& 170 color photos & 7 x 9 . Complete description of life cycle and activities in the wild. Brilliant, hard-to-capture images from leading nature photographers& Straightforward, concise text by an expert Praise for Black-capped Chickadee and Northern Cardinal "This series will find a welcome place in bird-watching's storehouse of literature." --Pete Dunne "Read these books and you will be prepared to observe much more than the casual observer ever notices afield." --Howard Robinson, American Bird Watcher "Even those intimately familiar with the birds will find a great deal of information here, and those who have only a passing acquaintance will find these books a valuable resource and a pleasure to read. The photographs . . . are uniformly excellent, and many of them are stunning." --Eirik A. T. Blom, Bird Watcher's Digest With its bright yellow plumage, appealing song, and late-season nesting habits, the American Goldfinch is a welcome backyard visitor in North America. This fourth book in Stackpole's Wild Bird Guides series provides a detailed, insightful examination of the goldfinch's behavior and natural history, including mate selection, brooding and nesting habits, methods of communication, interaction with other species, and dramatic seasonal plumage changes. Alex Middleton, professor of zoology at the University of Guelph, has written extensively on the American Goldfinch and other species. He is the coeditor of The Encyclopedia of Birds and a contributor to The Birds of North America series. He lives in Ontario. Also in the Wild Bird Guides series: & Black-capped Chickadee by Susan M. Smith & Northern Cardinal by Gary Ritchison & Tufted Titmouse by Thomas C. Grubb, Jr. & Downy Woodpecker (available Spring 1999) & Ruby-throated Hummingbird (available Fall 1999) & Red-tailed Hawk (available Spring 2000) A lovely book about one of America's favorite backyard feeder birds, American Goldfinch (in the Wild Bird Guides series) is a very good introduction to the species. Middleton's years of research on goldfinches show in the wealth of information provided in this book. Divided into seven chapters covering such broad topics as breeding, foods and feeding, and behavior, the story is told in the form of long captions illustrating large color photos. Although the episodic nature of the captions can make for some choppiness in the narrative, the use of the index will allow the location of any specific facts required. The numerous color photos work well with the text. Goldfinches have expanded their range northward and have become more common, with increasing numbers surviving winter because of the increasing frequency of bird feeding, and this new guide to their behavior and lifestyle will be eagerly read by all who are interested in birds. Nancy Bent Used Book in Good Condition