide available to the 1,285 species of birds found in the region--from Senegal and southern Mauritania east to Chad and the Central African Republic and south to Congo. It now features all maps and text opposite the plates for quick and easy reference. The comprehensive species accounts have been fully updated and expanded, and the color distribution maps have been completely revised. This premier guide also includes more than 3,000 illustrations on 266 stunning color plates.

Compact and lightweight, this new edition of "Birds of Western Africa" is the must-have field guide to one of the most exciting birding regions in the world.The premier field guide to West African birds--now completely revised and expandedCovers all 1,285 species found in the regionFeatures fully updated maps and text opposite the plates for easy referenceIncludes more than 3,000 illustrations on 266 color plates