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From North America to Madagascar, from beginners to experts, there’s a bird book reviewed last month for everyone.

Baby Birds: An Artist Looks into the Nest
by Julie Zickefoose

From Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on in bird nests, or what happens after a fledgling leaves the nest, come along on Julie’s sensitive exploration of often-uncharted ornithological ground.

This beautiful book is as much an art book as it is a natural history, something readers have come to expect from Julie Zickefoose. More than 400 watercolor paintings show the breathtakingly swift development of seventeen different species of wild birds. Sixteen of those species nest on Julie’s wildlife sanctuary, so she knows the birds intimately, and writes about them with authority. To create the bulk of this extraordinary work, Julie would borrow a wild nestling, draw it, then return it to its nest every day until it fledged. Some were orphans she raised by hand, giving the ultimate insider’s glimpse into their lives. In sparkling prose, Julie shares a lifetime of insight about bird breeding biology, growth, and cognition.

As an artist and wildlife rehabilitator, Julie possesses a unique skill set that includes sketching and painting rapidly from life as well as handling delicate hatchlings. She is uniquely positioned to create such an opus, and in fact, nothing like it has ever been attempted. Julie has many fans, and she will gain many more with this unparalleled work.

This is a gorgeous book, both the art and the design. I’ve only read the introduction so far, but I’m hooked!

Baby Birds: An Artist Looks into the Nest
by Julie Zickefoose
Hardcover; 352 pages
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; April 12, 2016
ISBN: 9780544206700
$28.00

Buy from Buteo Books
(based in the U.S.)

Wildlife of the Galápagos, Second Edition
by Julian Fitter, Daniel Fitter, and David Hosking

From Princeton University Press:

Since its first publication more than a decade ago, Wildlife of the Galápagos has become the definitive, classic field guide to the natural splendors of this amazing part of the world. Now fully updated, this essential and comprehensive guide has been expanded to include the more than 400 commonly seen birds, mammals, reptiles, invertebrates, and plants, and other coastal and marine life of this wondrous archipelago. Over 650 stunning color photographs, maps, and drawings are accompanied by accessible, descriptive text. This new edition includes information about all the common fish of the region and Spanish names are featured for the first time. There is also a revised section that discusses the islands’ history, climate, geology, and conservation, with the most current details on visitor sites.

This is the perfect portable companion for all nature enthusiasts interested in the astounding Galápagos.

• Covers 400+ commonly seen species, including birds, mammals, reptiles, invertebrates, and plants, and other coastal and marine life
• Illustrated with over 650 color photographs, maps, and drawings
• Includes maps of visitor sites
• Written by wildlife experts with extensive knowledge of the area
• Includes information on the history, climate, geology, and conservation of the islands

When I finally get to the Galapagos, this guide will be with me. (Hopefully that will be before a third edition is necessary!)

Wildlife of the Galápagos, Second Edition
by Julian Fitter, Daniel Fitter, and David Hosking
Paperback; 272 pages
Princeton University Press; January 5, 2016
ISBN: 9780691170428
$19.95

Buy from Buteo Books
(based in the U.S.)

Buy from NHBS
(based in the U.K.)

When the second edition of The Sibley Guide to Birds was published in 2014, everyone wanted to know when the Eastern and Western regional guides and the app would be likewise updated. Now, two years later, the new regional guides are set to be published. (We’re still waiting on the app…)

These new regional guides are roughly the same size as the first editions, and include the same type of information. The big change is that the layout now matches that in the “big” Sibley – species are presented in a vertical column, one or two per page. This differs from the first editions, in which the birds were arranged in “blocks” of half a page each.

2nd edition Sibley regional guide (top) compared to the 'big Sibley' (bottom). They now have the same layout, but the smaller regional sacrifices some text and illustrations.

2nd edition Sibley regional guide (bottom) compared to the first edition (top). A new layout is used, as well as the updated maps, illustrations, etc from the 2nd edition 'big Sibley', but otherwise essentially the same.

You do lose some text and illustrations in the regional guides. That’s no surprise, I don’t think anyone expected them to take the full-size guide and simply shrink it down. The same happened in the first regional guides. However, those guides added something significant: the text included relative abundance and other information not found in the big version. These new ones, in contrast, do not add anything significant not found in the latest big guide (Sibley wisely incorporated the additional text from the first regional books into the second edition of the big guide). Sibley, in a blog post, mentions that all recent taxonomic changes have been incorporated and that the new Western guide includes several new introduced birds. But that’s it for the updates.

So should you get these new, smaller guides? If The Sibley Guide is your preferred field guide, but you wish it were small enough to carry into the field, then the answer is yes. Especially since there’s no word on when the app will be updated. Otherwise, stick with the big Sibley (which everyone already has, yes?).

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America, Second Edition
by David Allen Sibley
Flexi-binding; 465 pages
Knopf/Random House; March 29, 2016
ISBN: 9780307957917
$19.95

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, Second Edition
by David Allen Sibley
Flexi-binding; 505 pages
Knopf/Random House; March 29, 2016
ISBN: 9780307957924
$19.95

Field guides, bird-finding guides, even treatises on the beginnings of birding in the New World – a wide variety of books were reviewed last month.

The Rarest Bird in the World: The Search for the Nechisar Nightjar
by Vernon R.L. Head

From Pegasus:

Part detective story, part love affair, and pure adventure storytelling at its best, a celebration of the thrill of exploration and the lure of wild places during the search for the elusive Nechisar Nightjar.

In 1990, a group of Cambridge scientists arrived at the Plains of Nechisar in Ethiopia. On that expedition, they collected more than two dozen specimens, saw more than three hundred species of birds, and a plethora of rare butterflies, dragonflies, reptiles, mammals, and plants. As they were gathering up their findings, a wing of an unidentified bird was packed into a brown paper bag. It was to become the most famous wing in the world.

This wing would set the world of science aflutter. Experts were mystified. The wing was entirely unique. It was like nothing they had ever seem before. Could a new species be named based on just one wing? After much discussion, a new species was announced: Nechisar Nightjar, or Camprimulgus Solala, which means “only wing.” And so birdwatchers like Vernon began to dream.

Twenty-two years later, he joins an expedition of four to find this rarest bird in the world. In this gem of nature writing, Vernon captivates and enchants as he recounts the searches by spotlight through the Ethiopian plains, and allows the reader to mediate on nature, exploration, our need for wild places, and the human compulsion to name things. Rarest Bird is a celebration of a certain way of seeing the world, and will bring out the explorer in in everyone who reads it.

Ever since I first heard about the Nechisar Nightjar, I’ve been intrigued and wanted to know more. So I’m really looking forward to reading this. (Note: this book was first published in 2014, but this is the first time it has been published in the United States.)

The Rarest Bird in the World: The Search for the Nechisar Nightjar
by Vernon R.L. Head
Hardcover; 272 pages
Pegasus; March 7, 2016
ISBN: 9781605989631
$26.95

Buy from Buteo Books
(based in the U.S.)

Buy from NHBS
(based in the U.K.)

Waterfowl of North America, Europe, and Asia: An Identification Guide
by Sébastien Reeber

From Princeton University Press:

This is the ultimate guide for anyone who wants to identify the ducks, geese, and swans of North America, Europe, and Asia. With 72 stunning color plates (that include more than 920 drawings), over 650 superb photos, and in-depth descriptions, this book brings together the most current information on 84 species of Eurasian and North American waterfowl, and on more than 100 hybrids. The guide delves into taxonomy, identification features, determination of age and sex, geographic variations, measurements, voice, molt, and hybridization. In addition, the status of each species is treated with up-to-date details on distribution, population size, habitats, and life cycle. Color plates and photos are accompanied by informative captions and 85 distribution maps are also provided. Taken together, this is an unrivaled, must-have reference for any birder with an interest in the world’s waterfowl.

• A guide to the 84 species of ducks, geese, and swans of Europe, Asia, and North America
• 72 color plates with more than 920 illustrations of most plumages and subspecies, both in flight and standing
• More than 650 color photos
• Details on taxonomy, identification features, determination of age and sex, geographic variations, measurements, voice, molt, hybridization, habitat and life cycle, range and populations, and status in captivity
• 85 distribution maps
• Descriptions and illustrations of more than 100 hybrids regularly encountered in the wild

Wow, these plates show just about everything! Each species by sex, with geographic variation and eclipse plumages; in flight; even a full page of nothing but swan heads! And all these hybrids…this book may be worth it for them alone. In short, this is the most comprehensive, up-to-date identification guide for these birds. It would pair nicely with Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America, which covers everything else about waterfowl.

Waterfowl of North America, Europe, and Asia: An Identification Guide
by Sébastien Reeber
Hardcover; 656 pages
Princeton University Press; February 16, 2016
ISBN: 9780691162669
$45.00

Buy from Buteo Books
(based in the U.S.)

Buy from NHBS
(based in the U.K.)

First, if you haven’t yet done so, read Frank Lambert’s review of Bird Families of the World: A Guide to the Spectacular Diversity of Birds. As he mentions, the goal of this book is to reflect the wonderful diversity of birds. It does so by looking at birds at the level of the family, because that’s where “the diversity of birds becomes most manageable and meaningful.” Taxonomy is vital in this approach. Now, you may not know Thraupidae from Trochilidae, but that’s not a problem: you don’t have to be a taxonomy nut to use and appreciate this book. I’m certainly not. I don’t know all the Latin names or keep up with the latest advances in ornithology journals. Yet I find this book fascinating. Here’s just one example why. While flipping through the book, I discovered that the Puerto Rican Tanager is treated as the sole member of its own family. That caught my interest because I’ve actually seen this bird. While it obviously looks very different than most other “tanagers” (it’s much duller), I had no idea it was different enough that it could belong to its own family.

If you have any interest at all in taxonomy, you’ll find many similar examples of your own. Discovering new things about birds I thought I “knew” is exciting, but not the only reason to study this book. One of the authors, David Winkler, argues that learning bird families will make you a better birder.

All the above, along with extensive accompanying photographs and artwork, made Bird Families of the World one of my favorite books of 2015.

If, however, you don’t care a bit about taxonomy but would still like to learn more about the various families of birds, here are some books that I would recommend instead. These tend to focus more on natural history than relationships.

• The World of Birds – Two-thirds of this large book is devoted to short-to-medium-length family accounts. The remainder is an overview of birds as a whole, from evolution to breeding to their relationship with people.
• The Princeton Encyclopedia of Birds – Relatively extensive family accounts, illustrated by a mix of photos and artwork. (Note, this was originally published as the Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds .)