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Iowa

This page lists books about birds and birdwatching in the US state of Iowa.

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


USA

For bird books that cover all, or a large part of, the USA see the following page:

USA bird books

 

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

Dana Gardner, Holly Carver

Bur Oak Laminated Field Guides: 28

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."

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The Raptors of Iowa

James F. Landenberger

University Of Iowa Press

2013

"This long-awaited collection of James Landenberger's paintings of Iowa birds of prey presents thirty-two full-page, full-color species, from the common turkey vulture to the red-shouldered hawk of Mississippi River woodlands to the little northern saw-whet owl. Four naturalists who have devoted their lives to conserving wilderness habitats and species have written essays to complement the paintings."

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Midwestern Birds: Backyard Guide

Bill Thompson III

Cool Springs Press

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."

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The Return of Iowa's Bald Eagles

Ty Smedes

The Iowan Books

2011

"In 1977, Iowa recorded its first bald eagle nest in 72 years and, amazingly, just 3 decades later, 253 young were reared across 88 counties during 2010. The Return of Iowa's Bald Eagles chronicles this conservation success story with facts, antidotes, charts, statistics, and a photo gallery, which illustrates bald eagle biology, and the bald eagle's recovery in Iowa. These spectacular color photographs, among the most incredible photographs ever taken of bald eagles in Iowa and the United States, have captured the power, grace and majesty of the bald eagle as it returned to prominence in Iowa."

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Birds of the Great Plains: Breeding Species and Their Distribution

Paul A. Johnsgard

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries

2009

This is a revised, electronic edition of a book that was originally published in 1980. This revised edition contains new range maps for many species, a new essay 'Three Decades of Change in Great Plains Birds,' and an updated bibliography of breeding bird surveys and state, regional, national, and species references.

"This book is the first to describe systematically all of the species of birds known to have bred or to breed at present in the Great Plains, a major ecological unit that encompasses all or part of part of eleven states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas."

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

Dana Gardner

University of Iowa Press

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."

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Fifty Uncommon Birds of the Upper Midwest

Dana Gardner and Nancy Overcott

Bur Oak Books

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."

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Fifty Common Birds of the Upper Midwest

Dana Gardner and Nancy Overcott

Bur Oak Books

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."

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Iowa Bird Watching: A Year-Round Guide

Bill Thompson III

Thomas Nelson Publishers

2005

"The books are state-specific and highlight the birds that are found in each state. In addition to the profile, each bird entry includes a map to identity the specific range covered by the bird. 100 birds are presented via full-color photographs for accurate identification. Full-color seasonal section informs the reader of: the migrating birds that can be seen that month, the foods that attract those birds, the plants that can assist in attracting birds."

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Iowa Birds

Ann Johnson, Jim Bangma and Gregory Kennedy

Lone Pine Publishing

2005

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Birds of the Great Plains: Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas

Bob Jennings, Ted Cable and Roger Burrows

Lone Pine Publishing

2005

"Encounter 325 of the most common or notable birds found in the Great Plains states, presented with beautiful full-color illustrations and comprehensive notes on habitat, nesting, feeding and voice, as well as best sites for viewing. 312 color illustrations, 313 maps."

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Faces of the Great Plains: Prairie Wildlife

Bob Gress and Paul A. Johnsgard

University Press of Kansas

2003

"The Great Plains are America's biological melting pot, drawing creatures from surrounding regions to create a rich diversity of wildlife. This book illuminates the enormous variety and uniqueness of prairie wildlife - featuring 150 of the most interesting and important species."

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Birds of Iowa: Field Guide

Stan Tekiela

Adventure Publications

2001

"Learn about and identify birds using Stan Tekiela's state-by-state field guides. The full-page, color photos are incomparable and include insets of winter plumage, color morphs and more. Plus, with the easy-to-use format, you don't need to know a bird's name or classification in order to easily find it in the book. Using this field guide is a real pleasure. It's a great way for anyone to learn about the birds in your state."

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The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas

Laura Spess Jackson, Carol A. Thompson, James J. Dinsmore

Bur Oak Books

University of Iowa Press

1997

"A detailed record of the composition and distribution of the avifauna of the Hawkeye state. The atlas documents the presence of 199 species, 158 of which were confirmed breeding."

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Birds of an Iowa Dooryard

Althea R. Sherman

Bur Oak Books

University of Iowa Press

1997

"Return to print of a classic piece of American natural history writing, first published in 1952, it contains wonderful avian, as well as human, observations."

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

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

Random House

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."

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Birds In Iowa

Thomas H. Kent and James J. Dinsmore

1996

Includes species accounts for all birds on the Iowa list, information about birdwatching areas and a history of ornithology in the state.

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Iowa Wildlife Viewing Guide

Stephen J. Dinsmore, Laura S. Jackson, Bruce L. Ehresman, and James J. Dinsmore

Falcon Press

1995

"One of the series of national "Watchable Wildlife" guides, this book looks at four regions of the state, each with a different biotic makeup, and gives the reader directions to and descriptions of major wildlife areas."

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Iowa Birdlife

Gladys Black

Bur Oak Books

University of Iowa Press

1992

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Birds of the Great Plains: Breeding Species and Their Distribution

Paul A. Johnsgard

University of Nebraska Press

1980

"This book is the first to describe systematically all of the species of birds known to have bred or to breed at present in the Great Plains, a major ecological unit that encompasses all or part of part of eleven states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. Although the original Great Plains ecosystem - the grassland biome - has been greatly altered by modem agriculture, remnants still exist in national and state parks, grasslands, and refuges, as well as in rural cemeteries, railroad rights-of-way, and small nature reserves. These areas support populations of nearly all the original and introduced birdlife - approximately 320 species - of the Great Plains."

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Waterfowl In Iowa

Jack W. Musgrove and Mary R. Musgrove

State of Iowa

4th edition

1961

Originally published in 1943.

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Waterfowl In Iowa

Jack W. Musgrove and Mary R. Musgrove

State of Iowa

2nd edition

1947

Originally published in 1943.

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Waterfowl In Iowa

Jack W. Musgrove and Mary R. Musgrove

Iowa State Conservation Commission

1943

112 page field guide with colour plates.

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Last updated August 2017