Reference Resources
Dorst, J. (1974). The life of birds (Vols. 1-2). (I. C. J. Galbraith, Trans.). London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. (Original work published 1971).
This book set was written by the Jean Dorst, a Professor at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. It is a comprehensive study of birds with black and white photographs and illustrations. The articles include bird behaviors, habitats, migration patterns, and their relationship to man. An extensive bibliography is located at the back of each volume and an index at the back of Volume 2. These volumes would be useful to beginning to advanced birdwatchers, students, and professional ornithologists especially with a view to understanding the historical evolution of ornithological information.
Forshaw, J. (Ed.). (1998). Encyclopedia of birds. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
A large hard cover book with beautiful color photographs and descriptions, the information presented includes the classification and endangered status of different birds of the world. Although not a highly scholarly work, it can best be described as a “coffee table book.” This reference would be a welcome addition to anyone with an interest in birds.
Perrins, C. M. (1990). The illustrated encyclopedia of birds: The definitive reference to birds of the world. New York: Prentice Hall Press.
Being described by the author as “the definitive reference” would not be an exaggeration. This reference is an excellent introduction to anyone with a serious interest in birds. It covers such topics as: bird structure and biology, evolution, classification, geography, migration, remarkable birds, threatened birds, and conservation. With brief articles and wonderful color illustrations, it is organized by bird orders and includes the world checklist of species. At the back of the book is a full index of all birds included. This reference would be useful to beginning birdwatchers, students, and advanced birdwatchers alike.
Perrins, C. M., & Middleton, A. L. A. (Eds.). (1985). The encyclopedia of birds. London: George Allen & Unwin.
Excellent reference text of over 180 families of living birds of the world. With over 90 expert contributors, articles for each family discuss such topics as ecology, distribution patterns, life cycles, mating rituals, social organization, and survival status based on field work for each bird family. Reference information includes classification, number of species, distribution patterns, habitat, size, color, calls, and nesting behavior. The text is organized into three sections: 1) large birds, 2) “Non-Passerines” which are small to moderate sized birds, and 3) the largest single order – the “Passeriformes.” The color photographs and illustrations enable bird identification. The discussion includes information about the family, order, distribution maps, detailed factual information, and commentary. Additionally it has a bibliography, glossary, and index at the back of the book. This reference would be useful to beginning birdwatchers, students, advanced birdwatchers, and professional ornithologists.
Poole., A. F., Stettenheim, P., & Gill, F. B. (1992-2002). The birds of North America: Life histories for the 21st century (Vols. 1-19). Washington, DC: The American Ornithologists’ Union and Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences.
This reference is a 19 volume set of books containing 716 scientific profiles of North American birds. It includes an extensive introduction to the history of ornithology starting with Alexander Wilson’s American Ornithology which set the foundation for studying birds of North America. The bird profiles include common English name, scientific name, general introduction, distinguishing characteristics, distribution, systematics, migration, habitat, food, habits, sounds, behavior, breeding, demography, conservation and management, appearance, measurements (linear and mass), and priorities for future research. With photographs and illustrations, each article lists acknowledgements and extensive references and maps showing the distribution. As an example, the article about the Arctic tern is 40 pages long (Vol. 19, Article No. 707). This reference set would be useful to beginning and advanced birdwatchers, students, and professional ornithologists.
Terres, J. K. (1980). The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
With 875 full color photographs and 800 black and white illustrations, this reference provides very detailed accounts of all birds that nest or are sighted in the 48 contiguous United States plus Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Bermuda, and Baja, California. It has 6,000 alphabetical entries that cover 847 birds that include their appearance, habits, range, songs, nests, behavior, etc. This reference would be useful to everyone from beginning birdwatchers to professional ornithologists.
Guidebooks:
Baicich, P. J., & Harrison, C. J. O. (2005). Princeton field guides: Nests, eggs, and nestlings of North American birds (2nd Ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
This reference provides information about the breeding biology of North American birds organized by family and species. Basic information includes topics on the birds’ nesting cycle with habitat and nest sites; appearance of the nests, eggs, and young birds; season of breeding; information on incubation; and details on the care of the young birds. With color plates as well as black and white drawings, this book is useful to beginning birdwatchers, students, advanced birdwatchers, and professional ornithologists.
Griggs, J. L. (1997). American Bird Conservancy’s field guide: All the birds of North America. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.
A pocket sized weather-resistant soft cover book which easily fits into a backpack, this reference with full color illustrations organizes the birds by field-recognizable easily observable characteristics. The text includes common English name, scientific name, size, distribution, and identifying information. This field guide would be useful for beginning to advanced birdwatchers.
Harrison, H. H. (1973). Peterson field guides: A field guide to western birds’ nests. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
This reference, sponsored by the National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, covers 520 species of birds found breeding in the United States west of the Mississippi River. It includes the common English name and scientific name, the breeding ranges, habitat, information on the nests and eggs, and general notes. It includes color plates and black and white photographs. It is organized by order and species as listed in the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-List of North American Birds (5th ed., 1957). This book would be useful to beginning birdwatchers, students, advanced birdwatchers, and professional ornithologists.
National Geographic field guide to the birds of North America. (4th ed.). (2002). Washington, DC: National Geographic.
A soft cover book with 800 range maps and a quick-find index, it fits into a backpack and is an excellent introductory text for understanding all species of birds known to breed in North America. Over 800 birds are covered with focus on the birds’ identification, understanding their needs, and managing their habitats. With full color and detailed illustrations and descriptions combined with the quick-find index, this reference would be useful to beginning birdwatchers, students, advanced birdwatchers, and professional ornithologists.
Sibley, D. A. (2001). The Sibley field guide to birds. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
With coverage of over 810 species and greater than 6,600 color illustrations, this field guide contains all the important information from the bird’s measurements of length, wingspan, and weight to information about the species and geographic variations. Included to make identification easier are voice descriptions as well as complete range distributions and migratory routes. This field guide would be useful for everyone from beginner to advanced birdwatchers, students, and professional ornithologists.
Sibley, D. A. (2003). The Sibley field guide to birds of eastern North America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
This field guide is small enough to fit into a backpack. It provides identification information for 650 species of birds found east of the Rocky Mountains in North America. With over 4,200 color illustrations to make identification easier, the information includes the bird’s common English name, scientific name, length, wingspan, weight, range maps, frequency, nesting, foods and feeding, voice description, and key identifying features. This reference would be useful to everyone from beginning to advanced birdwatchers as well as students and professional ornithologists.
Weidensaul, S. (1998). National Audubon Society first field guide. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
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