FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA

Author-illustrator and conservationist McMullan, with collaborators Derek Sallmann and Ryan Sallmann, offers a wide-ranging illustrated overview of birds in 49 U.S. states and Canada.

The book covers more than 1,000 avian varieties on the North American continent, including all of the United States except Hawaii. Birds are arranged by order and family, but readers may easily search for their common English-language names in an index. The authors describe each bird’s habitat range in detail and accompany it with a map inset, color-coded to show where the bird can be found at which time of year. The text descriptions of species are precise, thorough, and often unexpectedly expressive: a graylag goose, for instance, is said to have the “familiar cackling brays of the farmyard goose” while cedar waxwings are described as “the most bacchanalian of birds,” due to their penchant for getting intoxicated by eating fermented fruit. In a guide such as this, readers should expect detailed graphics of various species, and this book delivers full-color illustrations comparing adult and juvenile plumage, as well as male and female variations. When birds closely resemble other varieties, the authors helpfully show the creatures side-by-side and highlight their distinctness under a “What’s the Difference?” heading. For example, the Savannah sparrow may be identified by a dark eyestripe and buff lines, while a Baird’s sparrow has white lines and no eyestripe. In addition, the book features a glossary of terms, useful maps, and a diagram of the different parts of a bird. At a time when many birders rely on identification apps—some of which can pinpoint an avian species in seconds—a guide like this may seem obsolete. For many enthusiasts, though, it will surely evoke the ineffable pleasure, often established in childhood, of opening an artfully executed reference book and losing oneself in its knowledge. In the preface, the authors express their belief that “birding is an activity that can make people happier”; a guide like this is sure to bring readers hours of delight, whether they’re outside with a pair of binoculars or simply sitting at home.

A superb and concise bird compendium.