A Birder's Guide to Florida

by Bill Pranty

Bill Pranty's birding guide for Florida.

Genres: Birds, Reference, Nonfiction, Nature

388 pages, Spiral-bound

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Robbie Lacelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is good book to have on birding Florida. There is quite a bit of info. I was a bit disappointed because it doesn't really tell you how to find a certain bird like White-crowned Pigeon.

[Mskychick]

This book is about where to see birds, rather than about the birds themselves

[Kem White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a field guide. It is a birdfinding guide and more. The book is intended for serious birders who are looking for directions to areas where they can observe specific bird species. For example, if you want to see a brown noddy, this book explains that you have to go to Dry Tortugas National Park. If you would like to see a purple swamphen, off you go to Pembroke Pines. Pranty divides the state into 5 geographic regions and gives directions to important bird habitats in each. Consequently, this is not a book you read, per se, but one you peruse, particularly when you have an upcoming trip to Florida. The section in the back "Florida Birds of Particular Interest" is very interesting and well worth reading. For many species, Pranty describes the history of the bird in the state. The list of Florida exotics and bar graphs are also very interesting and useful. He provides lists of other species besides birds that are worth a look. The book is coming up on twelve years old, so it is a bit dated. (The online Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail could be giving this book some competition.) And it is hard to give the book 5 stars UNTIL I actually succeed in finding specific birds I'm looking for using his guide. I have yet to put its words into practice. Recommended for serious birders visiting Florida.

[Scott Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

South Florida is one of my favorite birding spots in the United States (along with Southeast Arizona and South Texas). Some of my favorite trips, gleaned from this excellent guide, have been to Key West, Dry Tortugas and Everglades National Parks, to name just a few. However almost every trip in this guide is worth exploring. Some of my favorite birds seen in South Florida: Snail (Shark Valley, Everglades) & Swallow-tailed Kites, Masked & Brown Booby's (Dry Tortugas), Roseate Spoonbill (Ding Darling NWR) & Wood Stork (Corkscrew Swamp), White-crowned Pigeon (Key West), Mangrove Cuckoo (Sugarloaf Key), Gray Kingbird (Loxahatchee NWR), and the Florida Scrub-Jay (Venus area) and singing Bachman's Sparrow (Scrub-Jay trail). But there are a lot of other birds, including exotic introduced species that can be found in the South Miami area as well (Red-whiskered Bulbul, White-winged Parakeet and Red-crowned Parrot, others). This is just a sampler of birds that can be found in Florida, and the ABA guide is an excellent aid in helping to find them!

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super detailed directions on where to find specific "Florida specality" birds. Good intro and background information, especially the "Crime" section that tells birders that they could get killed while looking for parrots in Miami.