Could this really work? Next spring, Mark Berres, a University of Wisconsin–Madison ornithologist, will release an app called WeBird that identifies birds by call. I can’t wait to give it a try in my backyard! In the meantime, though, studying id books seems to be the way to go, so check out our full catalog of bird books here: http://press.princeton.edu/birds/.

UPDATE: Making a top-flight bird call identification app is tougher than it sounds, according to Mark Berres, developer of WeBIRD. While the project did not reach the public in spring of 2012, as Berres hoped, he says the app is on track to a release in time for the North American migration in early 2013. Books still good though: http://press.princeton.edu/birds/.

Then go read this notice from the illustrator H. Douglas Pratt. He is hard at work on a new edition for 2013 or 2014, but needs additional resources. If you sponsor one of the illustrations for the book, you will receive the original artwork after the book publishes — this is an amazing opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind painting from one of the leading bird illustrators in the world and also contribute to a new edition of a now classic and revered text.

Want to see samples of the paintings from the earlier version of the book — click here.

As one of the leading bird book publishers in North America, we are so excited for this movie (in theaters Oct 14). Hopefully it encourages thousands, or even better, millions more people to get out and look at birds. With our complete line-up of field guides and pocket guides to locations in North America and around the world, we’ve got you covered if and when you get out there.

Credit goes to Peter Unbehauen who asked his friends to review the book in the midst of the
selva de Peru, to the sounds of the gallitos de las rocas.

Photo: Probable Bryan’s Shearwater, Midway Atoll, December 1991. (Reginald David)

So, you are asking yourself — who or what is a Bryan’s Shearwater? and why is Princeton University Press dratting him, her, or it? Well, this is a story almost 50 years in the making.

In 1963, scientists collected a specimen of what they thought was a Little Shearwater. Now, in 2011, DNA testing has revealed that it is actually a new species of shearwater which has been named after Edwin Horace Bryan Jr., who was curator of collections at the B.P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu from 1919 until 1968.

So, why the drat? Well, we should have known that the minute we published the definitive and complete guide to birds of Hawaii, New Zealand, and other Western pacific locales, there would be an exciting new discovery that instantly made it incomplete (still the most complete, mind you, but minus 1).

According to a press release from The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, (via The Birdbooker Report, http://birdbookerreport.blogspot.com/p/new-hawaiian-shearwater.html), this is the finding of a lifetime: “Researchers have rarely discovered new species of birds since most of the world’s 9,000-plus species (including about 21 other species of shearwaters) were described before 1900. The majority of new species described since the mid-1900s have been discovered in remote tropical rain and cloud forests, primarily in South America and southeastern Asia. The Bryan’s shearwater is the first new species reported from the United States and Hawaiian Islands since the Po’ouli was described from the forests of Maui in 1974.”

So, now that everyone’s Hawaiian checklist has gotten a little bit bigger, how will you recognize a Bryan’s Shearwater? According to the release, “the Bryan’s Shearwater is the smallest shearwater known to exist. It is black and white with a black or blue-gray bill and blue legs.” However, as the release notes, the fact that Bryan’s shearwaters have only just now been discovered means they are extremely rare and may even be extinct, so best of luck in spotting one!

Natalie Angier writes a terrific piece about the popular, yet understudied, flamingo in the New York Times today.

I have always been fascinated by these birds, but never more so than after watching them “dance” at the Philadelphia Zoo. A group of at least 24 birds moving forward, back, sideways in perfect rhythm. They were joined by a large duck who kept up fairly well with their fast-paced dance. We may not know precisely why they are dancing (Angier’s article points to research that suggests flocks are trying to coordinate mating times so that young hatch on the same day which increases chance of survival), but one thing we do know is what their nests look like!

Well, here is an exclusive glimpse from Avian Architecture of a field of flamingo nests. Enjoy!

The July issue of Birding, the magazine of the American Birding Association, features artwork and an article by internationally acclaimed wildlife artist (and PUP author!) Albert Earl Gilbert. Gil’s field adventures in Southeast Asia are described in an exciting article entitled “Trogon Quest” (which is loosely based on a blog posting he made here on PUP blog last year), in which he relates his first-hand observations and experiences he and his party encountered doing the research for the award-winning book on tropical birds:  Trogons: A Natural History of the Trogonidae. Published in 2010, Trogons was honored as the winner of the “BEST BOOK DESIGN” category in the 2010 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS (IBA), the publishing world’s Oscar. The book also received an award as Finalist in “BEST COVER DESIGN” category.

Albert Earl Gilbert painted over 80 full color illustrations for the book authored by Joseph Forshaw, designed by Derrick I. Stone, and co- published by Princeton University Press and Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Trogons is a natural history of this spectacularly beautiful tropical bird family that includes the Quetzal, the sacred bird of the ancient Mayans and Aztecs.

One of Gil’s paintings is on the cover of the issue (seen above), and 7 other paintings as well as sketches are contained within the article. Gil also has written more about the cover painting in a Web Extra feature on the ABA blog: http://www.aba.org/birding/v43n4p5w1.pdf.

Birding Magazine can be ordered on line through the American Birding Association (ASBA) website http://www.aba.com. To learn more about Gil, head to his website is: http://albertearlgilbert.com.