Ornithology / Reference Books

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Ornithology
Frank Gill
$62.95
736 pages - hardback

This is the best book on ornithology. It is used as the main textbook for most college ornithology courses. Parts of this book would be extremely helpful for middle and high school science teachers.

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Birding (Nature Company Guide)
Joseph Michael Forshaw (Editor), Terence Lindsey (Editor)
$20.97
288 pages - Hardback

A colorful book for beginners (and others) that answers some of the basic questions -- How do birds fly? Why do they migrate? Many of the common birds of North America are featured with range maps, photos, drawings and information about the bird. The Index and Further Readings section is quite valuable and complete. A very nice book to give as a gift to the beginning or intermediate birder.

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A Dictionary of Birds
Bruce Campbell, Elizabeth Lack (Editor)
$75.00
670 pages - Hardback

A Dictionary of Birds should be one of the core books in every birder’s library. The dictionary has contributions from over 280 ornithologists and other specialists from around the world. Major, authoritative articles cover the field of modern ornithology and related subjects, many of them running to several thousand words. In addition there are articles on all the bird families, almost all of which are illustrated by a representative species. There are also numerous short entries defining special terms, application of names, etc. The total gives a text of over 800,000 words, supported by more than 500 photographs, drawings and diagrams. The photographs have been selected to illustrate different activities of birds. The editors also assembled a collection of over 200 drawings of birds, almost all of which were specially drawn for the Dictionary.
Compiled for the British Ornithologists' Union, this new work is in line of succession from Newton's A Dictionary of Birds of 1896 and Landsborough Thomson's A New Dictionary of Birds published in 1964 and now long out of print. This new dictionary, encyclopaedic in treatment, is a major reference in any ornithologist's library.

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The Encyclopedia of Birds
Christopher M. Perrins, Alex L.A. Middleton (Editor)
$50.00
445 pages - Hardback

The Encyclopedia Of Birds details in up-to-date text and in 700 full color illustrations the 180 families of living birds of the world. In this book, a full range of information specific to each bird family is arranged for immediate reference, including: Distribution patterns, Habitat, Size, Color, Calls, Nesting behavior and more. Indeed, all families of birds discussed in the text -- from the flightless emu to the wandering albatross, from the richly-feathered peacock to the drab-colored sparrow, from the enormous ostrich to the graceful swan -- can be examined and compared easily and efficiently in this comprehensive and lavishly illustrated book.
Complementing the data sections are extensive and fascinating articles on each of the 180 bird families included. Subjects such as ecology, distribution patterns, life cycles, mating rituals, social organization and survival status are examined, based on the findings of the most recent fieldwork on each bird family. These articles have been prepared especially for this book by 90 expert contributors, all of whom are actively involved in front-line research on the species and topics they discuss.

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The Birder's Handbook : A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds
Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin, Darryl Wheye
$14.40
785 pages - Paperback

This handbook contains treatments of the natural history of all species known to breed regularly norht of Mexico. It includes descriptions of nests, clutch size, egg color, chick development, courtdhip, diet, and much more. There are also 249 essays on varoiuos aspects of birds and bird behavior. [This book is included free, in electronic format, in Thayer's Birds of North America CD-ROM].

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A Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds
Paul J. Baicich, Colin J. O. Harrison
$18.36
480 pages - Paperback

Perfect for both the scientific ornithologist and the amateur birder, A Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds provides a thorough, species-by-species guide to the breeding biology of the birds of North America. Some 669 breeding species are described in full, covering the birds of a vast area, from the Arctic to the southern boundary of the continental United States.
The main text presents complete basic information on the breeding cycle of each species, summarized in a natural sequence: nest habitat, nest-site, nest construction, breeding season, eggs, incubation and nesting and nestling period. Over 100 black-and-white drawings of nests and nestlings and identification keys provide valuable information on the identification of the nests, eggs, and nestlings of the species. Sixteen color plates show a wide range of typical young, mostly of species with precocial, or downy nestlings. A further 48 color plates show the eggs of 597 species (some with examples of the natural variations commonly encountered). If your fascination in the nests, eggs, and nestlings of North American birds centers on identifying them in the field, you will find this book essential. If conservation is also a concern you will appreciate the value of understanding the breeding requirements and biology of even the most common of species.

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Phylogeny and Classification of Birds: A Study in Molecular Evolution
Charles G. Sibley, Jon E. Ahlquist
$125.00
976 pages - Hardback

This book presents the results of thousands of comparisons of the DNAs of about 1,700 species of birds, representing all of the major groups of living birds. Sibley and Ahlquist's DNA-DNA hybridization technique is a biochemical method that measures the degree of genetic similarity between different species. The authors received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal in 1988 by the National Academy of Sciences for their work on this book.