Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America » (Book and CD)

Ted Floyd is the editor of Birding, the flagship publication of the American Birding Association. He has published widely on birds and ecological topics, and he is an instructor with the American Birding Association's Institute for Field Ornithology program. Floyd is a frequent speaker at birding festivals and other birding events, and he has led birding trips and workshops throughout North America. He has lived and birded in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Mexico, Massachusetts, New York, and Nevada. He currently lives in Colorado with his wife Kei, daughter Hannah, and son Andrew.

This new field guide provides a suite of modern tools to effectively aid in the identification of more than 750 species of birds across North America. It introduces a "whole bird" approach by concisely gathering a collection of information about birds into one portable and well-organized volume.

• 2,000 stunning color photographs of birds in natural habitats show the most important field marks, regional population differences, life stages, and behaviors
• 700-plus detailed and up-to-date color range maps show summer, migration, winter, year-round, and rare but regular occurrences of every major species
• A DVD of birdsongs for 138 major species (587 vocalizations in all for 5½ hours of play); each high-quality MP3 file is embedded with an image of the bird, perfect to view on home computers and portable MP3 players
• Concise descriptions of habits and ecology, age-related and seasonal differences, regional forms, vocalization, and informative captions pointing out the most important aspects of the bird
• 46 group essays with information outlining taxonomy, feeding, migration, habitats, behaviors, and conservation status
• A thorough and accessible introduction to birds and birding includes sections on parts of a bird, plumage and molt, food and feeding, migration, habitats, conservation, tips on bow to become a better birder, and more
• A detailed glossary of terms, species checklist, and quick index

The new Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America is perfectly designed to give birders the most powerful and user-friendly collection of information to carry into the field or wherever they enjoy learning about birds and nature.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review.

This new Smithsonian field guide, written by Birding magazine editor Floyd, is ideal for beginners, but also has formidable resources for experienced birders. What gives this guide the most value is the included CD-ROM, with 587 songs and calls (for 138 bird species) in mp3 format. Not only are they an immense improvement on written descriptions (frequently incomprehensible), they're field-ready-just download them onto your favorite mp3 player. The text is generally thorough, but the focus is on images; each bird's entry is accompanied by at least two photographs and often more, showing specimens in flight, variations in coloring, and differences among males, females and juveniles. Compared with similar guides from National Geographic, Floyd's has considerably less textual description, helpful in identifying rarer birds and hybrids, but the strikingly crisp photography compensates. Appropriate for even elementary-age readers, the book's excellent range maps are very clear, and the introduction to each group is readable and highly informative. Clean design, sharp (not heavy) print and moisture-resistant materials make it perfect for field use. Birders of any experience level will be happy with this volume on their bookshelf.
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Introduction     1
Identifying Birds     1
Coverage     2
Group Accounts     4
Species Accounts     5
Names     5
Measurements     5
Natural Variation     5
Habits and Ecology     5
Vocalizations     7
Range Maps     7
Photographs and Caption Text     7
Natural History of Birds     8
Where to Look for Birds     8
Forests and Woodlands     8
Prairies and Meadows     9
Deserts and Shrublands     10
Alpine and Arctic Tundra     10
Wetland and Aquatic Habitats     11
Human Habitats     13
Bird Behavior     13
Food and Foraging     13
Bird Vocalizations     14
Courtship and Breeding     15
Flight and Migration     16
Parts of a Bird     17
Parts of a Duck     17
Parts of a Songbird     18
Parts of a Raptor     18
Parts of a Gull     20
Parts of a Shorebird     20
Plumage and molt     21
Sex-related plumagedifferences     21
Age-related plumage differences     21
Seasonal plumage differences     21
Molt strategies     22
Other differences in appearance     23
How to Identify Birds     24
Conservation and Ethics     28
Waterfowl     29
Whistling-Ducks, Geese & Swans, and Ducks
Upland Game Birds     57
Chachalacas, Grouse & Allies, and New World Quail
Loons     71
Grebes     75
Tubenoses     80
Albatrosses, Shearwaters & Petrels, and Storm-Petrels
Pelicans & Allies     94
Tropicbirds, Boobies & Gannets, Pelicans, Cormorants, Darters, and Frigatebirds
Herons, Ibises & Spoonbills, and Storks     104
Flamingos     114
Escapes from Captivity or Natural Vagrants?     114
New World Vultures, Hawks, and Falcons     116
Rails, Limpkin, and Cranes     138
Plovers     145
Oystercatchers, Stilts & Avocets, and Jacanas     152
Evolutionary Relationships     152
Sandpipers & Phalaropes     155
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers     183
Skuas & Jaegers     207
Polymorphism     207
Auks, Murres, and Puffins      212
Pigeons & Doves     222
Parrots & Parakeets     229
Documenting Exotic Birds     229
Cuckoos & Allies     233
Owls and Nightjars     238
Swifts and Hummingbirds     252
Trogons and Kingfishers     263
Biogeography     263
Woodpeckers     267
Tyrant Flycatchers     282
Mobbing     295
Shrikes     301
Population Dynamics     301
Vireos     303
Patterns of Geographic Variation     310
Jays & Crows     311
Larks     322
Subspecies     322
Swallows     324
Chickadees, Verdin, Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatches, and Creepers     330
Wrens and Dippers     341
Bulbuls     347
Established Exotics     347
Kinglets and Old World Warblers & Gnatcatchers     348
Thrushes     352
Nocturnal Migration     361
Babblers     363
Mimic-Thrushes and Starlings & Mynas     364
Wagtails & Pipits     371
Waxwings and Silky-Flycatchers     375
Olive Warbler and Wood-Warblers      378
Long-distance Migration     397
Tanagers     409
Sparrows & Allies     413
Buntings & Allies     445
Conservation Goals     452
Blackbirds & Allies     452
Brood Parasitism     453
The Diversity Paradox     467
Finches     468
Weaver-Finches     479
Acknowledgments     481
Recommended References and Resources     483
Photo Credits     484
Smithsonian Field Guide to Birds of North America Birdsong DVD     491
Glossary of Terms     495
American Birding Association Checklist     499
Species Index     505