Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Western Region

November 15, 1995
Together these new field guides cover the continental United States (except western Alaska) and Canada; the 100th meridian is the dividing line between regions. In each volume, the taxonomically arranged species accounts (mostly one per page; occasionally two similar species are combined) include common and scientific names; one to three color photos; terse comments on identifying features, feeding, nesting, other behavior, habitat, voice, and population trends; and a range map. Special "learning pages" precede some difficult groups like gulls and sparrows. Most species of regular occurrence in the region are included; a few extremely local rarities are omitted. The text is clearly written, accurate, and up-to-date; the 1995 AOU (American Ornithologists' Union) Checklist changes are included. With so many other North American bird guides from the Audubon Society, Roger Tory Peterson, and others currently in print, any new guide should meet some special need. These works are particularly suited to novice birders. Putting all the data about a species on a single page facilitates use (e.g., it isn't possible to depict every varying plumage of all species), and the intentional omission of rarities that barely reach the region is valid. The inclusion of population data is unique and valuable. These titles supplement but do not supplant existing guides; the appropriate regional volume is recommended for public and academic libraries.--Paul B. Cors, Univ. of Wyoming Lib., Laramie

February 1, 1996
%% This is a multi-book review: SEE also the title "Stokes Field Guide to Birds." %% One might ask Why another field guide to birds? when there are several well-established series, such as the Peterson Field Guide series and the Audubon Society Field Guides, which provide birders with accurate descriptions. These two new guides furnish much of the same information but in a more concise and somewhat easier-to-use format, plus some unique information and identification aids. A page is devoted to each species with identification remarks, feeding habits, nesting information, other behavior notes, range map, voice explanation, and conservation notes. One or more color photographs show male or female or both adults plus, in many cases, the immature bird or the bird in flight. Within the narrative identification, the most striking clues for identification are printed in boldface, thus providing quick access when viewing the birds in the wild. The feeding and nesting statements are excellent, providing added facts about the bird that may be the final pieces in the identification puzzle. The "Other Behavior" notes include the way the bird flies or soars, mode of taking off from water or land, and formation of birds in flight. Unique to these guides is information on conservation based on the Breeding Bird Survey and the Christmas Bird Count. Both counts show through the use of arrows whether the species is increasing, decreasing, or remaining stable. The books are arranged phylogenetically, beginning with seabirds and ending with finches. A quick alphabetical index of the more common bird names is at the front of each volume, with a more detailed index at the end. Other useful aids are "learning pages," where groups of birds are described, and a glossary.These two guides are a welcome addition. Since they are reasonably priced, they should be in all serious birders' libraries as well as in most high-school, public, and academic libraries. The conservation statements alone make them useful as a reference source. ((Reviewed Feb. 1, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)