BOOK REVIEWS: Introduction to California Birdlife by Jules Evens and Ian Tait. 2005. University of California Press. xi + 382 pages, 150 color photographs, 4 line illustrations, 7 maps. Softback, $16.95. ISBN 0-520-24254-8.

Abstract

With more than 600 species of birds and the richest diversity of habitats found in any state, California is a paradise for birds and birdwatchers. This same complexity, however, has posed a daunting, even overwhelming, challenge for writers. Despite the seminal works of Dawson and of Grinnell and Miller, and a more recent contribution by Small, the nature of California birdlife remains largely unaddressed in a present-day context. Introduction to California Birdlife, by author and biologist Jules Evens and photographer Ian Tait, is the most recent effort in this distinguished lineage. Part of the California Natural History Guide Series published by the University of California Press, this book has the unique distinction of being an introduction to the state’s birdlife rather than an exhaustive treatment. While this approach limits the book’s usefulness as a reference tool, it makes it an ideal textbook for beginning birdwatchers, newcomers to California, and bird classes.