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Rare Birds of North America
The first comprehensive illustrated guide to North America's vagrant birds
Rare Birds of North America is the first comprehensive illustrated guide to the vagrant birds that occur throughout the United States and Canada. Featuring 275 stunning color plates, this book covers 262 species originating from three very different regions―the Old World, the New World tropics, and the world's oceans. It explains the causes of avian vagrancy and breaks down patterns of occurrence by region and season, enabling readers to see where, when, and why each species occurs in North America. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, taxonomy, age, sex, distribution, and status.
Rare Birds of North America provides unparalleled insights into vagrancy and avian migration, and will enrich the birding experience of anyone interested in finding and observing rare birds.
Rare Birds of North America is the first comprehensive illustrated guide to the vagrant birds that occur throughout the United States and Canada. Featuring 275 stunning color plates, this book covers 262 species originating from three very different regions―the Old World, the New World tropics, and the world's oceans. It explains the causes of avian vagrancy and breaks down patterns of occurrence by region and season, enabling readers to see where, when, and why each species occurs in North America. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, taxonomy, age, sex, distribution, and status.
Rare Birds of North America provides unparalleled insights into vagrancy and avian migration, and will enrich the birding experience of anyone interested in finding and observing rare birds.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published November 24, 2013
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105 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 19, 2014
Readers might at first be misled by the title of this book. Rare Birds of North America is not, in fact, about the endangered and rare species of endemic birds of this continent. Rather, it is a comprehensive illustrated guide to the birds that don't belong here but manage to find their way here anyway.
These are the birds that are referred to as vagrants. They are native to some other part of the world - East Asia, Western Eurasia, Africa, the Southern Hemisphere, islands - but, for some reason, they have turned up on this continent.
The book explains how and why these vagrants arrive here.
The "how" is simple enough. Birds have wings and they tend to use them to fly to different places. Though they generally follow fairly well-defined routes in migration and in their wanderings about the planet, sometimes when they are in flight something might happen to steer them in a different direction. Most often this is probably related to weather, but other factors may play a role as well, and the authors explore some of the means of dispersal of species.
But why do birds end up in places where they shouldn't be? Again, this is probably most often related to weather conditions, but sometimes birds might simply overshoot their mark. Or, as the population of a particular species increases in one place, they may begin to expand their range and disperse into other areas. This is how many Central and South American species have come to find their way into the states along the southern U.S. border and some have moved even farther north. There is also the possibility that disorientation or misorientation might play a role in the dispersal of species to new areas.
However the vagrants manage to find their way here, when a birder spots one of them and gets the word out, other birders race to the scene, eager to add that bird to their life list. We love watching and documenting the everyday and familiar birds of our region, but the possibility of seeing something exotic from a whole different part of the world is an opportunity that no self-respecting birder would care to miss. And now we have an illustrated guide to help us identify and learn more about these unexpected visitors.
The authors define rare vagrants as those which have had five or fewer individuals reported annually in North America since about 1950. They include species accounts of 262 such birds. These accounts give identification field marks and also discuss the patterns of vagrancy and where the bird might be most likely to be found. The text is accompanied by 275 informative color plates by Ian Lewington.
The book includes helpful appendices which provide a list of birds that are new to North America from 1950 to 2011 and also explanations of why some birds that have hypothetically occurred on the continent are not included in this book.
Overall, I think this book should be a valuable resource for any birder interested in the "birds that shouldn't be here but are." And that, I believe, includes most birders.
(Note: A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in return for an honest review of it. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. )
These are the birds that are referred to as vagrants. They are native to some other part of the world - East Asia, Western Eurasia, Africa, the Southern Hemisphere, islands - but, for some reason, they have turned up on this continent.
The book explains how and why these vagrants arrive here.
The "how" is simple enough. Birds have wings and they tend to use them to fly to different places. Though they generally follow fairly well-defined routes in migration and in their wanderings about the planet, sometimes when they are in flight something might happen to steer them in a different direction. Most often this is probably related to weather, but other factors may play a role as well, and the authors explore some of the means of dispersal of species.
But why do birds end up in places where they shouldn't be? Again, this is probably most often related to weather conditions, but sometimes birds might simply overshoot their mark. Or, as the population of a particular species increases in one place, they may begin to expand their range and disperse into other areas. This is how many Central and South American species have come to find their way into the states along the southern U.S. border and some have moved even farther north. There is also the possibility that disorientation or misorientation might play a role in the dispersal of species to new areas.
However the vagrants manage to find their way here, when a birder spots one of them and gets the word out, other birders race to the scene, eager to add that bird to their life list. We love watching and documenting the everyday and familiar birds of our region, but the possibility of seeing something exotic from a whole different part of the world is an opportunity that no self-respecting birder would care to miss. And now we have an illustrated guide to help us identify and learn more about these unexpected visitors.
The authors define rare vagrants as those which have had five or fewer individuals reported annually in North America since about 1950. They include species accounts of 262 such birds. These accounts give identification field marks and also discuss the patterns of vagrancy and where the bird might be most likely to be found. The text is accompanied by 275 informative color plates by Ian Lewington.
The book includes helpful appendices which provide a list of birds that are new to North America from 1950 to 2011 and also explanations of why some birds that have hypothetically occurred on the continent are not included in this book.
Overall, I think this book should be a valuable resource for any birder interested in the "birds that shouldn't be here but are." And that, I believe, includes most birders.
(Note: A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in return for an honest review of it. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. )
November 22, 2019
This has helped me investigate some of my other biological interests as well, for I am not just one of those mythological "birders", so to speak. I am in the middle of the results section of a PLOS article called Dead Shrimp Blues: A Global Assessment of Extinction Risk in Freshwater Shrimps. POLLUTION is what that article says is the greatest threat, which is what this book and many of my other nature-based resources have implied is making the planet into a worse place.
Ergo.
It's not that I actually WANT to be a tree-hugger, so to speak. It is that if I don't act similar to that, it seems as if we're all going the way of the dodo. And you know what happened to the dodo, right? (It went extinct, most likely shortly after 1662, which was its last recorded sighting.)
My hypothesis is that these amazing ornithological wonders might possibly be so rare due to their extremely florid coloration. I mean, I don't doubt that you couldn't get away with getting one of those Crayola 8-packs to draw one of these birds! I think you need one of those 120 count boxes and stat!
Ergo.
It's not that I actually WANT to be a tree-hugger, so to speak. It is that if I don't act similar to that, it seems as if we're all going the way of the dodo. And you know what happened to the dodo, right? (It went extinct, most likely shortly after 1662, which was its last recorded sighting.)
My hypothesis is that these amazing ornithological wonders might possibly be so rare due to their extremely florid coloration. I mean, I don't doubt that you couldn't get away with getting one of those Crayola 8-packs to draw one of these birds! I think you need one of those 120 count boxes and stat!
March 31, 2018
As with most field guides, there is an introductory section followed by species accounts. In the information section, you will learn how to use the book, the definition of a rare bird, the ways in which these birds arrive in North America, and an explanation of bird topography and molt. The species accounts are arranged taxonomically and include a summary and distribution of North American records, a verbal field identification description with illustrations and special comments for each species. An extensive reference section is located at the end of the book.
Rare Birds of North America contains more information than I ever thought I might need. It is for very serious birders. Beginners and many intermediates will find it intimidating.
Rare Birds of North America contains more information than I ever thought I might need. It is for very serious birders. Beginners and many intermediates will find it intimidating.
August 12, 2019
This has been very helpful as I plan a trip to Alaska.
February 7, 2014
My pre-ordered copy of Howell et al.'s Rare Birds of North America showed up early! Thoughts:
- It's basically a field guide supplement. Goes in depth on how to ID each of these species. Also has really interesting info on possible vagrancy routes and timing, habitat and behavior in their native range, etc.. The illustrations are awesome, and apparently this guy (Ian Lewington) is working on a full North American field guide, which I'm looking forward to now.
- Really great introduction, on different causes of vagrancy in birds.
- What I was really hoping for, but is kinda missing, is a region-by-region write-up. So, in the Northeast, what should you keep an eye out for in each season? What kinds of weather patterns might bring interesting things? There's no central place to get that, you have to go species-by-species. It's almost addressed in the introduction, but not quite how I was thinking (it goes region-by-region for their native range, ex: when do most landbird vagrants from Western Europe show up?). And that part's clumsily done. So I was a little disappointed by that.
- There are some absolutely crazy records that I had no idea about. Humboldt Penguin has showed up off Canada and Alaska four times?! But all of those records were rejected, because it seems physiologically impossible. More likely is that sailors kept them illegally as pets or something. There is a record of Magellanic Penguin from El Salvador that could be legit though.
- A Double-striped Thick-Knee in Arizona was being kept by a Guatemalan immigrant as a watchdog/bird. Another one from S TX might've been wild though. Awesome.
- An apparently legendary snipe hunter in Oregon has shot three separate Jack Snipe, which is most of the lower 48's records.
- On a similar theme, Eurasian Woodcock and Corncrake were relatively frequent vagrants to the NE in the early 20th century, but there are very few recent records, probably because people don't hunt those kinds of things often anymore.
- They've chosen to ignore species that have never been recorded in NA. I was hoping for treatments of at least a few of the more likely candidates (Cuban Bullfinch, Black-headed Siskin, etc.). Meanwhile, bizarre stuff like Sungrebe get huge write-ups. Brambling is omitted because it's too common(?). So I'm not totally satisfied by the species list.
- Overall though, I like it a lot. The species write-ups are great, and the illustrations are fantastic. Really makes you wonder how many common birds you've brushed off over the years. I had no idea that Eurasian Siskin was a thing, and I really wish that I'd combed through all of my PISIs more. Or female Baikal Teals, or Little Stints, and on and on. Definitely inspiring. Highly recommended!
- It's basically a field guide supplement. Goes in depth on how to ID each of these species. Also has really interesting info on possible vagrancy routes and timing, habitat and behavior in their native range, etc.. The illustrations are awesome, and apparently this guy (Ian Lewington) is working on a full North American field guide, which I'm looking forward to now.
- Really great introduction, on different causes of vagrancy in birds.
- What I was really hoping for, but is kinda missing, is a region-by-region write-up. So, in the Northeast, what should you keep an eye out for in each season? What kinds of weather patterns might bring interesting things? There's no central place to get that, you have to go species-by-species. It's almost addressed in the introduction, but not quite how I was thinking (it goes region-by-region for their native range, ex: when do most landbird vagrants from Western Europe show up?). And that part's clumsily done. So I was a little disappointed by that.
- There are some absolutely crazy records that I had no idea about. Humboldt Penguin has showed up off Canada and Alaska four times?! But all of those records were rejected, because it seems physiologically impossible. More likely is that sailors kept them illegally as pets or something. There is a record of Magellanic Penguin from El Salvador that could be legit though.
- A Double-striped Thick-Knee in Arizona was being kept by a Guatemalan immigrant as a watchdog/bird. Another one from S TX might've been wild though. Awesome.
- An apparently legendary snipe hunter in Oregon has shot three separate Jack Snipe, which is most of the lower 48's records.
- On a similar theme, Eurasian Woodcock and Corncrake were relatively frequent vagrants to the NE in the early 20th century, but there are very few recent records, probably because people don't hunt those kinds of things often anymore.
- They've chosen to ignore species that have never been recorded in NA. I was hoping for treatments of at least a few of the more likely candidates (Cuban Bullfinch, Black-headed Siskin, etc.). Meanwhile, bizarre stuff like Sungrebe get huge write-ups. Brambling is omitted because it's too common(?). So I'm not totally satisfied by the species list.
- Overall though, I like it a lot. The species write-ups are great, and the illustrations are fantastic. Really makes you wonder how many common birds you've brushed off over the years. I had no idea that Eurasian Siskin was a thing, and I really wish that I'd combed through all of my PISIs more. Or female Baikal Teals, or Little Stints, and on and on. Definitely inspiring. Highly recommended!
August 11, 2014
A phenomenal book that has managed to find a previously unoccupied niche in the crowded bird guide market. This book is a hybrid between an identification guide to vagrant birds to North America and an annotated checklist of those vagrancy records. Introductory chapters that summarize the causes and patterns of vagrancy are superb, and help shed new light on the origin of some of the strangest records of vagrant birds. The best thing about this book by far are the stunning illustrations. Ian Lewington's birds are better and more realistically depicted than those in any other North American guide. I cannot heap enough superlatives on them. The fact that he is working on regular field guide to North American birds should make everyone cheer - it will be the new standard, I am sure.
If I have one reservation about this book, it is too restrictive in its coverage, addressing only the truly rare vagrants. For example, Eurasian shorebird vagrants like Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper are too common to be included. I wish for a book that includes discussion of all vagrants, and even vagrancy patterns within North America's bird fauna (for example, western birds showing up in the East). Given how big the current book already is, perhaps these topics would make a great follow-up volume?
If I have one reservation about this book, it is too restrictive in its coverage, addressing only the truly rare vagrants. For example, Eurasian shorebird vagrants like Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper are too common to be included. I wish for a book that includes discussion of all vagrants, and even vagrancy patterns within North America's bird fauna (for example, western birds showing up in the East). Given how big the current book already is, perhaps these topics would make a great follow-up volume?
October 18, 2013
When hiking or on a nature walk, seeing and hearing birds is a gift that I always look forward to.
Seeing or hearing a rare bird is an amazing treat. For this book 'rare' is defined as "...species for which, on average, only 5 or fewer individuals have been found annually in North America since around 1950...".
Species accounts are organized logically, give detailed comments and specifics for field identification. The artistry is very well done and shows different angles and identifying features.
I was most interested in the songbirds and of course most of the birds featured were no where near me; however, it was interesting to read about the Redwing which might make an appearance in a habitat near me.
Overall, it was very interesting to read about and see these rare birds, some of which there is only one account of in North America!
This book was received as an Advanced Reading Copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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December 12, 2014Excellent reaource - good information about unusual appearances...
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May 16, 2014598.16809 H8595 2014
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews