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Illinois

The books are arranged by publication date with the most recent at the top of the page.

USA

USA bird books

Southern Illinois Birds: An Annotated List and Site Guide

W. Douglas Robinson

2016

"Southern Illinois Birds documents current knowledge of the birds of southern Illinois by surveying both the published literature on the subject and the unpublished field notes of active observers summarizing many important observations that are not readily available elsewhere.Compared with studies in central and northern Illinois, there have been few active field observers in the south; yet the contributions of those who worked in southern Illinois have been considerable. Robinson displays their efforts convincingly in this book. Southern Illinois Birds includes information on early arrival and late departure dates of migrants, the highest reported single-day counts in each season, and records of all vagrants. In addition, Robinson includes maps and guides to some of the best birding areas in the region to encourage birders and others to explore the many birding and scenic attractions in southern Illinois. Robinson has produced a definitive reference for ornithologists and amateur bird watchers, conservation and government agencies, college students in biology, and future researchers who wish to determine the status and abundance of southern Illinois birds."

Field Guide to Birds of Illinois

Michael L.P. Retter

American Birding Association

Scott & Nix Inc

2016

"Written by a third-generation Illinoisan birder and filled with over 500 color images of birds in native habitats, this is the perfect companion for anyone interested in learning about the natural history and diversity of the state's birds and when and where to find them."

Chicago Birds: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species

James Kavanagh and Raymond Leung

2016

"This beautifully illustrated guide highlights over 140 familiar and unique species and includes an ecoregion map featuring prominent bird-viewing areas. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, pocket-sized folding guide is an excellent source of portable information and ideal for field use by visitors and residents alike."

Warblers in Your Pocket: A Guide to the Wood-Warblers of the Upper Midwest

Dana Gardner, Holly Carver

University of Iowa Press

2016

"This newest addition to Iowa's popular series of laminated guides – the twenty-eighth in the series – illustrates the thirty-eight species of warblers that occur in the Upper Midwest states of Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. For each species, artist Dana Gardner provides length, range, and habitat; he illustrates male, female, and immature birds where plumage varies; and he includes birds similar to warblers such as kinglets and vireos."

Midwestern Birds: Backyard Guide

Bill Thompson III

2013

"Written by Bill Thompson III, the editor and co-publisher of Bird Watcher's Digest, this portable 5"x8" book contains the same variety of entertaining and informative entries that make Bird Watcher's Digest the nation's most popular birding magazine. Inside, you'll find profiles of the 55 most common birds in the Midwest, complete with large color photos, gender-specific physical descriptions, nesting and feeding information, bird call particulars, and interesting stories about each species. Thompson also introduces the reader to the basics of bird watching: essential gear, bird-friendly food and plantings, housing tips, and observational techniques. This guide covers Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska."

Illinois Birds A Century of Change

Jeffery W. Walk, Michael P. Ward, Thomas J. Benson, Jill L. Deppe, Stacy A. Lischka, Steven D. Bailey, and Jeffery D. Brawn

2010

"Our goal for this book is to summarize the results of surveys conducted across all three time periods. We direct our findings to a broad audience under four major headings: The Changing Illinois Landscape, Bird Communities Through Time, Species Accounts and Looking Back, Moving Forward."

Waterfowl in Your Pocket: A Guide to Water Birds of the Midwest

Dana Gardner

2008

"A welcome aid to identifying the many colorful and intriguing water birds of the midwestern states, from the Great Lakes west to the Dakotas, east to Ohio, and south to Kansas and Missouri. Illustrator Dana Gardner has created fourteen panels showing fifty-one species of ducks, geese, swans, grebes, pelicans, coots, cormorants, moorhens, and loons swimming and flying with complete plumage variations - dark phases, light phases, and juvenile and adult male and female forms in summer and winter. The text also includes length, common and scientific names, and frequency and distribution. Whether flying high overhead in the fall or swimming in a nearby lake in the summer, waterfowl are notoriously difficult to identify, and Gardner has worked hard to make this guide useful for beginning birders as well as those more experienced in the field."

Fifty Uncommon Birds of the Upper Midwest

Dana Gardner and Nancy Overcott

University of Iowa Press

2007

"Although the many common birds of the Upper Midwest are lovely to hear and see, there is no doubt that the uncommon birds attract more attention. In this gorgeously illustrated companion to their "Fifty Common Birds of the Upper Midwest", which provided a new appreciation of the not-so-ordinary beauty and lifeways of familiar birds, illustrator Dana Gardner and writer Nancy Overcott celebrate the rarer birds of the Upper Midwest. Gardner and Overcott selected species that are uncommon because of dwindling populations, species that may be common elsewhere but not in the Upper Midwest, species that may be abundant one year and absent the next, and species that are usually present but are seldom seen. Beginning with the surf scoter with its multicolored bill and ending with the gregarious evening grosbeak, which resembles a giant goldfinch, they pair watercolors of each species with text that portrays its life cycle, its vocalizations and appearance, and its habitat, food, and foraging methods as well as migration patterns and distribution."

Fifty Common Birds of the Upper Midwest

Dana Gardner and Nancy Overcott

University of Iowa Press

2006

"In this gathering of essays and illustrations celebrating fifty of the most common birds of the Upper Midwest, illustrator Dana Gardner and writer Nancy Overcott encourage us to take a closer look at these familiar birds with renewed appreciation for their not-so-ordinary beauty and lifeways. Beginning with the garishly colored male and the more gently colored female wood duck, whose tree cavity nest serves as a launching pad for ducklings in the summer months, and ending on a bright yellow note with the American goldfinch, whose cheerful presence enlivens the midwestern landscape all year long, Overcott combines field observations drawn from her twenty-plus years of living and birding in Minnesota's Big Woods with anecdotes and data from other ornithologists to portray each species' life cycle, its vocalizations and appearance, and its habitat, food, and foraging methods as well as migration patterns and distribution."

Illinois Breeding Bird Atlas

V.M. Kleen, L. Cordle, and R.A. Montgomery

2004

"The Illinois Breeding Bird Atlas presents a comprehensive summary of information about birds that currently breed in the state, based primarily on data from the Illinois Breeding Bird Atlas Project and the North American Breeding Bird Survey, as well as the knowledge gained over many years of experience with the state’s avifauna. As the word "atlas" implies, the book includes maps that illustrate the distribution of breeding bird species in Illinois, but it also includes information on their ranges, abundance, habitats, life histories, historical status, and recent population trends."

Birds of Illinois

Sheryl DeVore, Steven Bailey and Gregory Kennedy

2004

Birding Illinois: More Than 110 Premier Birding Locations

Sheryl DeVore

Falcon Press

2000

"With Birding Illinois you can explore over 110 great birding locations throughout the state. Some of the Midwest's best birding occurs in the Prairie State, thanks to the rich variety of habitat that includes woodlands, wetlands, hills, sandstone canyons, savannas, prairies, cypress swamps, and sand dunes. You will also find good birding on the expansive Lake Michigan shoreline and along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Experience the rushing sound of thousands of American Golden-Plovers coursing across the sky or meet the yellow-eyed stare of an adult Bald Eagle looking over the Illinois River."

Waterfowl of Illinois: Status and Management

Stephen P. Havera

1999

"A comprehensive source on the status, management, and biology of Illinois waterfowl. A variety of topics relating to waterfowl were investigated and are discussed in this 628-page book with major emphasis placed on wetland habitats, food habits analyses, populations analyses, banding results, harvest information, historical records and regulations, private duck clubs, Canada Geese, nesting information, and waterfowl management. This book captures the strong traditions of waterfowling in the heart of the Mississippi Flyway and will be a welcome addition to the literature for those with a special interest in waterfowl. Illustrations, tables and color photos in this remarkable collection document a century of waterfowl investigations."

Waterfowl of Illinois: Abbreviated Field Guide

Stephen P. Havera

1999

"This abbreviated guide was produced to provide selected highlights from its companion volume, Waterfowl of Illinois: Status and Management and is not an all-inclusive examination of the natural history of the species of waterfowl frequenting Illinois. This book is illustrated with color photographs of the waterfowl that inhabit Illinois as well as some of the plants upon which these birds feed."

A Birders Guide to the Chicago Region

Lynn Carpenter and Joel Greenberg

1999

"Identifying more than 250 top sites for birding within a 65-mile radius from downtown Chicago, this useful guide provides maps, directions, and other information essential for discovering the birds of the area in their natural habitats. The most thorough guide of its kind, it covers nineteen counties of the greater Chicago area. "A Birder's Guide to the Chicago Region" includes detailed descriptions of local habitats and maps that show where to find birds in nearby Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan, as well as Illinois. While providing a wealth of practical information, the guide is enriched with insightful accounts of the natural history and ecology of particular areas. An essential guide for either beginning or experienced birders, this book will appeal to anyone who appreciates nature and wants to learn more about the natural history, ecology, and especially the birds of the Chicago area."

Birds of Chicago: Including NE Illinois and NW Indiana

Chris C. Fisher and David B. Johnson

1997

"An attractive guide that identifies the birds most likely to be seen in the city's backyards, streets and parks. Introduces the fascinating and popular pastime of birdwatching. Includes advice on building feeders and birdhouses. Color illustrations help identify birds quickly, while the text provides interesting information about each bird. An easy-to-use reference for Chicago area birdwatchers."

The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: The Heartland: Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri

Suzanne Winckler, Willard Clay, Charles Gurche, Michael Forsberg, Tom Till

1997

"Provides detailed descriptions of the national and state parks, wilderness preserves, natural sanctuaries, and other scenic wonders of America's heartland, furnishing information on the sites, their history, special activities, travel tips, and more."

Southern Illinois Birds: An Annotated List and Site Guide

W. Douglas Robinson

1996

"W. Douglas Robinson documents current knowledge of the birds of southern Illinois by surveying both the published literature on the subject and the unpublished field notes of active observers, field notes summarizing many important observations that have never before been easily available. Compared with studies in central and northern Illinois, there have been few active field observers in the south; yet the contributions of those who have worked in southern Illinois have been considerable. Robinson displays their efforts convincingly in this book. And to stimulate further research, Robinson points out gaps in current knowledge. Throughout the species accounts, in particular, he discusses what is missing or unclear regarding the status and migratory dates of birds. Designed to help bird watchers in the field and at home discover the significance of their observations, this book includes information on early arrival and late departure dates of migrants, the highest reported single-day counts in each season, and records of all vagrants. In addition, Robinson includes maps and guides to some of the best birding areas in the region to encourage birders and others to explore the many birding and scenic attractions in southern Illinois."

The Ornithology Of Illinois

Part I: Descriptive Catalogue by Robert Ridgway

State Laboratory For Natural History

1895

(Uncertain if this is a new edition or a reprint of material from the 1889 publication.)

The Ornithology Of Illinois

Part I: Descriptive Catalogue by Robert Ridgway

Part II: Economic Ornithology by S.A. Forbes

State Laboratory For Natural History

1889

(Note that though listed on the title page Part II of this work may not have been published.)

From the main section:

"In the following catalogue are included only those species which undoubtedly occur at the present time, and those of whose former occurrence there exists reliable evidence. In strict accuracy, Campephilus principalis, Conurus carolincnsis, and Ajaja ajaja might with propriety be excluded from the regular list and included in a special category. I have decided to retain them, however, for the reason that any doubt which may now exist concerning their present or very recent occurrence can be supported by merely negative evidence, based upon extremely meager data; while my experience relating to other southern species, resulting from a personal, though by no means thorough, exploration of localities more than 100 miles north of Cairo, leads me to expect interesting discoveries (some of them perhaps unanticipated), from careful observations in some of the more secluded portions of the extreme southern counties of the State. It is not at all impossible that in these fastnesses, the above mentioned species may still exist. The classification and nomenclature followed in the present work are those adopted by the special committee of the American Ornithologists' Union, and used in the official check-list of the Union, now being printed. As to the classification, however, I have reversed the sequence of families and higher groups, preferring to commence, as has been customary, with the Thrushes ."