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Is there a group of birds with more field guide representation than raptors? It’s not hard to understand why, just think of the words commonly used to describe them: Majestic; fierce; enthralling. Confusing. Is there anything more frustrating than that speck in the sky that just won’t come close enough to identify? Well, how about the accipiter or juvenile buteo that just sits there for you, but you still can’t tell what the heck it is? So it’s definitely worthwhile to have a specialized guide for birds of prey. But such guides come in almost as many variations as Red-tailed Hawks. Which one (or ones) should you get?

In this comparison, I’ll briefly go over each of the major field guides to North American raptors, and then end with some recommendations. (Unless otherwise mentioned, each of these include the 34 raptors that routinely breed in the United States and Canada.) Let’s start with the newest…

The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors

by Richard Crossley, Jerry Liguori, and Brian Sullivan
Princeton University Press; 2013
$29.95

Highlights

• Similar format as The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds
• 32 double-paged “mystery photos”, where you can practice identifying and/or ageing raptors
• Includes, by far, the most photos of each species, on average
• Relatively extensive species accounts

Richard Crossley takes the unique format introduced in his Eastern Birds guide and expands upon it. Every bird (except Aplomado Falcon) gets at least two pages devoted exclusively to it (Red-tailed gets ten!), plus inclusion in one or more of the mystery photos. These plates, where numbered images of different species are grouped together, are my favorite feature. With the answers in the back, they afford great practice at identification and provide the easiest way to compare species against each other. The Crossley raptor guide’s insane number of photos and innovative design make it fun to study raptors.

Hawks in Flight: Second Edition

by Pete Dunne, Clay Sutton, and David Sibley
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 2012
$26.00

Highlights

• Wonderful text from Pete Dunne
• Drawings by David Sibley
• Photographs with some great captions

This guide, first published in 1988, is a classic. Now in its second edition, complete with color photos and added species, it’s even better. The photos are nice, and you can learn a great deal about hawk ID just by reading their captions. But it’s the text and drawings that set this book apart. Sibley’s drawings are black-and-white, but that’s not a bad thing – it helps draw attention to pattern and shape, the most important aspects for identifying hawks in flight. And the text…well, let’s just say that it’s not only the most helpful but is actually fun to read!

Full review of Hawks in Flight: Second Edition

Hawks from Every Angle: How to Identify Raptors In Flight

by Jerry Liguori
Princeton University Press; 2005
$19.95

Hawks at a Distance: Identification of Migrant Raptors

by Jerry Liguori
Princeton University Press; 2011
$19.95

Hawks from Every Angle

Hawks at a Distance

Highlights

• The most extensive collection of in-flight hawk photos
• Wonderful composite plates of both single and multiple species
• Only includes birds most likely to be seen migrating (so no Gray Hawk, Snail Kite, etc)

I’m treating these together because they seem like one book that was published in two parts. Both deal exclusively with in-flight raptors that are likely to be encountered at hawkwatches. Angle uses the larger, more close-up views that you’re used to. But Distance features birds that are smaller and more distant. Combined, they contain more photos of each bird than even Crossley. Both include some really helpful composite plates. The text is fairly brief and to the point. Their unique approach and features make them invaluable to hawkwatchers.

Full reviews of Hawks from Every Angle and Hawks at a Distance

Hawks of North America (Peterson Field Guide)

by William S. Clark and Brian K. Wheeler
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 2001
$22.00

Highlights

• Illustrated with both paintings and photographs
• Includes 12 vagrants not found in most other guides (i.e. Roadside Hawk and White-tailed Eagle)
• Relatively extensive species accounts

The paintings are the primary illustrations, depicting just about any variation and pose you could want. And since this is part of the venerable Peterson field guide series, there are arrows pointing out what to look for. I’m not a big fan of the illustrations, though; they just look off to me. The photos are a nice supplement, but they are relatively few and small. The text includes a good bit of information, mostly related to identification.

A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors

by Brian K. Wheeler and William S. Clark
Princeton University Press; 2003
$29.95

Highlights

• Photos of birds both perched and in-flight (though fewer than most other guides)
• Side-by-side comparisons of similar species
• Includes 9 vagrants

This was intended to be a supplement to the authors’ Peterson guide, but in hindsight seems more like the forerunner to Wheeler’s later guides (see below). Unlike those, this one is more portable and field-usable. But it also includes far fewer photos (and of lesser quality) and briefer text. It’s still a decent guide, but is definitely showing its age.

The Wheeler Guides:
Raptors of Eastern North America
Raptors of Western North America

by Brian K. Wheeler
Princeton University Press; 2003
$$$$ – out of print

Highlights

• Very extensive species accounts
• Large selection of nice photos, including perched and in-flight
• Largest, most detailed range maps that I’ve ever seen
• Excellent reference

Despite being “just” a decade old and published in both hardcover and paperback, the Wheeler Guides are now out of print and command big bucks on the secondary market ($100+ each!). So I hesitate to include them here, but they’re just too good to leave out! These are the best raptor references that you will find. The text is exhaustive (and exhausting, honestly), the range maps incredible, and the photographs plentiful. You know I love my bird books, but it says a lot that I still have my Wheeler Guides despite the price I could get selling them.

Full review of The Wheeler Guides

Recommendation

This may sound surprising (or like a cop-out), but each – well, most – of these guides have a place in your library depending on your needs. In my opinion, the best in general are Crossley and Hawks in Flight. I would recommend them to any birder, largely because I think they’re the easiest to study and learn the basics of raptor ID. If you’re looking for a guide to North American raptors, start with these.

If those are the best guides to study beforehand, the Wheeler Guides are where you would turn if you have a question or want to work out a difficult ID. If you can find your region’s volume for a reasonable price, get it.

Of all these guides, Jerry Liguori’s Hawks from Every Angle and Hawks at a Distance are the ones most targeted toward those who consider themselves hawkwatchers. If you spend much time at all around hawkwatches, you will want these two books. Other birders can certainly use them too, of course, but they aren’t as essential as Crossley and Hawks in Flight.

That leaves the Peterson and photographic guides by Clark and Wheeler. While they can still be helpful for raptor identification, they are older and have now been surpassed by the others listed here. Looking back, it’s amazing to see how much raptor photography has improved in such a relatively short time.

This post is part of the Raptor Blog Tour coinciding with the release of The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors. Be sure to check out all the other posts celebrating these wonderful birds.

Disclosure: The books included here were complementary review copies provided by the publishers, with the exception of Hawks from Every Angle, Peterson, and the Wheeler Guides.

The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors comes out in less than a month, and its publisher – Princeton University Press – is making a big deal of it. And after spending just a little time with the guide, I can say the hoopla is warranted. So what kind of hoopla? First, today begins a two-week long “blog tour”, in which bird bloggers celebrate raptors in various ways. Here’s the blog tour schedule (watch for my contribution on March 22!). This will culminate in a live chat with Crossley and Brian Sullivan on the 22nd. Info and preregister here – http://shindig.com/event/raptorid.

In addition, there is a ginormous giveaway. We’re talking binoculars, signed Crossley guides, an app, DVD’s, and more (and they’re adding prizes all the time!). You can enter once a day until March 22.

Would you like to see for yourself if this guide is worth all of this? Check out this extensive sampler:

Here are some bird book reviews that I noticed last month.

There’s no crying in bird book reviews!

The Natural Communities of Georgia
by Leslie Edwards, Jonathan Ambrose, and L. Katherine Kirkman

From The University of Georgia Press:

The Natural Communities of Georgia presents a comprehensive overview of the state’s natural landscapes, providing an ecological context to enhance understanding of this region’s natural history.

Georgia boasts an impressive range of natural communities, assemblages of interacting species that have either been minimally impacted by modern human activities or have successfully recovered from them. This guide makes the case that identifying these distinctive communities and the factors that determine their distribution are central to understanding Georgia’s ecological diversity and the steps necessary for its conservation.

Within Georgia’s five major ecoregions the editors identify and describe a total of sixty-six natural communities, such as the expansive salt marshes of the barrier islands in the Maritime ecoregion, the fire-driven longleaf pine woodlands of the Coastal Plain, the beautiful granite outcrops of the Piedmont, the rare prairies of the Ridge and Valley, and the diverse coves of the Blue Ridge.

The description of each natural community includes

• Traits that make it interesting and significant
• Physical factors and ecological processes that determine the distribution and characteristics of each community
• Typical plant communities
• Representative or noteworthy animals
• Sidebars that discuss particularly interesting features

With contributions from scientists who have managed, researched, and written about Georgia landscapes for decades, the guide features more than four hundred color photographs that reveal the stunning natural beauty and diversity of the state. The book also explores conservation issues, including rare or declining species, current and future threats to specific areas, and research needs, and provides land management strategies for preserving, restoring, and maintaining biotic communities.

The Natural Communities of Georgia is an essential reference for ecologists and other scientists, as well as a rich resource for Georgians interested in the region’s natural heritage.

Wow, is this an amazing book. I’ve lived in Georgia my entire life, and this makes me want to get out and explore the state like I’ve never been here before.

The Natural Communities of Georgia
by Leslie Edwards, Jonathan Ambrose, and L. Katherine Kirkman
Hardcover; 702 pages
The University of Georgia Press; February 25, 2013
ISBN: 978-0820330211
$59.95

The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region
The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Western Region
by Donald and Lillian Stokes
March 26, 2013

From Little, Brown and Company:

The culmination of many years of research, observation, and study, the THE NEW STOKES FIELD GUIDE TO BIRDS: Eastern and Western Region is factually, visually, and organizationally superior to any other photographic field guide available.

These easy-to-use guides feature 545 (Eastern) and 636 (Western) North American bird species and more than 2,000 stunning color photographs. And yet they’re portable enough to fit in your pocket! The photographs cover all significant plumages, including male, female, summer, winter, immature, morphs, important subspecies, and birds in flight. The guide includes:

• the newest scientific and common names and phylogenetic order
• special help for identifying birds in flight through important clues of behavior, plumage, and shape
• detailed descriptions of songs and calls
• important behavioral information and key habitat preferences
• the newest range maps, detailing species’ winter, summer, year-round ranges, and migration routes

Whether you are a novice or experienced birder, these new Stokes guides will take your birding to the next level.

Love the Stokes field guide but wish it were more portable? Rejoice, for your wish will soon be granted. These new regional guides are basically the same as the “big” Stokes but with out-of-region and extreme vagrant species removed, making them much thinner.

A more detailed look at these new editions is coming soon.

The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region and
The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Western Region
by Donald and Lillian Stokes
Paperback; 512 and 591 pages
Little, Brown and Company; March 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-0316213936 (Eastern); 978-0316213929 (Western)
$19.99 each

Costa Rica Birds Field Guide
$19.99

From Birding Field Guides:

Full-featured birding field guide for Costa Rica, including bird photographs, individual bird range maps, vocalizations, field marks, description, habitat. Additional features include comprehensive filter choices, sorting options, personal notes, camera, email notes and photos.

Features include:

• Over 400 Costa Rica species
• Quality photographs for each bird
• Extensive search / filter
• Range map for each bird
• Description, field marks, habitat for each bird
• Bird Sounds
• Personal notes
• Email notes
• Camera

There’s not a whole lot of information about the app on itunes or the developer’s website (but there are a few more details at Costa Rica Living and Birding). But there is a free Lite version that you can check out. This is the first field guide app to anywhere in Central America that I’m aware of, so even if it doesn’t turn out to be the best app ever it could still be plenty valuable to visiting birders.

Laws of Migration
by J. Suzanne Frank

From Tyrus Books:

Birds, especially the ibis, have always fascinated Elize — that’s why she became an ornithologist. But when her boss at the private Texas coastal institute where she’s spent her career gives away her expected promotion, Elize flees to Morocco to lick her wounds and write a research paper that will prove her worth and secure her professional future.

Morocco, with its impressive migration season, exotic flavors, and unwritten rules, is altogether foreign, even if many of the birds are familiar. After a brush with danger, Elize finds herself in Marrakesh, dependent on Erik, a sexy, mysterious stranger who makes her feel alive while opening her eyes to a new, intriguing world. After encountering her ornithology colleagues, who remind Elize of every bad professional choice and missed opportunity, she vows to find the Northern Bald Ibis — an endangered bird few have seen — and impress everyone.

She and Erik journey from coastal paradise to remote desert mountains in search of the birds. Through misadventure, Elize is forced to trust an unknown culture, and through tragedy she realizes that love and forgiveness are attainable. But first she must surrender her past and its pain to embrace her future and fly free.

I’m not sure how much birds and birding play into this novel, but the mention of Northern Bald Ibis sure caught my eye.

Laws of Migration
by J. Suzanne Frank
Paperback; 320 pages
Tyrus Books; January 18, 2013
ISBN: 978-1440557736
$16.95

A North Country Life: Tales of Woodsmen, Waters, and Wildlife
by Sydney Lea

From Skyhorse Publishing:

A North Country Life is the story of author Sydney Lea’s powerful connection to his family, friends, and the northern outdoors. Loosely organized by the changing of seasons, different sections feature essays on such topics as childhood family fishing trips in the wilds of Maine, trophy fly-fishing the northern reaches of the Connecticut River, the opening day of turkey hunting season in Vermont, and getting lost in the deep woods while deer hunting. The essays are introspective and dramatic illustrations of the blending of the human and natural worlds; emotion is attached to both spheres and adds texture to the sketches. Readers of varied interests will be drawn to the sincerity of the author’s voice.

A notable writer and poet, Lea’s lyrical writing preserves a picture of people and places from the past with vivid scenes recalling former times and contrasting them with modern life. Thoughtful portraits of New England elders and the author’s friends bring to life the outdoors as seen through many different eyes, inspiring readers to take a new look at the world around them. With the author’s knack for descriptive language, this compelling read will strike a chord with anyone interested in the contemplative side of nature—which, in truth, is most of us.

Although not really about birds, this book should appeal to those interested in New England and its nature.

A North Country Life: Tales of Woodsmen, Waters, and Wildlife
by Sydney Lea
Hardcover; 224 pages
Skyhorse Publishing; January 15, 2013
ISBN: 978-1616088637
$24.95