National Geographic Pocket Guide to the Birds of North America by Laura Erickson

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This slim and easy-to-use entry-level guide is a must for all beginning birding buffs.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

This fun, affordable, beautifully illustrated introduction to birding is like taking a walk with National Geographic's birding experts. Of this book's 192 pages, 160 are devoted to North America's top species, one per page, from the lowly House Wren to the majestic Bald Eagle. Carefully chosen illustrations and photographs capture the key details and typical behavior of each bird, paired with a short list of essential facts and a fun, fascinating, colloquially written "bird-ography" of each bird. (The latter feature is unique to this beginning field guide). Pictures plus facts plus story- a winning combination. With a small trim size and colorful illustrations, this pocket guide is easy on the eyes and easy to stash. A useful color index aids identification; tips throughout show how to observe, track, and identify birds in nature.

Notes

This slim and easy-to-use entry-level guide is a must for all beginning birding buffs.

Author Biography

LAURA ERICKSON has been a scientist, teacher, writer, wildlife rehabilitator, blogger, public speaker, photographer, and Science Editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She's written six previous books about birds, including a National Outdoor Book Award winner. She's currently a columnist and contributing editor for "BirdWatching" magazine. She produces the long-running "For the Birds" radio program for many public radio stations; the program is podcast on iTunes. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota.JONATHAN ALDERFER, artist and naturalist, is the resident birding expert at National Geographic. He is author and editor of numerous National Geographic birding books, including co-author of the top-selling "Field Guide to the Birds of North America. " The author lives Washington, D.C..

Review

"Pictures plus facts plus story: a winning combination. A great book for someone with a new or casual interest in birds, and even older children." --The Birder's Library blog "The slim 192-page Pocket Guide provides helpful tips, such as how to use binoculars and how to look at an unfamiliar bird in order to identify it." --BirdWatching Magazine "Affordable and lightweight enough to carry on any outing...a perfect way for the whole family to discover the joys of bird-watching and explore the continent's amazing bird life." --FatBirder.com "A great introduction to North America's common birds, promoting not only identification but also a genuine interest in birds." The Birder's Library

Review Quote

"Pictures plus facts plus story: a winning combination. A great book for someone with a new or casual interest in birds, and even older children." -- The Birder's Library blog "The slim 192-page Pocket Guide provides helpful tips, such as how to use binoculars and how to look at an unfamiliar bird in order to identify it." -- BirdWatching Magazine

Excerpt from Book

Invitation to Birding Earth''s the right place for love," wrote Robert Frost. Earth is also the right place for birds. Of all the warm-blooded creatures on the planet, there exist roughly twice as many species of birds as mammals. Except for the ocean depths, birds can be found everywhere mammals live--and beyond. People who take up bird-watching as adults are often amazed to discover just how many birds are out there. Most of us will spot no more than a fraction of the almost 10,000 bird species, but the species visiting your own backyard represent a good beginning. Indeed, the easiest place to watch birds is right at home, especially if you have a good assortment of native trees and shrubs, a bird feeder, and a birdbath. A surprising number of birds can even be attracted to an apartment balcony in the city. Start looking, and you will see: Birds are everywhere, a delight to behold, a pleasure to learn to identify. Why Learn Bird identification? Recognizing birds may not be necessary to individual survival, but learning about the creatures with which we share this planet, especially our own little corner of it, enhances our daily lives, giving us grace notes of joyful recognition as we travel to new places or look out our own windows, whether the birds we see are comfortably familiar or exciting new discoveries. Using your senses in new ways enhances your ability to detect birds, and as your awareness grows, your progress accelerates. People with vision or hearing impairments can be excellent birders, locating and identifying birds entirely by either sound or visual cues. Those of us who can use both senses can train our eyes and ears to more easily detect birds with practice. The more birds we see and identify, the simpler it is to find and identify more. Canada Goose Branta canadensis L 30-43" (76-109 cm) Canada Geese were, until the 1970s, seen in many places only on migration and in winter. Key facts: Large dark goose; black neck; white chin strap; paler below. + voice: Call is deep but nasal honk-a-lonk. + habitat: Common and familiar. Feral birds frequent sub- urban areas, such as golf courses, parks, reservoirs; wild flocks migrate in V-formation. + food: Grazes on grass; eats a variety of pond life and waste grain in rural areas. Geese are among a handful of birds capable of digesting grass, and so are drawn to expansive lawns. "Honkers" are extremely sociable. Once paired, they usually remain with their mate year-round for life. In winter, they may also maintain social bonds with young from previous seasons. They learn their migratory routes from their parents. When a pair of geese becomes urbanized and remains in a city for the winter, their young often follow suit. Adults undergo a flightless period while molt- ing flight feathers in summer, before their goslings can fly. Goslings can swim and even dive to evade predators within hours of hatching. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica L 63⁄4" (17 cm) Barn Swallows build a large cup nest; Cliff Swallows a globe with an entrance hole. Key Facts: Cobalt blue above and buffy below with a chestnut throat. Long, graceful tail of adult is unlike any other North American swallow; juvenile''s tail is shorter. + voice: Series of scratchy, warbling notes and grating rattles. + habitat: Summer resident of open areas; shelters its mud nest on man-made structure. + food: Flying insects. Aristotle may have been thinking of this bird when he said, "One swallow does not a summer make." The most widespread swallow in the world nests under bridges and eaves, and in culverts, barns, and outbuildings. In Minnesota, a pair nested for several years in the lumber section of a home improvement store, hovering in front of the sensor to trigger the door to open so it could pass in and out. New World Barn Swallows once bred only in North America, spending the winter in South America as nonbreeders. In 1980, six pairs nested in Argentina. Now, a South American breeding population is well established. White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis L 63⁄4" (17 cm) Like avian chipmunks, these stripe-headed sparrows eat seeds on the ground. Key Facts: Medium-size sparrow with white throat and bright yellow spot near eye. Two color morphs--white-striped and tan-striped-- describe the color of the stripe above the eye. + voice: Mournful, whistled song is heard year-round. + habitat: Breeds in the North; very com- mon in East in winter; frequents bird feeders, brush, woodland edges. + food: Seeds, insects. This sparrow''s clear, whistled Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody is heard in backyards as well as in northern forests where it breeds. Half of both males and females have white head stripes, the other half tan stripes; each prefers the opposite pattern in a mate, as if blond humans always selected a dark-haired mate and vice versa. About 96 percent of all pairs include one of each color. White-striped birds of both sexes sing and are territorially aggressive. Tan-striped birds of both sexes provide excellent parental care. Though tan-striped males are less aggressive than white-striped, their territories in an area tend to be the same size.

Details ISBN1426210442 Author Jonathan Alderfer Short Title NATL GEOGRAPHIC PCKT GT THE BI Publisher National Geographic Society Language English ISBN-10 1426210442 ISBN-13 9781426210440 Media Book Format Paperback Illustrations Yes Birth 1951 Year 2013 Pages 192 Imprint National Geographic Society Place of Publication Hanover, PA Country of Publication United States DEWEY 598.097 Publication Date 2013-04-02 Audience Age 2-5 Audience General/Trade Series National Geographic Pocket Guide UK Release Date 2009-04-01 AU Release Date 2009-04-01 NZ Release Date 2009-04-01 US Release Date 2009-04-01 We've got this

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