The sub-tropical climate of the Rio Grande Valley makes it an attractive area for a big amount of bird species to inhabit the South Texas wildlife scene or to pass through during migratory seasons. Find out where to order bird books from the list below and more.
The Texas Ornithological Society Handbook of Texas Birds
Mark W. Lockwood and Brush Freeman, 2004 Texas A&M University Press
$24.95 (The best range guide to Texas birds, with maps by county for each species)
Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America
David Allen Sibley
updated 2003, Knopf, $19.95
Sibley Guide to Birds
David Allen Sibley
2001 Nation Audubon Society, Knopf, $35.00 [Very useful field guides with multiple excellent illustrations of each species]
Birds of the Lower Rio Grande Valley
Brad McKinney
2002, Valley Nature Center, $9.95 [Very useful expanded checklist and guide to birding the area, including season and location for each bird species]
Specialty Birds of the Lower Rio Grande Valley
Keith Hackland
2003, Valley Nature Center & Keith Hackland, $2.00 [Very useful foldout brochure with excellent photos of 48 specialty birds; first of a series, with others to follow on Common Butterflies in 2003, Common Flowers in 2003, and in 2004 and future on Rare Birds, Amphibians & Reptiles, Dragonflies, Damselflies, Common Trees, etc]
A Birder’s Guide to the Rio Grande Valley
Mark W. Lockwood, William B. McKinney, James N. Paton, Barry R. Zimmer
1999, American Birding Association, $23.95 [Bird finding guide book with excellent maps and directions for the Lower Rio Grande Valley]
Thayer’s Guide to Birds of North America
Version 3, Cornell Lob of Ornithology, $69.95 [This excellent CD-ROM is very useful for trip preparation as it has 2675 color photos covering 930 species, and incorporates The Birder’s Handbook behavioral guide. Particularly useful is playing a species song while looking at its photos and range and reading about it. The best of the CDs available.]
Birds of North America
Kenn Kaufman
2000,Houghton Mifflin, $20.00 [Good pocket field guide which uses digitally enhanced photos to highlight key id points]
Field Guide to the Birds of North America
2002, National Geographic, $21.95 [Popular classic field guide]
The Behavior of Texas Birds
Kent Rylander
2002, University of Texas Press, $26.95 [Interesting reading on bird behavior and nesting]
The Birds of Texas
John L. Tveten
$24.95 [Well written guide to 300 species of birds of Texas]
A Checklist of Texas Birds
2003, Texas Parks and Wildlife Press, $2.00 [Latest edition of Texas checklist]
Bird Songs of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Southwestern Texas
Gerffrey A. Keller
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, $14.95 [CD of 110 species of bird calls, useful for traveling and playing in the car]
A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America
Seve N.G. Howell and Sophie Webb, 1995 Oxford
$39.95 (Covers Mexican birds well with good illustrations - useful for identifying Mexican rarities found in the Lower Rio Grande area)
The Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas
Ernest Preston Edwards
1998, University of Texas Press, $17.95 [Concise field guide to the birds of Mexico]