Bird Tracks & Sign: A guide to North American species

by Mark Elbroch

Paperback, 2001

Call number

598.097

Publication

Mechanicsburg, PA : Stackpole Books, c2001.

Pages

vii; 456

Description

A sighting in the field is just one way birders can identify bird species. Observant nature-lovers can discover what birds are where by examining tracks, trails, and a variety of bird sign: discarded feathers, feeding leftovers and caches, pellets, nests, droppings, and skulls and bones. This fully illustrated guide-the first of its kind for North American birds-presents thorough and straightforward instruction for identifying bird families or individual species by careful examination of the unique sign they leave behind. It also offers keys to the birds' behavior in the wild. Includes songbirds, waterfowl, owls, shorebirds, warblers, woodpeckers, nightjars, and birds of prey. For trackers, birders, and nature-lovers.

Awards

National Outdoor Book Award (Honorable Mention — 2002)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2001

Physical description

vii, 456 p.; 9 inches

ISBN

0811726967 / 9780811726962

User reviews

LibraryThing member billsearth
This book allows an interested individual to often identify a bird by traces it has left behind. Every page of the book is high-gloss paper and there are hundreds of photos to support the text. The author breaks the book into sections; including but not limited to tracks, pellets, and feathers.
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This book goes to great detail differentiating the tracks, explaining the classes of bird tracks and why some species are uniquely different. This is by far the best book on feather identification. it has photos of about all the feather types for most American species.

This book is as authoritative on feathers and bird tracks as Oberholser is on past Texas bird distribution or Sibley is on plumages.

Variations in acorn usage, ground scraping, prey remains, even skull photos can be found.

In short, if you see evidence a bird was around, this book will show you which bird species it was.
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