The Raptor Almanac: A Comprehensive Guide to Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, and Vultures - Softcover

Few people, writes Scott Weidensaul, are apathetic toward raptors. Once you've seen a hawk or a falcon or an eagle in action, you're likely to take an interest in how these great birds of prey make their homes in the world. If that interest has seized you--and well it should--then Weidensaul's encyclopedic guidebook to the world's principal raptor species, well illustrated with photographs, maps, and charts and full of detailed information, is an ideal companion.

Weidensaul addresses a range of questions, including the antiquity of the world's raptor species and their evolutionary history. (In this matter, his text is thoroughly up-to-date and includes the results of recent genetic research by which carrion-feeding New World vultures have been reclassified as relatives of the stork, and not of predatory hawks, eagles, and falcons.) He traces the fortunes of species such as the peregrine falcon, which had all but disappeared in North America by the 1960s owing to hunting, habitat destruction, and the use of deadly pesticides, but which has returned to the wild thanks to a vigorous program of reintroduction. Other success stories await, and Weidensaul offers helpful notes on building nest platforms and boxes, aiding injured birds, contributing to conservation groups, and otherwise seeing to it that raptors flourish. --Gregory McNamee

The Raptor Almanac is a comprehensive reference to the 310 species of diurnal (day-flying) birds of prey worldwide, including hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures. For the birder or naturalist who wants to go beyond the fundamentals, and especially for anyone fascinated by birds of prey, The Raptor Almanac gathers virtually every important fact about these birds in an accessible and entertaining manner.
This inspiring, all-inclusive book covers raptor evolution, taxonomy, behavior, courtship and breeding, nesting, migration, human and bird interaction, environmental threats, and conservation efforts - from the well-known programs to reintroduce the California condor and peregrine falcon, to lesser-known efforts to preserve the snail kite and the ferruginous hawk. This full-color volume is an indispensable guide for all birdwatchers, raptor enthusiasts, and for anyone interested in the natural world.