Birds of Rhode Island documents the status and distribution of birds in the state since the late nineteenth century. Based on comprehensive fieldwork and research by Richard L. Ferren and edited by Richard R. Veit, this book describes the habitats and locations of more than four hundred species of birds along with data on the seasons of their occurrence.
This volume features:
- An introductory section that includes a history of ornithology in Rhode Island, descriptions of the state's most important bird habitats and biogeographical regions, and an overview of factors affecting species populations
- Species accounts with information on changes in abundance and distribution as well as conservation and management methods
- An eighty-year history of banding and migration watching at Block Island, seventy years of seabird migration quantification at Point Judith, a detailed history of the state's seabird colonies, and multiple surveys of the state's breeding birds
- Colour photographs taken in the field of recent rarities discovered in Rhode Island
Offering a chronicle of changing avian population dynamics, Birds of Rhode Island is an indispensable resource for ornithologists and bird enthusiasts interested in the avifauna of Rhode Island and beyond. Copublished with the Nuttall Ornithological Club, No. 27 in the series Memoirs of the Nuttall Ornithological Club.
Richard L. Ferren is Professor Emeritus of Environmental and Life Sciences at Berkshire Community College and a member of the Rhode Island Avian Records Committee. He is the co-author of Rhode Island's Maritime Nesting Birds and Status of the American Oystercatcher in New England.
Richard R. Veit is a Professor of Biology at The City University of New York's College of Staten Island. He is the co-author of Birds of Massachusetts and a Nuttall Ornithological Club Publications Editor.
"A gem! An authoritative synthesis grounded in decades of fieldwork and countless hours of analysis. Complete observer data, an exhaustive bibliography, and documentary color photographs and maps complement the engrossing text."
– P. A. Buckley, author of Urban Ornithology
"Rhode Island, small but well covered in ornithological history, vividly demonstrates the ever-shifting nature of bird populations and distributions. This valuable resource will inspire birders throughout southern New England to be alert for what changes in climate and land use may bring next."
– Roger Pasquier, author of Birds in Winter