Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario, 2001-2005 (Hardcover)

""The atlas is a monumental achievement. This book is a must for everyone interested in birds, Ontario, and the natural world."""-- Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson, author of"The Bedside Book of Birds The most authoritative and up-to-date resource on the birds of Ontario.

Ontario's boreal forest is the breeding area for most of North America's songbirds. More than 3,000 birders contributed to this book by surveying the province from Lake Erie to Hudson's Bay. With 400 color photographs, the atlas provides detailed information on the distribution and population status of all the birds that breed in Ontario, which then migrate all over the continent.

The 900 maps illustrate and record the breeding population for all the species and their range changes since the first atlas was published 20 years ago. Special "new abundance" maps and population estimates for many species reveal how numbers vary across the province's vast and diverse landscape.

The atlas reveals the 10 most populous species in Ontario:

Nashville warbler Chipping sparrow Dark-eyed junco Golden-crowned kinglet Magnolia warbler White-throated sparrow Yellow-rumped warbler American robin Red-eyed vireo Swainson's thrush.

Among the interesting discoveries these birders brought to light: the Canada goose and the house finch experienced the greatest increases in population, and the common nighthawk and chimney swift experienced the greatest decreases.

The "Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario" is the definitive reference for birders, biologists and any general reader with an interest in nature and the state of the environment.