Raptors of Western North America

by Wheeler, Brian K.

• ISBN13: 9780691134772
• ISBN10: 0691134774
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-07-02
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

Raptors of Western North America--together with its companion volume,Raptors of Eastern North America--are the best and most thorough guides to North American hawks, eagles, and other raptors ever published. Abundantly illustrated with hundreds of full-color high-quality photographs, they are essential books for anyone seeking to identify these notoriously tricky-to-identify birds. The Wheeler Guideswill help birders and biologists navigate the pitfalls of raptor identification, including raptors' often extreme variation by age and sex as well as the existence of numerous "confusion" species. The plumage section discusses more plumage variations--and in greater consistency, depth, and clarity--than any previously published guide. The text--informed by years of study and consultation with local, state, provincial, and regional experts--covers all aspects of raptor biology in an easy-to-read and consistent format. It provides the most up-to-date information available on status and distribution, taking into account the recent alteration of some species' ranges due to pesticide bans and introduction programs. The range maps--which include "city" plotting--are the most accurate and largest ever produced for North American raptors.

Table of Contents

Forward
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Abbreviations	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
Key to Maps	p. 9
Genral Glossary	p. 10
Anatomy and Feather Glossary	p. 15
Plumage, Molt, and Age Glossary	p. 20
Flying and Perching Displays Glossary	p. 24
Perching and Flying Attitudes	p. 28
Photography	p. 33
""Raptor Music""a poem	p. 35
Species Accounts
Black Vulture	p. 39
Turkey Vulture	p. 46
California Condor	p. 57
Osprey	p. 68
Hook-billed Kite	p. 77
Swallow-tailed
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