A Birder's Guide to Florida

by Bill Pranty

Florida is one of the most popular birding destinations in the Western Hemisphere—and it is well-served by the most popular birdfinding guide ever published, Bill Pranty's A Birder's Guide to Florida, released in 1996.

For international birders Florida offers an accessible, comfortable introduction to subtropical birding. North American birders savor Florida as the place to see species not found elsewhere in the US and Canada, such as Snail Kite, Short-tailed Hawk, Black-hooded Parakeet, Mangrove Cuckoo, Black-whiskered Vireo, or Florida Scrub-Jay. These are but a few of the Florida specialties that make a trip to the Sunshine State such an exciting adventure for all birders.

Bill Pranty, with the help of dozens of the state's birders, has now rewritten his acclaimed 4th edition. More than 330 birding sites are described, and more than 400 species accounts are now included.

A Birder's Guide to Florida's comprehensive introduction helps birders to understand seasonal bird distribution in Florida's various habitats. Whether you are hoping to see fairly common birds such as White-crowned Pigeon, or are searching for elusive birds such as Black Rail, or wish to be surprised by the discovery of an unconventional bird such as Scaly-headed Parrot, this birdfinding guide and your field guide are the only books you'll need!

Genres: Birds, Reference, Nonfiction, Nature

418 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Robbie Lacelle]

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]

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]

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]

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.