Books about Passerines from Amazon.com

Here in an easy-to-use format is the first guide to the nearly 1,300 species of non-passerine South American birds. It complements Robert Ridgly and Guy Tudor's large reference volumes on the passerines (1,800 species), which will soon be available in a single-volume field guide format.

One of things that makes this book special is its use of masterful and alluring illustrations; most neotropical birders will want the book for the illustrations alone. The text concentrates on the key identification features of each species and follows the layout of other books in this series. The book may be used in conjunction with regional and country field guides.

• First guide to nearly 1,300 species
• Easy-to-use format
• Complements volumes on passerine birds
• Contains key identification features
• More than 150 color illustrations
• More than 1,270 maps

.
Price: $18.78 [Notify me when price goes down.]

A land of incredible natural resources, the South American continent is rich in plant and animal species Among birds alone, over 3,100 species are either resident or migrant Birds are some of South America's treasures and also one of its most endangered resources. Hence the need for a descriptive record of South American birds that will serve both professional and amateur bird students and encourage conservation of these magnificent species.

Although South American birds elicit much popular and scientific interest, they have never been completely or satisfactorily described and cataloged in a single, published source. The Birds of South America, projected to be a four-volume work, thus fills a critical void. Starting from a museum approach, the authors have examined specimens of each subspecies, comparing them visually and trying to discern the patterns in their plumage variation, both intra- and inter-specifically. They take a new look at bird systematics, reassessing relationships in light of new information. Perhaps most important, they combine this review and analysis with extensive field observations to give an accurate, incisive portrait of the birds in nature.

At a time when rapid development is devastating millions of acres of tropical habitat in South America, this record of an endangered resource becomes crucial. If the birds and other plants and animals of South America are to be saved, they must first be known and appreciated. The Birds of South America is a major step in that direction.

Volume II includes the Ovenbirds and Woodcreepers, Antbirds, Gnatcatchers, and Tapaculos; Tyrant Flycatchers; and Manakins and Cotingas.

The remaining volumes of The Birds of South America will be:

• Volume III: The Nonpasserines (Landbirds)
• Volume IV: The Nonpasserines (Waterbirds)

No release date has been set for the remaining volumes.

.
Price: $59.85 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This journey through time sequentially outlines the evolution of ancestral vertebrates in the Devonian, and, after moving onto land, the crucial physical improvements gained that eventually produced dinosaurs of the Triassic and archaic birds of the Cretaceous, with exciting new finds from China. Key connecting fossils for each stage are reconstructed in life-like illustrations. Environmental conditions, plants and their influences are explored and relevant cladograms (family trees) provided. A description of living birds follows, highlighting morphological and genetic relationships of modern orders and adaptations for chosen lifestyles. Final chapters cover the origin of the now predominant Passeriformes in Antarctica, their repeated waves of colonization reaching worldwide and the core lineages still surviving in Australia today. 140pp, 70 watercolours, many full page. Designed to provide a visually enjoyable and easy-to-read but in-depth overview of avian history..
Price: $27.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This is the first of two field guides illustrating and describing all of the approximately 1,800 bird species found in the Palearctic--the huge region that includes Europe, Asia north of the Himalayas, and Africa north of the Sahara. This area spans the countries of the former Soviet Union, all of the Russian Arctic, China, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, and the Middle East excluding the Gulf countries. This first volume covers all the passerines (perching birds, from tyrant flycatchers to buntings) or songbirds and will soon be followed by a companion guide to the nonpasserines (divers to woodpeckers). These volumes are the first and only field guides for many parts of the area covered, and mark the first time all of these birds have been included in a single pair of books.

This first volume covers every passerine species and subspecies in the area, in every adult plumage--all illustrated and described by Norman Arlott, a leading bird artist who has many years of field experience with these species.

• Color plates of all field-identifiable species, including subspecies and color morphs
• Succinct facing-page text concentrates on key field-identification features, including voice
• Detailed distribution map for each species
• Well-researched and accessible
• Handy format-the ideal field guide
• Essential for anyone interested in Eurasian birds

.
Price: $18.85 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In the past two centuries, cowbirds have increased in numbers and extended their range across North America, while many of the native songbird species whose nests they parasitize to raise their young have declined. This timely book collects forty essays by most of the principal authorities on the biology and management of cowbirds. The book's goals are to explore the biology of cowbirds, the threats they pose to host species and populations, and the management programs that are being undertaken to minimize these threats.

The book is organized into five sections, each with an extended editors' introduction that places the contributions in a broad, up-to-date setting. The sections cover:

• The changing abundance of cowbirds and the ways in which their numbers can be estimated.
• Host choice by cowbirds, the negative effects of cowbirds on particular host species, and the daily patterns of cowbird behavior.
• Behavioral interactions between cowbirds and specific host species.
• Patterns of cowbird abundance and host use across varying landscapes.
• Management programs designed to control cowbirds and protect threatened songbirds.

.
Price: $73.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This is a field guide to all the passerines or songbirds found from Britain, eastwards to Japan, and as far south as the Sahara and Himalayas It is perfect for the travelling birdwatcher! This is the essential companion for the keen birdwatcher. Together with the volume on non-passerines, to be published in 2007, this book covers all the perching birds of the Palearctic, a zoographical area running from the British Isles eastwards to Japan, with its southern border marked by the Sahara, the Middle Eastern deserts, and the Himalayas. It covers the whole of the Russian Arctic, China, Tibet, Japan and the whole of Europe - the most popular bird watching area in the world. Every passerine species found in this wide area is illustrated in every plumage in which they can be seen in the wild. Author and illustrator, Norman Arlott is one of the world's leading bird artists and has seen nearly all of the 1,800 species featured. The accompanying text concentrates on the specific characteristics and appearance of each species that allow identification in the field, including voice. Every species will also have a distribution map - in many cases the first time this has been compiled for the area..
Price: $31.79 [Notify me when price goes down.]