The Birds of Pennsylvania - by Gerald M McWilliams & Daniel W Brauning (Hardcover)

About the Book

From Eared Grebes, Tundra Swans, and Peregrine Falcons to Lesser Yellowlegs, and Snowy Owls, Pennsylvania is home to a magnificent array of birds. In the first comprehensive summary and analysis in over a century of the birds of that state, Gerald M...

Book Synopsis

From Eared Grebes, Tundra Swans, and Peregrine Falcons to Lesser Yellowlegs, and Snowy Owls, Pennsylvania is home to a magnificent array of birds. In the first comprehensive summary and analysis in over a century of the birds of that state, Gerald M. McWilliams and Daniel W. Brauning provide a wealth of information for both the professional ornithologist and the amateur birder.

This book treats all 428 species seen in the state, including breeding and wintering birds, migrants, and vagrants. Each entry provides the general status of a species; the locations where it is most commonly found; its natural habitat, migratory patterns, breeding habits, and seasonal status and distribution; and a summary of the bird's history in Pennsylvania. With clear descriptions of physiographic regions as well as 44 breeding distribution maps for the most commonly seen birds and 67 photographs of many rare and hard-to-find species, this volume is an indispensable resource about Pennsylvania's bird life.

Review Quotes

The Birds of Pennsylvania is the most complete and up-to-date work on Pennsylvania's bird life, and the distribution and status of those species. This is a very important and long-overdue reference work which will be the baseline from which future ornithological observations in the state will be judged. It will be highly useful and interesting to a range of individuals from novice birders to naturalists to professional ornithologists.

A first-rate compilation with good analysis and interpretation valuable for eastern libraries beyond the Pennsylvania region; highly recommended.

All public libraries in Pennsylvania and its neighboring states should make this book available to birders; colleges and universities of the northeastern states should also acquire it.

Birders who have longed for a comprehensive book about the birds in Pennsylvania have had their wish come true.

Hats off to the editors and their many contributors, on a very fine book. I heartily recommend it. It is a work for which the authors can be justly proud. It is an essential reference that belongs in all university libraries of the region or any library that aspires to have a good ornithological collection. Birders and academics alike should own it.

If you bird in Pennsylvania, you should own this book.

It serves as the new standard reference for Pennsylvania birding.

This book has long been anticipated. It is a very good book, a valuable resource. A must for students of bird distribution and for bird watchers in adjacent states who want to know what happens just beyond their borders.

This book provides comprehensive coverage of the birds of Pennsylvania.

This comprehensive book provides all the information a long-time birder needs while being interesting and readable for newcomers.

About the Author

Gerald M. McWilliams is a naturalist, coauthor of Birds of Erie County, and member of the Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee. Daniel W. Brauning is an ornithologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and editor of The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Pennsylvania. Kenn Kaufman is a field editor of Audubon Magazine and author of the Peterson Field Guide Advanced Birding.