Raptors of Western North America, Wheeler, pb

Brian K. Wheeler

This book is for people who can’t pass a raptor of any sort without wanting to know more. What phase of the red-tail? How old? Is it a hybrid? What subspecies? What’s the molt pattern? What are its migration routes, and how does it behave during migration? Give me more, more, more!!!!! Details, details, details presented in a cut-and-dried style rather than lyrical. The division between east and west is the Mississippi River. For species that occur in both ranges, i.e. the Red-tailed Hawk, the different sub-species and color morphs are examined.

From the publisher: “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 Guides will 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.”

Paper, 544pages, 6 x 9 inches, full-color photographs, maps, July 2007. Hardcover still available.