10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

Phillipps’ Field Guide (I’ll be using this shortened form of the title) covers 673 avian species, including 59 endemics, and 53 species that have not been documented yet for the area but which may show up in the next few years. Borneo, the authors say, is under-birded. I think we need to do something about that.

Brunei 179

Brunei Birds Asia China 179

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2020

It didn’t occur to me till I started reading The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird that there was also a possible threat to the eagle herself: poachers, who steal raptor eggs and chicks. McWilliam realizes he’s dealing someone special, a career falcon egg-thief.

Falcons 224

Falcons United Kingdom Zimbabwe Eggs 224

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

What the Owl Knows is organized into nine chapters: introduction, adaptation (including vision and flight), research and researchers, vocalization, courtship and breeding, roosting and migration, cognition, and two chapters on owls and humans–captive owls (not zoos, educational owls) and owls in our cultural history.

Owls 224

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 224

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

Habitat loss, as documented by hieroglyphs. The Latin species name lamigellerus is a Latin phrase for ‘a small, thin, metal plate’ which refers to the flattened feather shafts, especially on the underparts. Studies on improving ostrich egg hatchability. Medicinal and commercial uses of ostrich products in Tanzania.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Birds Eggs 147

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

The goal of Around the World For Penguins is simple: Describe the 18 species of penguin and their breeding grounds “from the perspective of a traveller.” When we come to Gentoo Penguin again in the South Georgia chapter, for example, we’re referred back to its first appearance in Antarctica, utilizing the outline numbers.).

Penguins 278

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 278

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2022

Most of this book is about Eurasian Wryneck, as the subtitle indicates, though Red-throated Wryneck is referred to throughout and there is a chapter focused on the species. Practically every sentence is documented with these studies. The latter is a nonmigratory, African endemic with a scattered, limited distribution.

Woodpeckers 247

Woodpeckers Hungary Thailand 2014 247

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

The guide covers 747 breeding residents or regular migrants, 29 introduced species, and 160 vagrants, a total of 936 species. Only one species of penguin breeds on the Australian mainland; five additional species breed on sub-Antarctic islands. Subspecies are described under “Geographic variation.”

Australia 109

Australia Birds Penguins 2015 109

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2013

Plus there is my librarian-ish reluctance to use anything on the web for reference unless I know the author or the author’s credentials. The where and how of egg laying and larva emergence is briefly treated, with page references to larval drawings at the back of the book. I’m going to look at Britain’s Dragonflies first.

Ireland 180

Ireland France Breeding Eggs 180

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

This is a comprehensive, handsome reference book that is likely to become the standard for many years. Chapters on taxonomy, distribution, anatomy and morphology, habitat, behavior, breeding, plumage and moult, food and foraging, flight, calls, drumming, and conservation follow. How do you look it up?

Woodpeckers 252

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Research 252