Iowa Birds

Iowa Birds
Author: Ann Johnson
Publisher: Lone Pine Pub
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2005
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781551054612

This compact field guide is full of interesting facts and useful information for anyone with an interest in birds, from the casual backyard observer to the keen naturalist. It features 145 of Iowa's most abundant or notable bird species. Each account incl

How to Know the Birds

How to Know the Birds
Author: Ted Floyd
Publisher:
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2019
Genre: House & Home
ISBN: 1426220030

"In this elegant narrative, celebrated naturalist Ted Floyd guides you through a year of becoming a better birder. Choosing 200 top avian species to teach key lessons, Floyd introduces a new, holistic approach to bird watching and shows how to use the tools of the 21st century to appreciate the natural world we inhabit together whether city, country or suburbs." -- From book jacket.

Iowa Birdlife

Iowa Birdlife
Author: Gladys Black
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 1992-10
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780877453932

From robins nesting on window ledges to short-eared owls sailing low over snowy fields, pied-billed grebes diving for fish to catbirds singing on moonlit nights, Black introduces us to the birds of field and forest, prairie and pond. Whether describing red-breasted nuthatches gorging on suet at her feeder after a snowstorm or a flock of American goldfinches "all balancing gracefully on ripening oats, ' she reminds us of the natural sights and sounds that we must appreciate and protect. Humorous, personal, engaging, and instructive, her essays provide a readily acessible body of information about Iowa's birdlife for both amateur and professional naturalists of every interest level.

Sky Dance of the Woodcock

Sky Dance of the Woodcock
Author: Greg Hoch
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2019-03-01
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1609386272

Woodcock are one of the oddest birds in North America. They are a shorebird that got lost and ended up in the scrubby parts of the forest, and look like they were put together with the leftover parts of other birds. Oddities aside, each spring they rise to great beauty with their sky dance at dusk. Greg Hoch combines natural history, land management, scientific knowledge, and personal observation to examine this little game bird. Woodcock have a complex life history and the management of their habitat is also complex. The health of this bird can be considered a key indicator of what good forests look like.

Where Do Birds Live?

Where Do Birds Live?
Author: Claudia McGehee
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Total Pages: 38
Release: 2010-11-28
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1587299194

Fourteen North American habitats are pictured in two-page spreads, each featuring one bird that lives in that habitat. The author suggests ways children can make their back yards safe for birds.

The Scientific Nomenclature of Birds in the Upper Midwest

The Scientific Nomenclature of Birds in the Upper Midwest
Author: James Sandrock
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2014-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 1609382250

The translation and explanation of genus and species names yield markers to help us identify birds in the field as well as remember distinctive traits. Having a basic understanding of the scientific and common names of birds reveals insights into their color, behavior, habitat, or geography. Knowing that Cyanocitta means “blue chatterer” and cristata means “crested, tufted” or that Anas means “a duck” and clypeata means “armed with a shield” tells you just about everything you need to identify a Blue Jay or a Northern Shoveler. In this portable reference book, James Sandrock and Jean Prior explain the science and history behind the names of some 450 birds of the Upper Midwest states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Since many of these birds occur throughout the United States, this handbook can also be used by birders in other parts of the country. The authors examine the roots, stems, and construction of scientific names from their classical Latin and Greek or other linguistic origins. The translations of these words and insights into their sources yield quirky, tantalizing facts about the people, geography, habitat, and mythology behind bird names. Each entry also includes the bird’s common name as well as local or regional names. Beginning birders confused by scientific names as well as more experienced birders curious about such names will find that the book opens unexpected connections into linguistic, historical, biological, artistic, biographical, and even aesthetic realms. Highlighting the obvious and not-so-obvious links between birds and language, this practical guide continues a long scholarly tradition of such books by and for those afoot in the field. Whether you are hiking with binoculars or watching a backyard bird feeder or reading at home, The Scientific Nomenclature of Birds in the Upper Midwest will greatly enhance your appreciation of birds.

Endangered and Disappearing Birds of the Midwest

Endangered and Disappearing Birds of the Midwest
Author: Matt Williams
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 333
Release: 2018-08-01
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0253036097

From the birds who wake us in the morning with their cheerful chorus to those who flock to our feeders and brighten a gloomy winter day, birds fascinate us with their lively and interesting behavior and provide essential services from controlling pest populations to pollinating crops. And yet for all the benefits they provide, many species across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio are in danger of extinction due to loss of habitat, agricultural expansion, changing forest conditions, and interactions with humans. In Endangered and Disappearing Birds of the Midwest, Matt Williams profiles forty of the most beautiful and interesting birds who winter, breed, or migrate through the Midwest and whose populations are most in danger of disappearing from the region. Each profile includes the current endangered status of the species, a description of the bird's vocal and nesting patterns, and tips to help readers identify them, along with stunning color images and detailed migration maps. An exquisite and timely examination of our feathered friends, Endangered and Disappearing Birds of the Midwest is a call to action to protect these vulnerable and gorgeous creatures that enliven our world.

The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas

The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas
Author: Laura Spess Jackson
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Total Pages: 512
Release: 1996
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781587291166

"The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas"—the first comprehensive statewide survey of Iowa's breeding birds—provides a detailed record of the composition and distribution of the avifauna of the Hawkeye State. The atlas documents the presence of 199 species, 158 of which were confirmed breeding. This landmark volume will alert Iowans to the limited distribution of numerous species and serve as a guide to the management practices—such as forest and wetland management, set-aside programs, reduction in farm chemical use, and crop diversity—which could help insure that many future changes are positive ones. "The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas" provides a welcome and much-needed baseline for future comparisons of changes in Iowa's birdlife and, by extension, the lives of all animals in the state.

Waterfowl in Iowa

Waterfowl in Iowa
Author: Jack W. Musgrove
Publisher: Hamlin Press
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2011-07-01
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781447418863

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.