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Minnesota

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

USA

USA bird books

Field Guide to Birds of Minnesota

Laura Erickson

American Birding Association

Scott & Nix Inc

2016

"The American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Minnesota includes 300 species birders are most likely to see in the state. Illustrated with hundreds of crisp, color photographs, it includes descriptions written by an expert Minnesota birder along with tips of when and where to see them. It’s the perfect companion for anyone interested in the amazing diversity and beauty of the birds of Minnesota."

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."

Birds of Minnesota State Parks

Robert B. Janssen

2015

"Each of Minnesota's 75 state parks is represented by a birding-oriented description, a page of recommended places to visit, and a map. The parks are a haven for birds, often providing the only suitable habitat for a species in the surrounding region. Over 300 of the regularly occuring bird species in Minnesota have been observed in the state parks. Birds of Minnesota State Parks is the culmination of a decades-long effort by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in collaboration with author Robert B. Janssen, Carrol Henderson of the DNR's Nongame Wildlife Program, and many of the state's outstanding birders. It is truly a labor of love, with hundreds of color photographs and the kind of information only a life-long birder and lover of the parks can provide."

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."

A Love Affair with Birds: The Life of Thomas Sadler Roberts

Sue Leaf

2013

"A Love Affair with Birds is the first full biography of Thomas Sadler Roberts. Bird enthusiast, doctor, author, curator, educator, conservationist: every chapter in Roberts's life is also a chapter in the state's history, and in his story acclaimed author Sue Leaf - an avid bird enthusiast and nature lover herself - captures a true Minnesota character and his time."

Hawk Ridge: Minnesota's Birds of Prey

Laura Erickson

University of Minnesota Press

2012

"Written by one of Minnesota's best-known bird authorities, with images by one of the state's favorite illustrators, Hawk Ridge is as fun as it is informative. It introduces the state's raptors, from the rare visitor to the most familiar hawk, noting the signature traits of each species osprey wings, for instance, are crooked to help them catch fish; vultures urinate on their legs to cool themselves as well as their nesting, breeding, and migrating habits. Did you know that Sharp-shinned Hawks banded at Hawk Ridge have been found throughout Central America and even into South America, and also, in midwinter, in Wisconsin? Laura Erickson offers a broad perspective (a bird's-eye view!), making sense of the raptor's role in the larger ornithological scheme. With descriptions of various species and helpful distinctions between species, families, and orders the book gives readers a clear idea of which raptors might be seen in Minnesota, when, where, and how often. It also includes a hawk migration primer that explains the movements that bring these birds in such awe-inspiring numbers to places like Hawk Ridge. Filled with curious facts and practical information for expert and amateur bird-watcher alike, Hawk Ridge is at once a guide to the hawks of Minnesota and a beautifully illustrated album of the most regal members of the avian kingdom."

Twelve Owls

Laura Erickson

University of Minnesota Press

2011

"The owls of Minnesota have found the perfect spokeswoman in this book, which is as charming as it is informative. Written with wit and a remarkable command of bird lore by Laura Erickson, well known to public radio listeners and birdwatchers everywhere, Twelve Owls also features enchanting pictures, from the long view to up-close detail, by award-winning artist Betsy Bowen. Who cooks for you? .... The telling detail, the natural drama, the identifying features, and the environmental story all unfold in Erickson's engaging account of what to look for, where to look, and what these much-mythologized but very real denizens of the bird kingdom might be doing in the state of Minnesota."

Minnesota Phenology: Seasonal Northland Nature

Larry Weber

2011

"Phenology is the study happenings in the natural world: when birds migrate, when flowers bloom, the weather conditions. Larry Weber makes an intimate study of the natural world from his home in Barnum, Minnesota."

Birds of the Great Plains: Breeding Species and Their Distribution

Paul A. Johnsgard

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."

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."

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

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."

Birds of Minnesota: Field Guide

Stan Tekiela

2nd edition

2004

"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."

Birds of Minnesota and Wisconsin

Bob Janssen, Daryl Tessen and Gregory Kennedy

2003

A Birder's Guide to Minnesota

Kim R. Eckert

4th edition

2002

A guide to birding sites in the state.

101 Birds of the Root River State Trail and Adjacent Southeastern Minnesota

John Levell

A Living Museum Wildlife Guide

2002

Birds of Voyageurs National Park: A Guide to the Minnesota-Ontario Border Country

Voyageurs Regional National Park Association

2001

Describes 100 species found in the park.

Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year: Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin

John Bates

1997

"This book attempts to direct the reader to the most spectacular natural events in the Upper Midwest, and where specifically to see them."

Birding Minnesota

Jay Michael Strangis

Falcon Press

1996

"This book will lead you to birds in all four of the state's biomes - Northern Boreal, Prairie, Southern Hardwood, and Northern Deciduous - plus a special section on birding the Twin Cities. Perfect for the novice and experienced birder alike, this guide not only gets you to the hot spots, it also tells you when to go and how to find birds once you get there. Filled with detailed maps, current information on seasonal occurrences and abundance, eye-catching photos, and beautiful illustrations, this book promises to be the source for Minnesota birders for many years."

The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: The Northern Plains: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota

Lansing Shepard

1996

"From Minnesota's boundary waters to the badlands of the Dakotas, here is detailed travel information and beautiful color photography of some of the natural treasures of America's national parks and smaller reserves. From plant and animal life to sites of geological significance, this guide offers a breathtaking, up-close look at this region's natural wonders."

A Birder's Guide to Minnesota

Kim R. Eckert

3rd edition

1994

A guide to birding sites in the state.

Birds in Minnesota

Robert B. Janssen

1987

"A field guide to the distribution of 400 species of birds in Minnesota."

Birds Of The St. Croix River: Valley Minnesota And Wisconsin

Craig A. Faanes

Fish And Wildlife Service

US Department Of The Interior

1981

From the abstract:

The St. Croix River Valley encompasses nearly 11,550 km 2 in east-central Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. A wide range of habitats are available for birds including upland oak, lowland deciduous, maple-basswood, lowland and upland coniferous forests, natural basin wetlands, and grasslands. Situated in the north-central region of the United States, the valley is a biological crossroads for many species. Because of the mixed affinities of plant communities, the valley includes the northern and southern range limits for a number of species. Also, because the valley lies near the forest-prairie transition zone, many typical western breeding species (e.g. pintail, western meadowlark, yellow-headed blackbird) breed in proximity to typical eastern species such as tufted titmouse, eastern meadowlark, and cardinal. From 1966 to 1980, I conducted extensive surveys of avian distribution and abun- dance in the St. Croix River Valley. I have supplemented the results of these surveys with published and unpublished observations contributed by many ornithologists. These additional data include compilations from Christmas Bird Counts sponsored by the National Audubon Society and from the Breeding Bird Survey coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Three hundred fourteen species have been recorded in the study area; data are presented on the migration period, nesting season distri- bution, winter distribution, relative abundance, and habitat use of each species.

Birds of the Great Plains: Breeding Species and Their Distribution

Paul A. Johnsgard

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."

Minnesota Birds: When, Where and How Many

Janet C. Green and Robert B. Janssen

1975

"A field guide to the distribution of 374 species in Minnesota."

Where to Find Birds in Minnesota

Kenneth D. Morrison, Walter J. Breckenridge and Josephine Daneman Herz

1955

The Birds Of Minnesota

Thomas S. Roberts

The University Of Minnesota Press

1932

A two volume publication.

Approximately 1500 pages with 92 color plates and many b/w illustrations in the text.

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