• Grade: 7 to 12

Sparrows and Finches offers birders information on this rich variety of species right in their own backyard. It's hard to keep all those little brown birds apart. This handy, bring-along guidebook is designed to help beginner and advanced birders to identify accurately over 48 types of sparrows, finches, and their look-alikes.

Sparrows and Finches focuses only on these two families within a defined geographical location: the Great Lakes and eastern North America. As result, it offers comprehensive coverage in a small, convenient format.

The book is heavily illustrated with 220 full-color photographs taken by award-winning photographers that show these birds in their natural habitats. Comparison pages group similar-looking birds on a single spread for quick reference. Concise and accurate information on each bird includes:

Sparrows and Finches will prove indispensable to naturalists, students, and birders at all levels of experience. A special section entitled What Can I Do to Help the Sparrows offers simple ways to attract sparrows and finches to your own backyard. This is an engaging and friendly guide that reveals the rich diversity among a seemingly common family of birds so often taken for granted.

Chris Earley is a zoologist and environmental biologist He is the Interpretive Biologist and Education Coordinator at The Arboretum, University of Guelph His previous books include Falcons in the City, Warblers of the Great Lakes Region and Eastern North America, and Birds A to Z He lives in Guelph, Ontario

Chris Earley's profile page

Well-done, birder-friendly guides that fit easily into any field pack and are recommended for both beginning and advanced birders.

BirdWatcher's Digest

Referred to a 'little brown jobs' when identification of some of these birds becomes especially vexing. This book can help... 220 excellent color photographs.

International Hawkwatcher

Intended to help birders... they generally succeed, accurately portraying sexual and seasonal differences in plumage.

Ibis

These tidy little books provide nice introductions ... well chosen clear photographs accompany each species ... terrific primer.

Booklist

Detailed descriptions that point out the unique qualities of each bird as well as full-color photos... accessible, portable and affordable.

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Highly illustrated with exquisite color photographs in a natural setting... a welcome addition to my library.

New Hampshire Wildlife

Excellent information, more than 200 quality color photographs and delightful prose make these must-have guides.

Montreal Gazette

The author of these guides is a naturalist/teacher who clearly knows how to present bird-identification information in an organized, attractive, and educational format.

American Reference Books Annual, Volume 35

Lovely books ... the range maps are the first I've seen in any guide that fully delineate both breeding range and wintering range.

Toronto Ornithological Club

Concise and well-written... The color photographs of various species and the accurate field notes make this an excellent reference work and field guide.

Science Books and Films

Makes identifying these remarkable and diverse families of birds as easy as possible.

Princeton Times of Trenton

The most comprehensive information on several targeted species, packed in a colorful, convenient format.

Bird Times

Colorful photographic guides... delightful companions for beginning birders in eastern North America.

E-Streams

Essential field guide ... features 40 species detailing their similarities and subtle differences and including valuable "nature notes" with most entries.

Essex Free Press