The Birdwatcher's Companion to North American Birdlife [B1996]

2004 HCDJ, 1039-pages, in nice clean condition. For amateurs and seasoned birders, this quintessential A to Z guide provides accounts of the basic elements of bird life, as well as easy-to-access information on such subjects as physiology and anatomy, terms and jargon, definitions and etymology, and ornithological groupings. It provides accounts of the basic elements of birdlife, as well as a wealth of easy-to-access information on such subjects as bird physiology and anatomy, terms and jargon, name definitions and etymology, and ornithological groupings. Readers will discover everything from the color of a dipper's eggs (glossy, white, and unmarked) to the number of species of woodpeckers in the world (216). And for those who want to go beyond reading about their favorite birds and take to the great outdoors, the book offers still more useful descriptive entries on a selection of the best-known birdwatching spots of North America. Note: this book is almost all text, with few illustrations.

From Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Why do birds sing? How do they sing or vocalize? How do they fly? Why don't their feet freeze? What is zygodactyl? What is mobbing? For the hobby birder who wants to know more. A compact encyclopedia with definitions of terms both technical and common, and articles written in an engaging and occasionally witty style. Some articles, such as those on flight or vocalization, are a few pages long and include illustrations. Some topics are unexpected: Imagination? How we have thought of, mythologized, worshipped or demonized birds. Digestive system. Plumage, the nature, variation and function of feathers. Don't let the publication date put you off, only the taxonomies are dated. This is a great book for reference or browsing after a field trip. The more curious you are the more you will enjoy The Birdwatcher's Companion."; "Wasn't quite what I expected -- I thought I could look up "Stellar's Jay" and find a discussion of the Stellar's nesting habits. The book is organized around general topics, such as "nesting behavior", and within each topic you may find references to specific birds. That said, it's a great addition to my modest birding library."; "More of a handbook of terms than an encyclopedia. Good if you want specific definitions of terminology, less so if you want info about habitat, behavior, appearance, etc. of specific birds."