This desk reference is the most up-to-date and comprehensive source of knowledge on North American bird identification, distribution, behaviour, habitat, and conservation concerns available today.
More an encyclopedia than a field guide, National Geographic Complete Birds of North America is a browsable treasure trove of facts. This comprehensive volume profiles every bird observable in the continental United States and Canada, featuring species accounts with details that include calls and songs, breeding behaviours, moulting patterns, and the vast extent of their polar and neotropical migrations. The precision maps, illuminating photographs, and more than 4,000 exquisite pieces of annotated art make this the biggest and best bird book ever. This third edition, thoroughly updated, includes:
- Information on more than 1,000 species and subspecies
- Overviews of every family
- Organization reflecting current taxonomy
- 850 range maps, more than half updated since the last edition
- Sidebars on identification challenges such as distinguishing between Bay-breasted and Blackpoll Warblers in fall or separating the various species of white egrets
These 752 pages add up to a lifetime of learning for all devoted birders, from those just beginning birders to those who have been building their life lists for decades.
Jonathan Alderfer, a widely published author and field guide illustrator, is well known in the birding community for his expertise as a field ornithologist and his knowledge of North American birds. He has served as editor, author, and illustrator on a number of National Geographic birding books, including the 4th, 5th, and 6th editions of the bestselling Field Guide to the Birds of North America.