A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America
- Book Review,
by Roger Tory Peterson (Editor)
From Publishers Weekly
Besides being objects of wonder, hummingbirds, says Sheri L. Williamson in the Peterson Field Guide: Hummingbirds of North America, are unique to the New World, range in size from the smallest warm-blooded animal (Cuba's Bee Hummingbird) to outsizing songbirds (South America's Giant Hummingbird), can fly backwards and side to side, and still defy category among ornithological types. The habits, habitats, migratory patterns, physical traits, diet, mating practices, where to find them in short, all the information that a good wildlife guide offers are the stuff of Williamson's book. Clear, engaging prose and 180 full color photographs make this a natural for birdwatchers everywhere. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Arizona Daily Star, January 20, 2002 [Kathryn Lance, reviewer]
...the best identification guide to these tiny birds yet available, with dozens of photographs and side-by-side comparisons.
Review
"Williamson's book is a comprehensive treatment, accurate enough to satisfy professionals and accessible to the lay reader."
Birding Magazine, October 2002
Williamson's book is a comprehensive treatment, accurate enough to satisfy professionals and accessible to the lay reader.
Review
"Williamson's book is a comprehensive treatment, accurate enough to satisfy professionals and accessible to the lay reader."
Book Description
Covering 31 North American species, with more than 250 color photos and 33 maps, this is the most comprehensive field guide to hummingbirds. Introductory chapters cover the natural history of hummingbirds, ways to attract and feed them, and major hot spots in the United States and Canada for observing these fascinating birds. The 31 color plates illustrate 28 species, 7 hybrid combinations, 3 forms of albinism, and 4 species of sphinx moths often mistaken for hummingbirds. Species accounts provide in-depth information on plumage, molt, songs and calls, wing sounds, similar species, behavior, habitat, distribution, taxonomy, and conservation concerns. Detailed, up-to-date range maps show breeding, non-breeding, and year-round distribution, migration routes, and records outside expected areas of occurrence. For a few widespread migratory species, separate maps illustrate expected spring arrival dates.
About the Author
Sheri L. Williamson is one of North America's foremost experts on hummingbirds and cofounder of the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory. Her intimate knowledge of hummingbirds comes from more than a decade of intensive study, including hundreds of hours of field observation and the banding of several thousand individuals of 16 species. She leads birding and natural history tours and lectures on hummingbirds and other wildlife of the Southwest. Her articles have appeared in a variety of scientific and popular publications. Roger Tory Peterson, one of the world's greatest naturalists, received every major award for ornithology, natural science, and conservation, as well as numerous honorary degrees, medals, and citations, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Peterson Identification System has been called the greatest invention since binoculars, and the Peterson Field Guides® are credited with helping to set the stage for the environmental movement.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
WEDGE-TAILED SABREWING pl. 11Campylopte rus curvipennis4.75–5.25 in. (12–13.5 cm). Bill length: male 26–31 mm, female 23–28 mm; tail length: male 43–50 mm, female 38–44 mm. This large hummingbird of eastern Mexico ranges north into southwestern Tamaulipas, the presumed origin of several other tropical species that have strayed into southern Texas; the potential exists for occurrence north of the Mexican border. The species gets its name from the modified shafts of its outer primaries, which are dramatically thickened and curved in adult males, less so in immature males and adult females. The function of this feature is unknown, though it may play a role in sound production or visual signaling during courtship displays.DescriptionA large hummingbird with a long wedge-shaped or graduated tail, the central pair of feathers being much longer than the outer pair and extending well beyond the wingtips. Upperparts are bright green to emerald green, with blue to violet-blue crown blending with green of nape. White spot behind eye contrasts strongly with dark gray cheek. Underparts are pale gray to whitish, often slightly darker laterally; undertail coverts may show buffy wash. Bill is long, straight to slightly decurved; lower mandible is pinkish at base. Sexes are similar. ADULT MALE: Very large, with metallic deep blue to violet-blue crown blending with bright green on nape. Shafts of outer primaries extremely broad, flattened and curved near base. Tail green above with increasing dark suffusion toward tips of outer feathers. R4–5 mostly blackish, often with faint paler mottling at tip. ADULT FEMALE: Similar to male but smaller, with less extensive satiny deep blue to violet-blue on crown. Tail similar to male"s, but usually with faint lighter mottling or well-defined light gray tips on R3–5. IMMATURE MALE: Similar to adult male but crown duller, usually some pale mottling in outer tail feathers. IMMATURE FEMALE: Similar to adult female but crown very dull blue, light gray tips on R3–5 usually large, well defined. Immatures of both sexes may show buffy wash on underparts as well as pale edges on feathers of upperparts.Text copyright © 2001 by Sheri L. Williamson. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company.
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