A Field Guide To Little-Known And Seldom-Seen Birds Of North America

by Cathryn Sill, Ben Sill, John Sill (Illustrator)

Overview

A hilarious, feather-brained field guide parody—the perfect gift for your favorite birder! From the award-winning team of Cathryn, John, and Ben Sill.

"The funniest field guide you'll ever buy." ―BirdWatching Daily

"Aficionados will find themselves squawking with laughter at the ingenuity and mock-seriousness of this engaging volume by three avid birders." ―Publishers Weekly

Birders and just about anyone who likes birds will delight in this satirical field guide from award-winning author and illustrator team Cathryn, John, and Ben Sill.

Thirty-two fabulous fictitious species (Military Warbler? Great-toed Clapboard Pecker, anyone?) are depicted in this witty volume, which features tongue-in-cheek descriptions, observation hints, and range maps, as well as John Sill's remarkable full-color illustrations. A must-have for any bird watcher!

Also available:
Another Field Guide to Little-Known and Seldom-Seen Birds of North America

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561457281
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	02/05/2013
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Cathryn Sill, a graduate of Western Carolina University, was an elementary school teacher for thirty years. She is the author of more than twenty-five prize-winning nonfiction picture books about animals and habitats. She has created three nature series especially for pre-K and kindergarten students. She lives in North Carolina.

John Sill holds a BS in wildlife biology from North Carolina State University. Combining his knowledge of wildlife and artistic skill, John has achieved an impressive reputation as a wildlife artist and received many awards. He has illustrated more than twenty-five books in the About... and About Habitats series. He lives in North Carolina.

Table of Contents

Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition: Introduction vi

The Field Guide: An Explanation viii

Bird Nomenclature x

Acknowledgments xi

Gila Gull 2

Warbling Cormorant 4

Seed-eating Tern 6

Multi-toed Snorkel Bill 8

Middle and Least Yellowlegs 10

Auger-billed Clamsucker 12

Long-range Target Duck 14

Omaha Dabbler 16

Skia 18

Southern Snake Strangler 22

Spring Kite 24

Elegant Vulture 26

Night-flying Teeter 28

Circular Dove 32

Ripped Grouse 34

Great-toed Clapboard Pecker 38

Ebony-billed Woodpecker 40

Blunt-billed Woodpecker 42

White-lined Roadrunner 46

Green Plumivore 48

Global Positioning Situator 50

Giant-billed Snapper 54

Split-winged Swift 56

Spoon-billed Hummingbird 58

Hook-billed Crochet 60

Small Flycatcher 64

Gilded Worm Weaver 66

Eastern Spider Spitter 68

Military Warbler 70

Monarch Warbler 72

Texas Warbler 74

Greater Wandering Vagrant 78

Prairie Molter 82

Eastern Narrow Sparrow 84

Lesser Shedding Sparrow 86

Least Minitwit 88

American Bunting 90

Appendix I New Bird Record 92

Appendix II Field Notes 93

Appendix III More Bird Species? 94

Glossary 96

Further Reading 97

About the Authors 98

Editorial Reviews

"Aficionados will find themselves squawking with laughter at the ingenuity and mock-seriousness of this engaging volume by three avid birders." —Publishers Weekly

"The funniest field guide you'll ever buy." —BirdWatching Daily

"This book is funtastic! It's John James Audubon meets Dr. Seuss magnified by the creative genius of one of North America's best known (and funniest) bird artists. A Field Guide to Little-Known and Seldom-Seen Birds of North America may not supplant (or even augment!) your favorite field guide. But I promise, absolutely promise, it will make you laugh, cover to cover." —Pete Dunne, author of birding books and director of New Jersey Audubon's Cape May Bird Observatory

"You need this book—you really do. Without it, you have zero chance of ever seeing a multi-toed Snorkel Bill or an eastern Spider Spitter in the wild. With this book, your chances will double! Okay, twice zero is still zero, but you'll have a lot more fun if you know what we're all missing out there. This is a beautiful treasure trove of the world's most amazing nonexistent birds."—Kenn Kaufman, author of birding books, including Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America

"If there's one thing I adore more than birds, it's funny bird watchers. In their impossible-to-put-down book, the authors reveal themselves to be not only funny, but also clever and creative bird-watching geniuses. Every species account contains savory bits of knowledge you didn't know you needed to know about birds that (probably) don't exist, served up with visual and written puns in a silly smorgasbord that will have you turning each delightful page, hungry for another helping of laughter. John Sill's artwork brings to life these species that (we hope) only exist in the twisted minds of the three Sills, who are, after all, the funniest bird watchers on the planet. We're just not sure which planet..."—Bill Thompson, III, author of birding books and editor of Bird Watcher's Digest

From the Publisher