Here’s some wonderful news from eNature.com
The Online Sibley Guide to Birds consists of the text and artwork from the best-selling Sibley Guides. The Field Guide section of the Web site is based on The Sibley Guide to Birds, written and illustrated by David Allen Sibley (Alfred A Knopf, Inc., New York, 2000). Most of the material in About Birds, including the Bird Families of North America, is from The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, illustrated by David Sibley and written by various authors (Alfred A Knopf, Inc., New York, 2001).
The online field guide covers the identification of 810 species (plus 350 regional forms) found in the continent of North America north of Mexico, including the United States and Canada and all adjacent islands, but excluding Hawaii, Bermuda, and Greenland. Offshore waters are included to a distance of 200 miles (320 km) or halfway to the nearest land that is not part of the North American region, whichever is closer. These boundaries conform to the American Birding Association’s established definition of the North American region.
The field guide includes species and identifiable populations that occur regularly within this area, including most rare but regular visitors. “Rare but regular visitors” included in this guide are defined loosely as those species recorded 10 or more times in the last 25 years, but some arbitrary decisions were made to include less frequently recorded species or to exclude a few that are seen more frequently. Some species that occur regularly only in western Alaska, and nowhere else in North America, are excluded. Established introduced species such as the Rock Dove and Chukar are included, as are frequently seen exotic species. Escaped exotic species include many waterfowl, upland game birds, parrots, mynas, and finches; some of these have established small feral populations. [Text © and excerpted from eNature.com website]
Note: If you don’t have a copy of these great books, The Sibley Guide to Birds or The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, by David Allen Sibley, please consider purchasing them from Red Rock Audubon Society. RRAS has various items and books for sale to raise funds for our programs and cover operating expenses.
