America’s Favorite Backyard Birds by Kit and George Harrison.
Popular guide to bird watching focuses on the ten most common bird species, such as robins, cardinals, blue jays, and woodpeckers. Offers a wealth of information on each: what they look like, where they live, what they eat, how they behave, when they nest and mate, and how the young are raised. Includes the authors’ own experiences and observations. RC 20534.

The Backyard Bird Watcher by George H. Harrison.
For fledgling birders, this guide to the techniques of attracting birds to suburban and rural yards gives basic data on planning, feeding, birdhouses, and water. Offers advice on coping with common problems and makes specific suggestions for various geographical areas. RC 14355.

Birding around the World: A Guide to Observing Birds Everywhere You Travel by Aileen R. Lotz.
This guidebook for bird-watching is intended to stimulate "early birders" and encourage travelers to enjoy the sport. Part one offers hints to successful birding, part two provides a geographically arranged introduction to common and uncommon birds likely to be encountered, and the final part presents a list of basic books and other aids designed to further one’s interest in world birding.
RC 27972.

The Birds of Heaven: Travels with Cranes by Peter Matthiessem.
Wilderness traveler reports on the status of the world’s crane population and his adventures with fellow naturalists in the birds’ habitats. Celebrates the declining species and local landscape as he journeys to sites in Asia, Africa, Western Europe, and the United States. RC 53665.

A Birdsong Tutor for Visually Handicapped Individuals by Lang Elliot.
An auditory guide to the sounds made by birds and other wildlife. Following an introduction to a variety of natural sounds, including a full mixed chorus of woodland birds, Lang conducts different field trips to acquaint us with various habitats of the sound-makers. With practice, the listener will be able to identify singers from the eastern United States and Canada. RC 29485.

Birdwatching: A Guide for Beginners by Joan Easton Lentz and Judith Young.
All aspects of birdwatching are discussed in this primer, including equipment and clothing as well as birding techniques, methods, and ethics. Intended primarily for neophyte birders who want to learn correct procedures. RC 23709.

A Complete Guide to Bird Feeding by John V. Dennis.
An ornithologist and biologist explains how to attract a greater variety of species and tells precisely how to choose or make and install the feeders preferred by various birds. He advises on how to stock them with grains, berries, seeds, meats, fats, fruits, and nuts that appeal to different birds that visit feeding stations. RC 17632.

Eagle’s Plume: The Struggle to Preserve the Life and Haunts of America’s Bald Eagle by Bruce E. Beans.
The author examines the bald eagle, its symbolism in American culture, and its struggle to avoid extinction. He discusses the formidable forces opposing the eagles’ survival--hunters, egg collectors, lumbermen, developers, and toxins--and the determined efforts by scientists, activists, and government officials to save the national bird. Some strong language. RC 44610.

Hand-Taming Wild Birds at the Feeder by Alfred G. Martin.
Instructional guide with fascinating true stories. Includes eleven rules for making friends with birds and describes how to identify birds with confidence. RC 11368.

How to Attract, House and Feed Birds by Walter E. Schutz.
Information on bird watching as a hobby and instructions on making feeders and bird houses. RC 18852.

The Lives of Birds: Birds of the World and Their Behavior by Lester L. Short.
The curator of birds of the American Museum of Natural History draws upon the latest research and knowledge on the diverse world of birds. He discusses bird behavior from hatchling through fledgling to maturity, including information on diets, flying, singing, migration, territoriality, courtship, nesting, and mating. Also includes a chapter on the interrelationship between birds and humans. RC 41184.

Neighbors to the Birds: A History of Birdwatching in America by Felton Gibbons and Deborah Strom.
Includes summary descriptions of various movements in birding and studies of early leaders: William Bartram, Alexander Wilson, John James Audubon, John Burroughs, and John Muir. RC 29428.

The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior edited by Chris Elphick, John B. Dunning, Jr., and David Allen Sibley.
Presents a basic overview of bird biology: evolution, behavior, habitats, and how the body works. Then bird experts and ornithologists discuss eighty specific bird families of North America, covering taxonomy, foraging and breeding patterns, and conservation status. RC 54492.

Stories about Birds and Bird Watchers from Bird Watcher’s Digest edited by Mary Beacom Bowers.
Collection of thirty-eight tales about the adventures and foibles of countless bird watchers. Subjects include rescuing and caring for a baby starling, an American bittern who liked fox-trots, and the world’s largest living bird, wandering albatross. RC 18955.

Treasury of North American Birdlore edited by Paul S. Eriksson and Alan Pistorius.
Collection of classic nature writings that explore all facets of bird life. First published in 1962. The list of contributors includes John James Audubon, John Muir, Edwin Way Teale, Joseph Wood Krutch, and Rachel Carson, among others. RC 28229.

What You Should Know about the Purple Martin by J. L. Wade.
A purple martin can eat 2,000 mosquitoes per day. An ardent conservationist and nature lover tells how Griggsville, a small Illinois town, awakened a national awareness of the usefulness of the purple martin and other wild birds. He describes how to attract these friendly birds, their care and feeding, and the bird’s role in conservation. RC 17618.

A World of Watchers by Joseph Kastner.
Traces the history of bird watching, the "most scientific of sports or the most sporting of sciences," from early, exclusive, all-male birding clubs to the wide membership of the late-twentieth-century Audubon Society. Until the advent of field guides and inexpensive binoculars, bird watchers killed the objects of their interest. Many of birding history’s colorful, eccentric personalities are profiled.
RC 25343.