Raptors of the World (Princeton Field Guides)
Prepared with the same grace that raptors possess, this is an  impressive opus. As the first major entry in the publisher's  "Helm Identification" series in many years, it is of course  intended for identification. But even Ferguson-Lees, deputy  director of the Royal Society for Bird Preservation, and  Christie, assistant editor of British Birds, realize that given  its heft this volume may be used more as a reference than as a  field guide. To narrow identification choices, birders can carry  a smaller guide suited to their current locale, such as David  Allen Sibley's recent The Sibley Guide to Birds (LJ 11/1/00),  and then consult this work later for further help. All 313  species of diurnal raptors (excluded are the nocturnal owls) are  illustrated in color and black and white, perched and in flight.  As with any field guide, information is provided for  identification, including brief descriptive text next to the  color plate, illustrations of juvenile and adult plumage, and a  range map. Reference text about each species describes  distribution (with a larger map), movements, habitat, field  characters, perched and flight characteristics, confusion  species, voice, food, sociosexual behavior, breeding,  population, variations, size measurements, and references. An  index and a colossal 50-page bibliography conclude the work. The  plate color is good, and the images are clear. A required  purchase for every ornithology collection, academic or public,  this book is highly recommended.DNancy Moeckel, Miami Univ.  Libs., Oxford, OHCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.