The Backyard Birdsong Guide Western 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 California QuailGrebes (Podicipedidae) Western and Clark's Grebes Hawks and Eagles (Accipitridae) 34 Red-tailed HawkRails, Gallinules, and Coots (Rallidae) 36 American CootCranes (Gruidae) 38 Sandhill CranePlovers (Charadriidae) 40 KilldeerSandpipers and Phalaropes (Scolopacidae) 42 Wilson’s SnipePigeons and Doves (Columbidae) 44 Mourning DoveOwls (Strigidae) 46 Great Horned OwlGoatsuckers (Caprimulgidae) 48 Common NighthawkHummingbirds (Trochilidae) 50 Anna’s HummingbirdKingfishers (Alcedinidae) 52 Belted KingfisherWoodpeckers (Picidae) 54 Downy and Hairy WoodpeckersWoodpeckers (Picidae) 56 Northern FlickerSECTION 2: THE PASSERINE GROUPTyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae) 60 Western Wood-Pewee 62 Black PhoebeTyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae) 64 Western KingbirdVireos (Vireonidae) 66 Hutton’s VireoJays and Crows (Corvidae) 68 Steller’s JayJays and Crows (Corvidae) 70 Western Scrub-JayJays and Crows (Corvidae) 72 American CrowJays and Crows (Corvidae) 74 Common RavenLarks (Alaudidae) 76 Horned LarkSwallows (Hirundinidae) 78 Violet-green SwallowChickadees and Titmice (Paridae) 80 Mountain ChickadeeChickadees and Titmice (Paridae)82 Chestnut-backed ChickadeeChickadees and Titmice (Paridae)84 Oak and Juniper TitmiceNuthatches (Sittidae) 86 White-breasted NuthatchWrens (Troglodytidae) 88 Bewick’s WrenWrens (Troglodytidae) 90 House WrenWrens (Troglodytidae) 92 Winter WrenWrens (Troglodytidae) 94 Marsh WrenKinglets (Regulidae) 96 Ruby-crowned KingletThrushes (Turdidae) 98 American RobinThrushes (Turdidae) 100 Western BluebirdThrushes (Turdidae) 102 Swainson’s ThrushThrushes (Turdidae) 104 Hermit ThrushBabblers (Timaliidae) 106 WrentitMockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae) 108 Northern MockingbirdMockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae) 110 California ThrasherStarlings (Sturnidae) 112 European StarlingWaxwings (Bombycillidae) 114 Cedar WaxwingWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 116 Orange-crowned WarblerWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 118 Yellow WarblerWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 120 MacGillivray’s WarblerWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 122 Common YellowthroatWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 124 Wilson’s WarblerWood-Warblers (Parulidae) 126 Yellow-breasted ChatTanagers (Thraupidae) 128 Western TanagerSparrows (Emberizidae) 130 Spotted TowheeSparrows (Emberizidae) 132 California TowheeSparrows (Emberizidae) 134 Chipping SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 136 Brewer’s SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 138 Lark SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 140 Lark BuntingSparrows (Emberizidae) 142 Savannah SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 144 Fox SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 146 Song SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 148 White-crowned SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 150 Golden-crowned SparrowSparrows (Emberizidae) 152 Dark-eyed JuncoCardinals, Grosbeaks, and Buntings (Cardinalidae) 154 Black-headed GrosbeakCardinals, Grosbeaks, and Buntings (Cardinalidae) 156 Lazuli BuntingBlackbirds (Icteridae) 158 Red-winged BlackbirdBlackbirds (Icteridae) 160 Western MeadowlarkBlackbirds (Icteridae) 162 Yellow-headed BlackbirdBlackbirds (Icteridae) 164 Great-tailed GrackleBlackbirds (Icteridae) 166 Brown-headed CowbirdBlackbirds (Icteridae) 168 Bullock’s OrioleFinches (Fringillidae) 170 House FinchFinches (Fringillidae) 172 American GoldfinchFinches (Fringillidae) 174 Lesser GoldfinchMore 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