National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: Arizona & New Mexico

by Jonathan Alderfer

Featuring as many as 175 birds apiece and nearly 300 photographs, illustrations and maps, this handy, informative book adds two Southwestern states to National Geographic's growing series of field guides. Like its predecessors, this guide provides birders with quick and easy access to the kind of specific facts and savvy advice that they need: a regional map of birding hotspots; a knowledgeable introduction by a local expert on which birds to look for, where to find them, and what to focus on when they appear; a section on birding basics, field identification, and how to make the best use of the guide and its resources; scores of individual entries with photographs of each bird, recognition tips, and notes on behavior, habitat, and particular sites; and two indexes: one color-coded, the other alphabetical with life list boxes. An ideal solution for visitors looking to make the most of limited time and a valuable reference for anyone who lives in the region, these books belong in every birder's library, beginner and veteran alike.


Arizona & New Mexico: these two year-round birding states boast some of the nation's top sites, including the number-one spot for hummingbirds, plus desert and mountain species galore, from the Elegant Trogon—which resembles the Resplendent Quetzal of Central America—to the high-speed sprinter, the Greater Roadrunner.

Genres: Field Guides

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 2006

About the author

Jonathan K. Alderfer is an art consultant and a bird artist whose illustrations appear in National Geographic field guides. He began his career as a painter in the 1980s as an illustrator of articles for The Western Tanager, the Los Angeles Audubon Society's newsletter.
Jonathan is an avid, expert birder.

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book especially helpful for identifying species of the waters and the deserts.