From the most unforgiving of concrete jungles to the pastoral reaches of the countryside, birds are among the most plentiful and plainly visible animals on the planet. For millions of years, they have survived in every known biome, carving out ecological niches for themselves and their offspring and often thriving. But this remarkable adaptability can only go so far. With the recent acceleration of habitat loss, climate change, spread of invasive species, and other detrimental environmental developments, birds are disappearing across the world. Yet despite such wide-ranging decimation, birdwatching remains one of the fastest growing hobbies in the United States.
Endangered and Disappearing Birds of Appalachia and the Southeast, by award-winning author and photographer Matt Williams, is an essential guide for the bird-curious in the Appalachian and southeastern regions of the United States. Combining brilliant photography with taxonomic classification, identification tips, and other information, the book goes beyond the scope of a traditional field guide. Each profile includes descriptions of current species-conservation efforts, as well as tips on how to get involved in the ongoing work to save these endangered creatures. This carefully compiled guide offers a detailed introduction to the birds that most need our help and to the steps we can all take to protect their future.
Acknowledgments
List of Commonly Used Abbreviations
Author's Note
Introduction
1. Mottled Duck
2. Chimney Swift
3. King Rail
4. Clapper Rail
5. Purple Gallinule
6. Limpkin
7. Mississippi Sandhill Crane
8. Whooping Crane
9. American Oystercatcher
10. Piping Plover
11. Wilson's Plover
12. Snowy Plover
13. Red Knot
14. Short-billed Dowitcher
15. Willet
16. Least Tern
17. Gull-billed Tern
18. Common Tern
19. Black Skimmer
20. Wood Stork
21. Little Blue Heron
22. Reddish Egret
23. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
24. Swallow-tailed Kite
25. Northern Harrier
26. Snail Kite
27. Burrowing Owl
28. Red-headed Woodpecker
29. Red-cockaded Woodpecker
30. American Kestrel
31. Loggerhead Shrike
32. Florida Scrub-Jay
33. Brown-headed Nuthatch
34. Wood Thrush
35. Bachman's Sparrow
36. Florida Grasshopper Sparrow
37. Seaside Sparrow
38. Saltmarsh Sparrow
39. Henslow's Sparrow
40. Golden-winged Warbler
41. Blue-winged Warbler
42. Prothonotary Warbler
43. Swaison's Warbler
44. Kentucky Warbler
45. Cerulean Warbler
46. Prairie Warbler
47. Canada Warbler
48. Scarlet Tanger
49. Painted Bunting
50. Dickissel
Works Cited
Matt Williams is an author and photographer from Crawfordsville, Indiana. His previous works include Indiana State Parks: A Centennial Celebration and Endangered and Disappearing Birds of the Midwest.
"With lush photography and solid science, conservationist Matt Williams illuminates the dozens of species of birds that add so much color, song, and life to the southern Appalachians and Southeast – but are also in serious decline. This book is both a guide to their natural history and a call to action on their behalf."
– Scott Weidensaul, bestselling author of A World on the Wing