Water Birds of California (California Natural History Guides) - Softcover

Cogswell, Howard L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0520026993 ISBN 13: 9780520026995

Publisher: University of California Press, 1977

Synopsis

The birds that inhabit the sea coast, river banks and lake shores of California include many intriguing species- from the small, graceful Spotted Sandpiper that "teeters" busily along the beaches, to the gaunt yet graceful Brown Pelican, now making a come-back after the banning of DDT. This book is a practical, convenient guide to species recognition. Three Picture Keys guide the reader quickly from drawings to species descriptions. These enable even an inexperienced observer to make positive identifications- for instance of the many kinds of gulls and terns- and to understand the ranges, breeding habits, nesting, and plumage changes of some 165 species- many of them illustrated in the twelve color plates. (Another 21 rare species are also briefly described in the text.) Introductory general chapters treat feeding, flocking, migration, nesting, habitat use, and conservation. Other chapters cover techniques in observing and record-keeping - a unique feature among recent field guides and particularly useful for water birds, where some notable gaps still exist in knowledge of their year-round biology. Another special feature is an appendix that graphically summarizes information on actual abundance in preferred habitats and in different districts. This book will be essential to all serious students of California birds.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 1977
• ISBN 10: 0520026993
• ISBN 13: 9780520026995
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 342
• Illustrator: Christman Gene M.