Book: Yellowstone’s Birds

Yellowstone’s Birds: Diversity and Abundance in the World’s First National Park (Princeton University Press, $35) is a nearly 300-page book with encyclopedic detail about birds in the 3,500-square-mile expanse of Yellowstone Park, from beaver ponds to basalt cliff faces. Almost every page is a photographic treat, with detailed shots of bird behavior including nesting, mating, hunting, and everything in between. The text is equally thorough, and is grounded in a nine-decade long database on Yellowstone birds, giving the ornithologist authors a clear understanding of the many species in the Park, including trumpeter swans, golden eagles, owls, ravens, and Clark’s nutcrackers. Whether you’re a beginner or highly skilled bird-watcher, this book will diversify your knowledge and better your understanding of our backyard ecosystem. Finally, the editors and authors implore readers to get involved by participating in annual surveys and bird counts in the Park—what better way to help out and give back?