Editorial Review:
This companion volume to the previous, widely acclaimed Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrows of the United States and Canada takes sparrow identification one step further. The authors have gathered a stunning selection of over 350 photographs as a basis for the identification of all 64 taxa of emberizine sparrows found in the region. Never before has such a comprehensive collection of sparrow photos been presented together in a single guide. The supporting text gives detailed information on the identification of species, sexes, ages, races, and forms of all the sparrows, towhees, juncos, buntings and longspurs, grassquits and seedeaters, as well as information on their distribution, habits, habitats, molt, and voice. Particular attention is paid to the geographic variation found in many species and to comparisons with similar and confusing species. The conservation status of those that are threatened is also given due attention. The photographs include contributions from many of America's finest bird photographers, and many were taken especially for this book. All fine portraits in themselves, they have been chosen specifically to illustrate the identification pointers described in the text. Each is captioned with full details of the photographer and the place and time at which the photo was taken. Also included are line drawings of identification details such as wing and tail feathers and beaks, as well as distribution maps. Key Features: - Features 350 high quality photographs of each species, subspecies, and racial form identifiable in the field
- Includes line drawings of identification details such as wing and tail feathers, beaks, etc.
- Contains distribution maps for each species
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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
EXCELLENT REFERENCE AND RESOURCE BOOK! 2008-10-11
Sparrows can and are difficult to identify at times, in particular if you live within the area of major migrations. This difficulty comes from the fact that there is a large difference, at times, between male, female, juveniles, molting stages, variations in plumage and even at times, confusion over calls and behavior. Add to this the fact that, for the most part, all these wonderful little winged creatures are about the same size and shape, and you have real problems.
I do not use this particular book as a field guide, i.e. one that I carry in my kit bag when I am in the bush. I have quite a number of other guides and no end to the pure junk I have stuck here and there. I have had to simply draw the line somewhere, our buy a mule to help me haul the stuff around. I use this book as a study reference to which I can compare my field notes, photographs and memory. The photographs in this one are not a numerous as in some other like volumes, and as has been pointed out, thee is quite a lot of test. This is the strong point of the book though. By specializing, the author has been able to give exact data on habitat, habits, feeding patterns, migration patterns and obscure little facts that are most helpful. I love the way the slight plumage variations have been addressed and noted. This can make all the difference in the world when fretting over a difficult to identify species.
The photograph quality is excellent and this volume does contain some of the clearest close up view of birds of any of the many books I do own. Sparrows and warblers have always been my bane, and I do appreciate this work as it has made my life and major hobby much easier and more enjoyable.
Recommend this one highly.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
Excellent...! 2008-06-24
This edition has a lot of text in it, so it's not really geared towards field use. Yet, the pictures provided are really good. However, for an in-depth study of sparrows, it's an excellent source. Definitely recommended.
Sparrows for the rest of us 2006-07-25
This book is great for those having difficulty identifing sparrows or LBJ's (Little Brown Jobs). It has many actual pictures of each sparrows which shows the different variations from region to region, young to old, and from season to season.
Fantastic book for id of sparrows!! 2003-11-28
In the winter time here in Virginia we get a number of differnt types of sparrows that migrate in. I love watching them but was having difficulty determining which types were which from just the regular field guides so I asked around and one of our local birders recommended this to me. Its terrific! The pictures of the birds are close-up - as if you were holding the bird or were sitting on the ground less than a foot away looking at the bird. This really helps when trying to distinguish the slight differences in colors or patterns. Each species has a chapter that strats out with measurements (size, weight etc) then there's a range map, and some text on habitat, then some text on behavior and voice/songs. There's writing about similar species, geographic variation, distribution (winter, breeding, migration periods), conservation status, and molt. There's also text descriptions for specific markings etc to hone in on, and discussion of hybrids if any. Then the chapter has pictures, of boys, girls, adults, juveniles, etc. Really a great book that has helped me a lot. I'd buy it again in a heart beat.
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