Review by Choice Review
A series of more than 100 short essays on the birds of Iowa. (Most of the selected species are common, but some rarities are included as well.) The essays first appeared as regional newspaper columns, written by Black from 1969 to 1987. Each essay is devoted to a single species, discussed in a page or two in an informal style. The accounts generally describe the bird's natural history (feeding, nesting habits, behavior, etc.) with particular details from Iowa. The author incorporates her own observations from many years of fieldwork in the central part of the state, notes from many local authorities, and published materials. Her "folksy" writing mentions friends and family of the farmlands, but she also includes a good deal of avian biology, with reference to the latest findings of field ornithologists, especially on conservation issues. (Indeed, Black has been an important figure in preservation of Iowa's natural areas.) The book is well illustrated with photographs, there is an introductory overview of Iowa's avian habitats, and an appendix presents the offical list of birds recorded from the state. General; undergraduate. C. Leck; Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
