Join Dick Forsman, widely acclaimed as the world expert on the birds of prey of the Western Palearctic and beyond, in his quest to find and photograph all the raptors of Europe, throughout dozens of trips to all corners of the continent, over a period of more than a decade. The result is a remarkable book which will be on the lsquo;wish listrsquo; of bird enthusiastics worldwide. It presents to the reader the very best of thousands of images Dick has taken over the years, including some sets of images that make up their own small stories within each chapter. Species covered include everything from the diminutive Merlin to stealth-hunters such as Northern Goshawk and the mighty Lammergeier and White-tailed and Spanish Imperial Eagles. There are geographical chapters on lsquo;Raptors of the far northrsquo;, lsquo;Raptors of the Mediterraneanrsquo;, lsquo;Raptors in the Pyreneesrsquo; and lsquo;Raptors of the Middle Eastrsquo; and lsquo;behaviouralrsquo; chapters on lsquo;Migrationrsquo;, lsquo;Moultrsquo;, lsquo;Breedingrsquo; and lsquo;Huntingrsquo;, as well as on the recent hot topic of lsquo;Hybridisationrsquo;. The ideal gift for every bird enthusiast.

From majestic Bald Eagles to tiny Elf Owls, raptors are nature’s most fascinating and powerful birds. As predators with wide ranging habitats and food sources, raptors also serve as a litmus test for the health of their ecosystems. To preserve a species such as the Everglade Kite or Spotted Owl is to ensure the survival of many other creatures. Ornithologists Noel and Helen Snyder have spent nearly fifty years studying and photographing birds of prey in their natural habitat. The result of decades of firsthand field studies combined with key biological and conservation studies by other experts, Raptors of North America presents a comprehensive and captivating account of our continent’s birds of prey. Readers will meet the nocturnal raptors, the owls, and the diurnal raptors: hawks, harriers, kites, falcons, eagles, ospreys, vultures, and condors. This book was an editor's choice of the Scientific American Book Club.

The essential field guide to the raptors of Mexico and Central America Raptors are among the most challenging birds to identify in the field due to their bewildering variability of plumage, flight silhouettes, and behavior. Raptors of Mexico and Central America is the first illustrated guide to the region's 69 species of raptors, including vagrants. It features 32 stunning color plates and 213 color photos, and a distribution map for each regularly occurring species. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, age-related plumages, status and distribution, subspecies, molt, habitats, behaviors, potential confusion species, and more. Raptors of Mexico and Central America is the essential field guide to this difficult bird group and the ideal travel companion for anyone visiting this region of the world. Covers all 69 species of raptors found in Mexico and Central America Features 32 color plates and hundreds of color photos Provides multiple illustrations of each species Depicts and describes variations in plumage by individual, morph, age, and region Describes behavior, food preferences, hunting strategies, vocalizations, and molt Covers rare and extralimital species Includes distribution maps and flight silhouettes

This book is the ultimate flight-identification guide for the raptors of the Western Palaearctic, covering Europe, North Africa, the Middle East (including Arabia) to Central Asia. Raptors are notoriously hard to identify, even if seen well, and represent perhaps the toughest of all ID challenges for birders. This guide provides identification information for all 60 species that regularly occur in the region, to subspecific level. The text covers every plumage and age in detail, with each species account accompanied by a range of photographs covering all the principal plumages. Based on this stunning photographic coverage, most of which has never been published before, this book represents a landmark in bird identification books and a major work for all raptor enthusiasts.

Explore life at the top of the food chain with this exciting look into the world of raptors. This fun activity book immerses children in vulture culture, hawk talk, and owl prowls as they learn about the behavior and hunting strategies of these fascinating birds. A removable “pocket spy guide” will help kids identify raptors in the wild, while breed profiles, flight silhouettes, range maps, and real-life stories will satisfy even the most voracious raptor enthusiast.

As evidenced by the incredible success of Helen MacDonald's H is for Hawk, and the legions of fans of Pale Male, the incredible red-tailed hawk of 5th avenue, we are full of rapture for raptors. James Macdonald Lockhart, is among the many who have sought out these incredible birds, and in this lyrical work of natural history he seeks out 15 different raptors, in 15 different landscapes across England: a journey in search of raptors, a journey through the birds and into their worlds. Raptors are by nature scarce and extremely elusive. Of Pandionidae (osprey), Accipitridae (broad-winged harrier, eagle, buzzard, red kite) and Falconidae (peregrine, sparrowhawk etc.) only widespread buzzards, kestrels and kites are easily seen. Lockhart follows loosely the trail of 19th-century Scottish naturalist and artist William MacGillivray (1796-1852), As Philip Hoare wrote of it, James MacDonald Lockhart puts the rapture back in the raptor. This is in-the-moment writing, raw in beak and claw. With its gorgeously felt sense of life and place, Raptor rips at its words, turning them into exquisite portraits of the utter wild, shaping soaring, obsessive beauty out of the British landscape and its imperial birds"