Hawks Eagles Falcons Of North Americabiology And Natural Histo

ANIMALS

From majestic Bald Eagles to tiny Elf Owls, raptors are nature’s most fascinating and powerful birds. As predators with wide ranging habitats and food sources, raptors also serve as a litmus test for the health of their ecosystems. To preserve a species such as the Everglade Kite or Spotted Owl is to ensure the survival of many other creatures. Ornithologists Noel and Helen Snyder have spent nearly fifty years studying and photographing birds of prey in their natural habitat. The result of decades of firsthand field studies combined with key biological and conservation studies by other experts, Raptors of North America presents a comprehensive and captivating account of our continent’s birds of prey. Readers will meet the nocturnal raptors, the owls, and the diurnal raptors: hawks, harriers, kites, falcons, eagles, ospreys, vultures, and condors. This book was an editor's choice of the Scientific American Book Club.

An expanded and revised version of the best-selling Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, and Owls: A Coloring Album, Raptors contains stunning color images of North America's most majestic birds surrounded by activities and coloring pages. Ann Price provides a brief description of what separates raptors from other birds, their evolution from prehistoric forebears, and offers a map to illustrate distribution throughout the North American continent today. The centerpiece of the book is a gallery of 50 raptors, one per page, with a brief description of each bird's unique characteristics, lifestyle, and habitat. Keyed to color paintings found elsewhere in the book, these pages provide an opportunity for children to create their own renderings of the plumage of these magnificent birds.

The bestselling guide to hawks is now completely revised and in full color, with 40 color plates and 140 color photos. Up-to-date maps show ranges for each season, and the text covers all 39 diurnal raptors seen in North America.

ANIMALS

Photographer Rob Palmer has a passion for birds of prey and has traveled the world in pursuit of images that capture their amazing beauty and behaviors as they go about their lives in their natural environment. In this book, he has collected nearly two-hundred of his favorite shots, showcasing a wide array of species, locations, seasons, and activities. From grown hawks in flight to youngsters hamming it up in the nest, you’ll enjoy a virtual tour of the lives of these mesmerizing birds. Palmer also provides explanatory text to help you identify the species, appreciate the behaviors, and understand what it takes to get shots like these. Whether you are a hawk lover or an aspiring bird photographer, you’ll love this book!

Annotation. An essential illustrated resource on the hawks & owls of Eastern North America.

Swift and iridescent, hummingbirds are found only in the New World, and encompass an amazing variety of specializations. No other family of birds can lay claim to so many superlatives, including smallest size, most rapid wingbeat, and most specialized plumages. While many species can be attracted to feeding stations and backyard flower gardens, others can be found only in the wild. Paul A. Johnsgard's Hummingbirds of North America is the only book devoted to the identification, distribution, and biology -- both individual and comparative -- of all hummingbirds that breed in North America. First published in 1983, this acclaimed volume now has been revised and expanded to include twenty-five Mexican species, such as the long-billed starthroat and the fork-tailed emeralds, thereby more than doubling the species coverage of the original edition. Full species-by-species accounts survey the evolutionary history, anatomical and physiological specializations, and comparative ecology, behavior, and reproductive biology of this largest family of nonpasserine birds. Individual accounts are complemented by 24 full-color paintings. Including updated range maps, identification keys, and a bibliography that has been broadened to include literature on the little-known Mexican species, the book is both accessible to amateur birders and an authoritative volume for ornithologists.