Designed to help birders and banders identify, age, and sex all seventeen species of hummingbirds found in North America, this is the only identification guide devoted entirely to hummingbirds that includes up-close, easy-to-use illustrations. It also provides information on the eight species that have been reported but rarely seen in North America.
On first viewing hummingbirds are often a blur of fast-moving color. However, when they perch and hover they can be observed, and the size, shape, and color; the proportions of the body, bill, throat, and tail; the wing feather pattern; and the birds' behavior are crucial to accurate identification. The author's concise descriptions and illustrations pinpoint all these features in clear, jargon-free language. Anyone who loves hummingbirds will welcome the information he provides.
George C. West (1931â€"2016) was a professor emeritus of zoophysiology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. After moving to Arizona in 1996, he and his wife, Ellen, began studying and photographing plants. He is the author of North American Hummingbirds: An Identification Guide (UNM Press).
"This guide is . . . filled with information, photos, and other illustrations. It should prove to be very handy, especially in locations where multiple hummingbird species are possible."--The Birder's Library
"North American Hummingbirds is an attractive book with copious photographs and illustrations of the creatures that often appear to the uninitiated as tiny, colorful blurs. . . . Anyone interested in identifying hummingbirds will find this lovely book indispensable."--American Reference Books Annual
"Illustrated with full color artwork or photographs on virtually every page, North American Hummingbirds: An Identification Guide is a gorgeous, user-friendly reference and resource."--Midwest Book Review
"A valuable resource for anyone trying to keep tabs on visitors at a feeding station."--BirdWatching
"Exquisitely illustrated and informative."--Arizona Daily Star
"Identifying hummingbirds can be tricky: Sometimes the little speedballs just look like blurs of color. But zoologist George West makes it easier with his new guide, which provides detailed references and illustrations for all 17 species of North American hummers--plus information on eight rarities."--Audubon
"In this beautiful book George West explains simply and clearly how to identify species, age, and sex of hummingbirds. He shares with us the knowledge and images garnered from years of studying, banding, photographing, and drawing these tiny, beautiful, and charismatic acrobats of the avian world."--Jean Palumbo, Northern Arizona University
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