Birders Handbook A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds Including All Species That Regularly Breed North of Mexi

This is the most complete and authoritative reference book about the birds of North America -- up to date and in field-guide format. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;Iandgt;The Birder's Handbookandlt;/Iandgt; is the first of its kind: a portable library of fascinating information not included in your identification guide. For each of the 646 species of birds that breed in North America, andlt;Iandgt;The Birder's Handbookandlt;/Iandgt; will tell you at a glance: andlt;BRandgt; * Where the bird nests, and which sex(es) build(s) the nest;andlt;BRandgt; * How many eggs the bird lays, what they look like, which patent incubates and for how long, and how the young are cared for;andlt;BRandgt; * Food preferences and foraging habits. andlt;BRandgt; You will also find information about displays and mating, wintering, conservation status, and much more. In addition, andlt;Iandgt;The Birder's Handbookandlt;/Iandgt; contains some 250 short essays covering all aspects of avian natural history.

Susan Roney Drennan Editor, andlt;Iandgt;American Birdsandlt;/Iandgt; A dizzyingly competent, extraordinarily readable, impeccably comprehensive and marvelously educational feat! Certainly mandatory reading for everyone even remotely curious about the birds they watch.

David S. Wilcove Ecologist, The Wilderness Society Field guides will help you to recognize birds. This book will help you to understand them....This book should be required reading for all birders, naturalists, and conservationists.

Thomas E. Lovejoy Smithsonian Institution Anyone who owns a field guide to the identification of North American birds will want andlt;Iandgt;The Birder's Handbookandlt;/Iandgt; as a companion volume.

Mercedes S. Foster Research Zoologist and Curator of Birds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service andlt;Iandgt;The Birder's Handbookandlt;/Iandgt; is a gold mine...that will greatly enhance the joys of watching birds.

This is the most complete and authoritative reference book about the birds of North America--up to date and in field-guide format.
The Birder's Handbook is the first of its kind: a portable library of fascinating information not included in your identification guide. For each of the 646 species of birds that breed in North America, The Birder's Handbook will tell you at a glance:
* Where the bird nests, and which sex(es) build(s) the nest;
* How many eggs the bird lays, what they look like, which patent incubates and for how long, and how the young are cared for;
* Food preferences and foraging habits.
You will also find information about displays and mating, wintering, conservation status, and much more. In addition, The Birder's Handbook contains some 250 short essays covering all aspects of avian natural history.

andlt;Bandgt;Paul R. Ehrlichandlt;/Bandgt; is Bing Professor of Population Studies and Professor of Biology at Stanford University, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of over 400 scientific articles and more than 20 books, including andlt;Iandgt;The Population Bomb, Extinction,andlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;The Machinery of Natureandlt;/Iandgt;.

andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Introductionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;How to Use this Bookandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Right-hand Pages -- Essaysandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Left-hand Pages -- Species Treatmentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Treatment Headingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Summary Lineandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Treatment Paragraphandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Dealing with Uncertaintyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Key to Summary Linesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Nest Locationandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Nest Typeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Who Builds the Nestandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Eggsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Mating systemandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Incubating Sexandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Length of Incubationandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Development at Hatchingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Time from Hatching to Fledgingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Who Tends the Youngandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Diet During Breedingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Foraging Techniquesandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Interpreting the Treatment Paragraphsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Breedingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Displaysandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Nestandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Eggsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Dietandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Conservationandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Notesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Essaysandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Referencesandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Observing and Recording Bird Biologyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Species Treatments (Even-numbered Pages)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Essays (Odd-numbered Pages)andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Appendicesandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Hawaiian Bird Biologyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Feral Birdsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Pelagic Birdsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;DNA and Passerine Classificationandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;North American Birds Omitted from the Species Treatmentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Acknowledgmentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Sources of Information Used in this Guideandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Bibliographyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Supplemental Bibliographyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Guide to Essay Topicsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Subject Indexandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Index to North American Birdsandlt;/Bandgt;