Max C. Thompson

Birds from North Borneo is a classic Borneo birding journal by Max C. Thompson. The major part of this report is an account of birds collected by the expedition of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum of Honolulu, Hawaii, to North Borneo, from June 24, 1962, through January 14, 1963. Most of the time spent in the then British Colony was devoted to collecting in lowland habitats. The chief collecting localities were in the vicinity of Quoin Hill on the Semporna Peninsula, and near Kalabakan. Approximately two weeks were spent in surveying the Tenom area. Additional work was done by the North Borneo Department of Agriculture after my departure, mainly by Antonio D. Garcia.

Ever since the Lewis and Clark Expedition spotted its first wild turkey in Kansas, the state has celebrated a rich ornithological history—especially in light of its habitat diversity and its location within the Central Migratory Flyway. That birding bounty is now given its due by a respected team of authors, all recognized avian authorities, in a beautifully produced large-format volume highlighted with professional-quality color photographs and maps. The first such survey in twenty years, this remarkable book depicts every one of the state’s now-documented 473 species. Designed for all knowledgeable birders and professional ornithologists, it provides scientifically accurate information on distribution, breeding, and behavior for each species. It not only significantly updates the previous two-volume field guide Birds in Kansas but also reflects a more than 10% increase in known species—47 more than previously listed, including the Long-billed Murrelet, Ross’s Gull, and Broad-billed Hummingbird. The contents are arranged by family—from abundant groups like Plovers and Sandpipers to the lone Frigate Bird (Fregata magnificens) recorded in the state. For each species, a map shows the counties in which it has been reported, and many species include maps for both breeding and banding. Use of color in the distribution maps allows depiction of seasonal bird distribution. The text also includes a brief life history for most regularly breeding species, as well as information on migratory routes explaining where the birds travel when they leave Kansas. Birds of Kansas will be a vital addition to the library of anyone who seeks a better understanding of the diverse and ever-fascinating Kansas avifauna.

Kansas knows how to attract birds. Located in the very center of the North American continent, it straddles the Central Flyway, one of the primary migration highways between Canada and South America. It also contains a broad spectrum of habitats, including deciduous forest, grassland, sagebrush, and a remarkable system of internationally important wetlands. As a result of this unique combination of natural features, Kansas attracts most of the eastern bird fauna and many of the western and southern species, as well as those northern birds that either winter on the central plains or pass through during their migratory flights. The number of bird species recorded in the states is 424--a total that places Kansas among the top five birding states in the country. Volume I of Birds in Kansas, the first of a two-volume set, describes more than two hundred species of ducks, geese, gulls, herons, woodpeckers, shorebirds, birds of prey, and other non-passerines (birds that neither perch nor sing.) volume II will focus on birds of the Order Passeriformes--the songbirds. Together these volumes constitute the only comprehensive, current, and authoritative treatment of Kansas birds written for amateur birdwatchers and naturalists. This handbook provides the reader with common and scientific names, distribution maps, photographs, and facts concerning reported occurrence, breeding, habits and habitats, field marks (for identification), and food preferences.