Birds of Western North America: A Photographic Guide

by Paul Sterry, Brian E. Small

Combining informative and accessible text, up-to-date maps, and--above all--stunning color photographs, this is the best and most lavishly illustrated photographic guide to the birds of western North America. All of the images have been carefully selected to convey both the sheer beauty and the key identification features of each bird, and many of the photos are larger than those found in other guides. Wherever possible, a variety of plumages are pictured, providing visual coverage and usefulness matching any artwork-illustrated field guide. And many of the images are state-of-the-art digital photographs by Brian Small, one of North America's finest bird photographers. These pictures, many seen here for the first time, reproduce a previously unimaginable level of detail. Finally, the ranges of nearly all species are shown on maps from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, the authority on North American birding. New and experienced birders alike will find this guide indispensable: the clear layout will help novices easily identify the birds they see, while the superb photographs will help seasoned birders confirm identifications.The best, most lavishly illustrated photographic guide to the region's birds Larger color photos than most other field guides Fresh contemporary design--clear, easy-to-use, and attractive Informative, accessible, and authoritative text Range maps from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology Covers entire western half of mainland North America (excluding Mexico) and the arctic and subarctic territorial islands of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Hawaii)

Genres: Reference, Science, Nature

416 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

Paul Sterry has written and illustrated more than 50 books. Trained as a zoologist, Paul has been a wildlife photographer for over 20 years and regularly undertakes research expeditions.

Reviews

[Nostalgia Reader]

Indispensable. I used this constantly when I lived in the West, and I still find myself using it in the East, as there are a wealth of birds that crossover between the regions. I have another Eastern bird book (Audubon) that I use for birds that aren't in this volume, but always flip through this as I find the information is more relevant and it distinguishes between subspecies, juveniles, and variants much better, and it has more detailed regional maps. Highly recommend this volume, especially using it in combination with an edition that is illustrated, like Sibley's or Peterson's, to give an even greater breadth of variations and info.