Table Of Content—
ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE 123
recent books serve as excellent marine mam- Watch List Species and 91 Stewardship Spe-
mal field guides, this book was intended for a cies. The Watch List Species were determined
wider audience and would make a nice addi- through Assessment Scores (from 1 to 5) of
tion to any library. You will probably find the Population Size, Breeding Distribution,
yourselflooking through and mar—veling at the Non-breeding Distribution, Threats to Breed-
photos again and again, as I did. MICHAEL ing Population, Threats to Non-breeding Pop-
FRITZ, See Life Paulagics, Seaville, New Jer- ulation, and Population Trend for each indi-
sey; e-mail: [email protected] vidual species. The Combined Score is deter-
mined by summing Population Score, the
highest ofthe Distribution and Threats scores,
and the Population Trend score, for a maxi-
PARTNERS IN FLIGHT: NORTH AMER- mum of 20.
ICAN LANDBIRD CONSERVATION
Species with Combined Scores of 14 and
PLAN. By Terrell D. Rich, Carol J. Beard- up comprise the Watch List; species with a
more, Humberto Berlanga, Peter J. Blancher, Combined Score of 13 and a Population Trend
Michael S. W. Bradstreet, Greg S. Butcher, of 5 were also added to the Watch List. Six
Dean W. Demarest, Erica H. Dunn, W. Chuck species had Combined Scores of 12 and Trend
Hunter, Eduardo E. Inigo-Elias, Judith A. Scores of 5, including Northern Bobwhite
Kennedy, Arthur M. Martell, Arvind O. Pan- (Colinus virginianus), Loggerhead Shrike
jbaebrig,, DCharviisdtoNp.herPaMs.hlReuys,taKye,nJn.eStthevVe.n RWeonsdetn,- p(uLsainlilua)s,lLuadorvkicSipaanrurso),wFieClhdonSdpeasrtreoswg(rSpaimzmelal-a
IatnhdacTa,omNeC.wWYiollr.k.Co2r0n0e4l:l L8a4bppo.fOArvnaiitlhaoblloegya,t cinuesa),taBlaacnk-dtGhrroaastsehdopSppear(rrSopwar(Armopwh(iAsmpimzoadrbail--
Tnohechlaorngge-awfariotmedwwPwa.rptanretrnsersiinnfFlliigghhtt.or[gP.IF] Mmeuasdosw)a,lvaarnknarSutmur).neOllnaemsapgencai)es,,htahde aEaCstoemr-n
Landbird Conservation Plan arrived with (
much fanfare, and deservedly so. This broad bnionesdpeSccieosrehoafd1a1laonwdera CTroemnbdinSecodreScoofre5,abnudt
plan will serve as the starting point for bird a Trend Score of 5. A whopping 43 species
conservation planning throughout the U.S.
and Canada. A future planned revision will that had Combined Scores of 13 and Trend
Scores of less than 5 did not make the Watch
incorporate Mexican species, expanding the
List.
utiTlihtey opflatnhestpalrtasnwtioththae dceosnctriinpetnitoanl osfcahleo.w it Several species rated the maximum score,
weda,sincraedadtietdioanndtohdoefwiniittsiohnosulodfbteerimmspalnedmevnatr-- ciuncslumdiinnigmGuusn),niLseosnseSragPer-aiGrrioeu-sCehi(cCkeenntr(oTcyemr--
ious ranking factors. A total of 448 species panuchus pallidicinctus), California Condor
Gymnogyps californianus Thick-billed
that nest in North America are included. ( ),
Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) and Red-
Landbirds are defined to include species in 45 (
families. These families include Cathartidae crowned parrots (Amazona viridigenalis), Ivo-
plus those within the following orders: Galli- ry-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus princi-
formes, Falconiformes, Columbiformes, Psit- palis), Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla),
taciformes, Cuculiformes, Strigiformes, Ca- Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerules-
primulgiformes, Apodiformes, Trogoniformes, cens), and Bachman’s (Vermivora bachmanii)
Coraciiformes, Piciformes, and Passeriformes; and Kirtland’s warblers (Dendroica kirtlan-
13 more families (including Tinamidae) will dii). This varied group includes species absent
be added when the plan is revised to include from the USFWS endangered species list
Mexico. The plan also provides guidance on (Gunnison Sage-Grouse, LesserPrairie Chick-
Conservation Issues and Recommendations en, Thick-billed and Red-crowned parrots),
for seven Avifaunal Biomes: Arctic, Northern two species that were previously all but writ-
Forest, Pacific, Intermountain West, South- ten off as extinct but present on the endan-
west, Prairie, and Eastern. gered species list (Ivory-billed Woodpecker
At the core of the plan are the PIF Species and Bachman’s Warbler), and species that are
of Continental Importance, composed of 100 heavily managed endangered species (Califor-
—
124 THE WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY • Vol. 118, No. 1, March 2006
nia Condor, Black-capped Vireo, Florida topher Helm, London, United Kingdom. 2003:
Scrub-Jay, and Kirtland’s Warbler). 374 pp., over 690 color—photos. ISBN:
The Population Size Ranking Factor in- 0713660201. £35.00 (paper). Field guides to
cludes a Global Population Estimate, a number bird identification are no longer restricted to
difficult to determine for most bird species. I general guides on the birds of a particular re-
find these estimates to be interesting and gion. Although this guide’s coverage is re-
thought provoking, though I continue to be stricted to the European region, it covers the
puzzled by the disparity in population esti- specialized topic offlight identification ofsea-
mates among species. The percentage of the birds, a group defined here as including loons,
population residing in the U.S. and Canada is grebes, tubenoses, cormorants, waterfowl,
also estimated, and, for many species included skuas,jaegers, gulls, terns, alcids, etc. The au-
< %
in the plan, 1 ofthe global population nests thors state that they were inspired by their
in the U.S. or Canada. Expansion of the plan study of large numbers of migrating seabirds
to Mexico will be critical to future conserva- along the Baltic coast of Sweden, but much
tion efforts. Although Population Trend infor- ofthe information pertains to almost any non-
mation for each species is used as a part ofthe tropical coast along the North Atlantic.
Combined Score, the information in the Trend The guide opens with a solid Basics of
Score is qualified by using the Monitoring Field Identification section. It is a good over-
Needs information. The Monitoring Needs view of the challenges inherent to watching
identifies species for which trend data are lack- fast-flying birds in oftentimes difficult condi-
ing or imprecise, as well as species affected by tions, and contains many cautions for the less
poor survey coverage (e.g., those in boreal for- experienced birder. The book stresses the
ests and far northern areas). The remainder of shape, size, and flight style of birds in flight.
the species that lack an identified Monitoring The discussion of weather, wind, and light is
Need have a qualifier, that while monitoring is helpful for those not used to scanning vast
considered adequate “some issues, such as stretches of ocean. Although the next section
bias, may not have been accounted for.” listing 87 seabird watching sites in Western
While it is easy to find fault with individual Europe is not very useful on the U.S. side of
data points or certain aspects of the plan, the the “pond,” it is a good guide for traveling
utility of the ranking process is evident in the North American birders.
results. Without debating which species are Species are organized by functional groups:
facing threats, what effect those threats might some by family, such as those in the section
have on a population, or whether a Ranking entitled “Divers Gaviidae others more in-
Factor should be increased or decreased, the formally, such as those in the section entitled
plan will be useful for achieving bird conser- “Diving Ducks and Sawbills.” An overview
vation at the biome, BCR, state, orhabitat lev- of identification points is provided in each
el. The plan is a starting point for all future section, including marks that separate species
bird conservation efforts. Partners in Flight from other groups or from other species with-
has recently released revised ranking data for in groups, and marks related to age and molt.
landbirds covered in this plan on the PIF Web A blue box on the overview page contains a
site (www.partnersinflight.org). The Landbird bulleted list of field marks to note when at-
Conservation Plan should be required reading tempting to separate species within the group.
for biologists and land managers as well as It stands out well for easy reference in the
those interested in bird conservation. field as that fast-flying seabird goes whizzing
MARY GUSTAFSON, Texas Parks and Wild- past.
life Department, Mission, Texas; e-mail: The individual species accounts are unique
[email protected] among field guides in that they stress identi-
fication in flight. A short opening paragraph
describes the species’ range and includes oth-
er commentary. The accounts contain the
FLIGHT IDENTIFICATION OF EURO- more-expected information under the head-
PEAN SEABIRDS. By Anders Blomdahl, ings Size and Plumage and Bare Parts. Size
Bertil Breife, and Niklas Holmstrom. Chris- information is often presented with a compar-
