Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1552977773 ISBN 13: 9781552977774

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2003

Synopsis

The ultimate reference to the vast world of birds.

Discover a family of birds who are phenomenal fliers but cannot walk or climb. There is a species that nests at the Arctic Circle and winters at the lower tip of South America, migrating up to 235,000 miles in its lifetime. These and thousands more winged wonders are described in fascinating detail in the Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds.

Authoritative, easy-to-read essays explain mating rituals, historical significance, evolutionary development, and nesting habits. Organized alphabetically by Family, this comprehensive encyclopedia is illustrated with 2,000 color photographs and location maps. The text is lively, well researched, cleanly organized and completely understandable to nonscientific readers. A Fact File for each bird family lists the relevant data including species, genus, global distribution, habitat, plumage, voice, nest, egg descriptions, diet and conservation status.

With contributions by a team of 100 distinguished zoologists, the Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds is a major reference work for all birders as well as students and naturalists.

About this title

About the Author

Christopher Perrins is Director of the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology at Oxford University.

Reviews

This encyclopedia provides a good overview of the birds of the world. About 9,800 bird species are included. The signed articles, arranged by family, average two to six pages in length. They are written by subject experts at a level accessible to high-school students and the general reader. The discussion of each family is augmented by a "Factfile," which usually includes a distribution map, habitat, size, plumage, voice, nest, eggs, diet, and conservation status. "Special Feature" articles highlight topics such as peacock display and the effects of pesticides, and the "Photo Story" features use photos and detailed captions to illustrate various types of bird behavior.

Species represented include those common to North America, such as snowy owls, blue jays, golden-crowned kinglets, and indigo buntings, as well as birds native to other parts of the world with intriguing common names like purple-crowned fairy wren, skylark, cuckoo roller, mountain firetail, and pin-tailed whydah. The casual reader could glean many interesting facts from this encyclopedia. For example, we learn that the New Caledonian crow is able to create tools to flush out insects; whooping cranes have been "taught" to migrate by imprinting aircraft as their parents; pigeons produce a crop milk that is similar to mammal milk. Outstanding large-format color photographs and illustrations on every page should appeal to both students and the general reader. A 16-page index provides subject access to the contents.

For high-school, public, and academic libraries, this encyclopedia is a good value for the money. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia: v.8-11: Birds [RBB Ja 1 &15 02] is a more comprehensive and proportionately more expensive set and belongs in larger collections. For smaller collections, the Firefly volume is an excellent alternative. RBB
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Edition details

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1552977773
• ISBN 13: 9781552977774
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 640
• Editor: Perrins Christopher