Birder's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds

by Paul R. Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, Darryl Wheye

This is the most complete and authoritative reference book about the birds of North America -- up to date and in field-guide format.

The Birder's Handbook is the first of its kind: a portable library of fascinating information not included in your identification guide. For each of the 646 species of birds that breed in North America, The Birder's Handbook will tell you at a glance:
* Where the bird nests, and which sex(es) build(s) the nest;
* How many eggs the bird lays, what they look like, which patent incubates and for how long, and how the young are cared for;
* Food preferences and foraging habits.

You will also find information about displays and mating, wintering, conservation status, and much more. In addition, The Birder's Handbook contains some 250 short essays covering all aspects of avian natural history.

Genres: Birds, Nature, Reference, Nonfiction, Field Guides, Science, Natural History

785 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1988

About the author

Paul Ralph Ehrlich is an American biologist and educator who is the Bing Professor of Population Studies in the department of Biological Sciences at Stanford University and president of Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology. By training he is an entomologist specializing in Lepidoptera (butterflies), but he is better known as an ecologist and a demographer, specifically for his warnings about unchecked population growth and limited resources. Ehrlich became a household name after publication of his controversial 1968 book The Population Bomb.

Reviews

[Jim Minick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and thorough background.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are any kind of birder and are more interested in a bird other than simple identification, this is an excellent book. It's compact, yet goes into detail about bird identification - detailing habitat, feeding habits, and reproduction - including such details as what type of nest, where, how many babies, who broods, and how many days from hatching to fledging for every North American species. A great behavior book, and on every opposite page it includes in depth essays on a variety of subjects from nest parasitism to noteworthy biologists. I use this in sync with Sibley's Guide almost every time. Highly recommend.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good but dated reference to the natural history of North American birds. Each species has its own entry, plus there are brief essays on behaviors common to all or many birds.

[Francis L'Ecuyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a reference book and probably will not do a complete read.

[Kate Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent but dated reference.

[Scott Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent reference book that contains a compendium of information regarding the natural history of North American birds. Besides detailed breeding and behavioral accounts for each species, there are also very informative research sections interspersed within the main body of the book. The authors are to be commended for this excellent wealth of avian information (however I must add that I am NOT a big fan of the radical population control views of one of the authors, Paul Ehrlich).

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC!!! This is NOT a field guide... there are no pretty pictures. This is EVERYTHING else! What type of food, preferred habitat, type of nest, # of eggs, how many clutches, timing of nest, foraging methods, etc.... for every species! PLUS the interesting essays... it is like Ornithology 101... really - wonderful. A must-have for anyone really interested in birds.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference once you have identified the bird. This book is great for telling you the habit and habits of the bird, including: nesting, mating, feeding, etc... We use this book often to answer the seemingly endless questions from curious children watching the bird feeder or just walking through the woods.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've "read" this in the sense that it has been a frequent reference over the years as well as a textbook for my ornithology class. I have not read it cover-to-cover.

Essential for anyone interested in North American birds.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Companion to your identification guide. Complete with natural history vignettes!

[kaity · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great field guide companion. I've used this book for insight into particular species and also for basic explanations of ornithological concepts.

[David Betz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for background on birds you may want more detail about breeding and habits.

[David Mccarrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is extremely informative and interesting read on bird biology and ecology in North America.

[Bruce Tannehill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This and a field guide are the two essentials for becoming a birder.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reference