Review Of "Living On The Wind: Across The Hemisphere With Migratory Birds" By S. Weidensaul

Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

12-1-1999

Published In

Choice

Abstract

Better than any other book, Living on the Wind captures the wonder and excitement of bird migration, the scientific insights into how migration is accomplished, and the current crises in migrant bird conservation. Vivid firsthand accounts of all the major migrants in North America, including hawks, sea birds, song birds, waterfowl, and shorebirds, will grip the attention of any reader above sixth grade. Scientific studies on the orientation and ecology of migrant birds are reported in a simple, direct style, often with a good presentation of alternative views. Wiedensaul does an excellent job of presenting the complex issues of migrant bird conservation from several different viewpoints without making the situation seem hopeless. Better than anything in the last 20 years at the general reader level, the book will certainly be useful for another decade and is recommended for libraries above the elementary level. Illustrations are minimal, consisting of a few distribution maps. The short index and chapter references are not adequate for serious bibliographic work; college and graduate libraries will need to pair this book with references such as Frank B. Gill's Ornithology (2nd ed., 1995), Thomas Alerstam's Bird Migration (CH, Dec'91), and Berthold's Bird Migration: A General Survey (CH, Sep'94). All levels.

Comments

This work is freely available courtesy of Choice Reviews. The review has been reproduced in full in the abstract field.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS