The Crossley ID guide Raptors Raptors /

The Crossley ID Guide (2011) pioneered a radical, engaging new way of identifying birds, using large composites of multiple photographs for each species against a natural background. This results in a dynamic, diorama-style representation of birds as one sees them in nature--flying, perched, feeding, nearby, or at a distance. Building on this technique, this raptor guide features even more images, often covering two full pages. Expert, greatly expanded text, including sections titled "Size and Shape," "Plumage," "Geographic Variation," "Molt," "Similar Species," "Hybrids," "Status and Distribution," "Migration," and "Vocalizations," plus excellent range maps accompany the entries. There are also quiz color plates, with heavily annotated, separate answers. The text is sometimes written in the first person, as if a hawk is thinking, or in the third, as if the bird is part of a novel, always authoritative, but most is in straight, expository prose. Crossley, Liguori, and Sullivan are highly published authors, who are in the front ranks of American field ornithology. If this work had included a list of references, their publications would figure prominently. Raptors (hawks, eagles, vultures, falcons) are perhaps the most charismatic of bird groups. They are well served by this excellent guide. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; raptor enthusiasts. H. T. Armistead formerly, Free Library of Philadelphia