The Backyard Birdsong Guide Eastern and Central North America (eBook)

Donald Kroodsma is professor emeritus of ornithology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a world-renowned authority on birdsongs. He is the author of The Singing Life of Birds (winner of the 2006 John Burroughs Medal Award and the American Birding Association's Robert Ridgway Distinguished Service Award for excellence in publications pertaining to field ornithology), The Backyard Birdsong Guides, and Birdsong by the Seasons.Donald's work on bird song is legendary. In 2003 the American Ornithologists' Union called him the "reigning authority on the biology of avian vocal behavior." Kroodsma received his Ph.D. at Oregon State University and has traveled all over North and South America researching bird song. He is a Visiting Fellow of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, American Ornithologists' Union, and the Animal Behavior Society and has published hundreds of academic and popular articles. He lives in Hatfield, MA.Larry McQueen painted the popular Project FeederWatch eastern and western Common Feeder Birds posters. Bird images from those posters and from other sources, including three original watercolor paintings done for BirdSource's Warbler Watch site, are used throughout both the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's web site and the BirdSource web site. Larry's work is widely known and respected, having appeared widely in calendars, catalogs, and magazines, including the Lab's own Living Bird. He has illustrated for many books, such as The Audubon Master Guide to Birding, and you'll find his images in a number of field guides.Originally from Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania, Larry earned degrees from Idaho State University and the University of Oregon. After a career in fish and game management and then as a graphic designer, he started painting full-time in 1977. He now lives in Eugene, OR.Jon Janosik was born in Connecticut in 1941. Living with my grandparents on their Trumbull farm in my formative years, he became enchanted with wild birds, nature and Biology. He became acquainted with Roger Tory Peterson and gained many early skills in the field while attending Peterson's local bird walks.Jon's work has been featured in such books as Field Guide to North American Birds (National Geographic Society), Birds of the Ligonier Valley (Carnegie Museum) ,The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding, An Audubon Handbook, Western/Eastern Birds, and Book of North American Birds (Readers Digest Books). Jon's works have been exhibited in numerous museums, and galleries including: Kobe Museum, Sanda Japan; The Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC; Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum-Wausau WI; Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh PA; Moji Art Galley, Kitakyushu Japan; Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh (Birds in Art), Kirritappu Wetland Center, Hokkaido, Japan and the British Museum, London England.

CONTENTSNew Inside Cover SOUND TRACK INDEXINTRODUCTION: THE WORLD OF BIRDSONGWhy Birds Sing 10Where Each Bird Gets His Song 12Songs and Calls 14The Practice of Deep Listening 15Where to Begin 21How to Use the Audio Player 22SECTION 1: THE NON-PASSERINE GROUP Ducks and Geese (Anatidae) 26 Canada GooseDucks and Geese (Anatidae) 28 MallardNew World Quail (Odontophoridae) 30 Northern BobwhiteLoons (Gaviidae) 32 Common LoonGrebes (Podicipedidae) 34 Pied-billed GrebeHawks and Eagles (Accipitridae) 36 Red-tailed HawkRails, Gallinules, and Coots (Rallidae) 38 SoraPlovers (Charadriidae) 40 KilldeerSandpipers and Phalaropes (Scolopacidae) 42 American WoodcockPigeons and Doves (Columbidae) 44 Mourning DoveOwls (Strigidae) 46 Great Horned OwlOwls (Strigidae) 48 Barred OwlGoatsuckers (Caprimulgidae) 50 Whip-poor-willKingfishers (Alcedinidae) 52 Belted KingfisherWoodpeckers (Picidae) 54 Downy and Hairy WoodpeckersWoodpeckers (Picidae) 56 Northern FlickerSECTION 2: THE PASSERINE GROUPTyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae) 60 Eastern Wood-PeweeTyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae) 62 Willow FlycatcherTyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae) 64 Eastern PhoebeTyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae) 66 Great Crested FlycatcherTyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae) 68 Eastern KingbirdVireos (Vireonidae) 70 White-eyed VireoVireos (Vireonidae) 72 Warbling VireoVireos (Vireonidae) 74 Red-eyed VireoJays and Crows (Corvidae) 76 Blue JayJays and Crows (Corvidae) 78 American CrowSwallows (Hirundinidae) 80 Purple MartinChickadees and Titmice (Paridae) 82 Black-capped ChickadeeChickadees and Titmice (Paridae)84 Carolina ChickadeeChickadees and Titmice (Paridae)86 Tufted TitmouseNuthatches (Sittidae) 88 White-breasted NuthatchWrens (Troglodytidae) 90 Carolina WrenWrens (Troglodytidae) 92 House WrenWrens (Troglodytidae) 94 Winter WrenWrens (Troglodytidae) 96 Marsh WrenThrushes (Turdidae) 98 American Robin Thrushes (Turdidae) 100 Eastern BluebirdThrushes (Turdidae) 102 Hermit ThrushThrushes (Turdidae) 104 Wood ThrushThrushes (Turdidae) 106 VeeryMockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae) 108 Gray CatbirdMockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)110 Northern MockingbirdMockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)112 Brown ThrasherStarlings (Sturnidae) 114 European StarlingWaxwings (Bombycillidae) 116 Cedar WaxwingWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 118 Blue-winged WarblerWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 120 Northern ParulaWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 122 Yellow WarblerWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 124 Chestnut-sided WarblerWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 126 Black-throated Green WarblerWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 128 Prairie WarblerWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 130 Black-and-white WarblerWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 132 American RedstartWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 134 OvenbirdWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 136 Common YellowthroatTanagers (Thraupidae) 138 Scarlet TanagerSparrows (Emberizidae) 140 Eastern TowheeSparrows (Emberizidae) 142 Chipping SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 144 Field SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 146 Savannah SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 148 Song SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 150 White-throated SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 152 Dark-eyed JuncoCardinals, Grosbeaks, and Buntings (Cardinalidae) 154 Northern CardinalCardinals, Grosbeaks, and Buntings (Cardinalidae)156 Rose-breasted GrosbeakCardinals, Grosbeaks, and Buntings (Cardinalidae)158 Indigo BuntingBlackbirds (Icteridae) 160 BobolinkBlackbirds (Icteridae) 162 Red-winged BlackbirdBlackbirds (Icteridae) 164 Eastern MeadowlarkBlackbirds (Icteridae) 166 Common GrackleBlackbirds (Icteridae) 168 Brown-headed CowbirdBlackbirds (Icteridae) 170 Baltimore OrioleFinches (Fringillidae) 172 House FinchFinches (Fringillidae) 174 American GoldfinchOld World Sparrows (Passeridae) 176 House SparrowMore Fun with Birdsong 178Additional Listening and Reading Sources 180References 181Illustration Credits 182Recording Credits 182About the Cornell Lab of Ornithology 183About the Artists 184 About the Author 185Index 186Acknowledgments 192