Smithsonian field guide to the birds of North America

Introduction

Identifying Birds

Coverage

Group Accounts

Species Accounts

Names

Measurements

Natural Variation

Habits and Ecology

Vocalizations

Range Maps

Photographs and Caption Text

Natural History of Birds

Where to Look for Birds

Forests and Woodlands

Prairies and Meadows

Deserts and Shrublands

Alpine and Arctic Tundra

Wetland and Aquatic Habitats

Human Habitats

Bird Behavior

Food and Foraging

Bird Vocalizations

Courtship and Breeding

Flight and Migration

Parts of a Bird

Parts of a Duck

Parts of a Songbird

Parts of a Raptor

Parts of a Gull

Parts of a Shorebird

Plumage and molt

Sex-related plumage differences

Age-related plumage differences

Seasonal plumage differences

Molt strategies

Other differences in appearance

How to Identify Birds

Conservation and Ethics

Waterfowl

Whistling-Ducks, Geese & Swans, and Ducks

Upland Game Birds

Chachalacas, Grouse & Allies, and New World Quail

Loons

Grebes

Tubenoses

Albatrosses, Shearwaters & Petrels, and Storm-Petrels

Pelicans & Allies

Tropicbirds, Boobies & Gannets, Pelicans, Cormorants, Darters, and Frigatebirds

Herons, Ibises & Spoonbills, and Storks

Flamingos

Escapes from Captivity or Natural Vagrants?

New World Vultures, Hawks, and Falcons

Rails, Limpkin, and Cranes

Plovers

Oystercatchers, Stilts & Avocets, and Jacanas

Evolutionary Relationships

Sandpipers & Phalaropes

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Skuas & Jaegers

Polymorphism

Auks, Murres, and Puffins

Pigeons & Doves

Parrots & Parakeets

Documenting Exotic Birds

Cuckoos & Allies

Owls and Nightjars

Swifts and Hummingbirds

Trogons and Kingfishers

Biogeography

Woodpeckers

Tyrant Flycatchers

Mobbing

Shrikes

Population Dynamics

Vireos

Patterns of Geographic Variation

Jays & Crows

Larks

Subspecies

Swallows

Chickadees, Verdin, Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatches, and Creepers

Wrens and Dippers

Bulbuls

Established Exotics

Kinglets and Old World Warblers & Gnatcatchers

Thrushes

Nocturnal Migration

Babblers

Mimic-Thrushes and Starlings & Mynas

Wagtails & Pipits

Waxwings and Silky-Flycatchers

Olive Warbler and Wood-Warblers

Long-distance Migration

Tanagers

Sparrows & Allies

Buntings & Allies

Conservation Goals

Blackbirds & Allies

Brood Parasitism

The Diversity Paradox

Finches

Weaver-Finches

Acknowledgments

Recommended References and Resources

Photo Credits

Smithsonian Field Guide to Birds of North America Birdsong DVD

Glossary of Terms

American Birding Association Checklist

Species Index