Buy Book Now!

Peterson's Field Guides®:
A Field Guide to Warblers of North America
By Jon Dunn and Kimball Garrett
Houghton Mifflin, 1997
60 Warbler species, 656 pages, 7.25 x 4.5 inches
32 Color Plates, 141 Color Photos, Color Range Maps

Houghton Mifflin has published a number of "Identification Guides" to species groups, including seabirds, shorebirds, and even warblers. This book on the North American wood-warblers, published only three years after Houghton Mifflin's warbler Identification Guide, is published as part of the famous Peterson Field Guide® series. This is a superb addition to a birder's library, packed with information on the behavior, identification, movement, and natural history of these wonderful little birds.

It will be tempting to skip over the introductory chapters and go right to the species accounts, but beginning birders in particular will find these quite useful. They call attention to identification clues, for example, descriptions of the various genera, and suggestions on how to use behavior to identify a bird. An entire section called "How to Identify Warblers" provides a checklist of what field marks to look for, a jewel of conciseness. These chapters are extremely readable and are understandable by any neophyte (armed with the handy glossary at the back).

The meat of this book, of course, is in the plates and the species accounts. As with the Identification Guide series, this begins with a section of color plates of warblers in varying plumages (typically spring adults, first fall birds), as well as illustrations of any subspecies. Facing these is a brief description of each. These superb plates (by Thomas R. Schultz and Cindy House) are done in the "Peterson" style of profile view combined with arrows pointing to key identification points. The descriptions go beyond those in the standard Peterson bird guide, adding more advanced identification cues, such as structure and feather details.

The last two plates show each species from below, from belly to the tip of the tail. The authors discuss the importance of the proportion of undertail coverts to tail projection, as well as color or any tail spots. Don't turn the page until you've thought back to that time you were staring at the bright yellow nether side of an otherwise-unidentified warbler, and trying to remember the color of a Hooded Warbler's undertail feathers.

The species accounts are excellent, and are organized into sections that will be useful variously to birders from beginner to expert. A brief introductory paragraph gives key points about the species, and varies in content depending on what is most relevant to that bird. For the Kirkland's Warbler, for example, its highly specialized habitat requirements and rarity are the major focus, whereas with the Common Yellowthroat, this paragraph talks about appearance, behavior, and habitat equally. The "Description" is relatively non-technical, only slightly more advanced than a typical field guide. "Plumages and Molts" and "Similar Species" treats the most technical aspect of field identification.

Under "Voice," songs are described (as well as songs can be described in print) much as they are in other field guides. Of particular interest, however, is the description of the context of these songs. The two songs of the Black-throated Green, for example, are quite easy to learn and are familiar to many birders We learn from the text that "songs with an unaccented ending are usually given while advertising territory," while "accented-ending songs predominate as pair bonds are established." Call notes and flight notes are also described.

"Behavior" can give many clues to field identification. Oporornis warblers can be notoriously difficult to identify, so knowing that the Connecticut Warbler walks, not hops, is important information. This section also describes techniques and height of foraging behavior, as well as nest design and placement.

Many warblers have very specific "Habitat" requirements, and this section describes typical elevation, vegetation, and geography of breeding and wintering ranges. Habitat preferences during migration is also touched upon. "Distribution" starts with breeding ranges and supplements the excellent, half-page range maps with information on locations of even extremely local breeding sites. The full winter range is described (for many warbler species this is outside of the US-only range maps). Spring and Fall migration routes are discussed, along with the timing of these migrations. Vagrancy is also discussed briefly.

"Status and Conservation" explores changes in population, and the reasons for these changes, such as cowbird parasitism, food supply, and habitat change. The relationships between related species are described in "Taxonomic Relationships," along with any known hybridization.

Photographs are interspersed throughout the species accounts, usually including breeding males and females (and/or first fall birds). Subspecies are also well represented here. Photographs alone are less than ideal for field identification, as they can distort shape (depending on the angle of the shot) and color (depending on the light and film). In this case, they enhance the information provided on the plates, and hence the value of the guide.

The research that went into the creation of the plates, the maps, and the text is obvious from the thorough treatment on each. But acquisition of knowledge does not always translate to its effective communication. Too often these advanced identification texts are ponderous, slogging through interminable technical descriptions that make reading a chore. This book, however, is wonderfully written, a pleasure to read and to own.