How to Know the Birds

February 1, 2019

Ornithologist Floyd (Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America) brings his credentials as the editor of Birding magazine to create thought-provoking and authoritative one-page essays on 200 different species of birds native to North America. Floyd's text is enhanced by the art of N. John Schmitt. This is not a guide for identification. Instead, it can be considered an accessible introduction to ornithology and birding; cerebral yet delightfully informal. A few of the many topics Floyd writes of here include migration, metabolism, nomenclature, avian memory skills, site descriptions, behavior, citizen science projects, population dynamics, the ethics and morality of our outdoor pursuits, molt, and brood parasitism. An excellent feature is the numerous cross-references from one essay often to several others, making it easy to see the interrelatedness of his manifold conceptual aspects of birding. Though a standout, this book could have benefited from a bibliography and glossary. VERDICT Highly recommended for those interested in the natural world. This is a book to be read; there is nothing else quite like it.--Henry T. Armistead, formerly with Free Lib. of Philadelphia

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