Brad Jacobs

Basics: 1997, softcover, 430 pages, 160+ species, breeding atlas maps

This atlas represents the field work carried out in Missouri between 1986 and 1992 to document all species that breed in the state. As typical of most atlases, the primary focus of this book is to provide a map of where the birds breed and to offer an account of the natural history of each bird. The state was divided into 1,210 blocks and all but 3 were surveyed during the study period.

A full-page map of Missouri is given for each of the 160+ breeding birds. The map contains boundaries for all counties. Blocks of three shades of gray are placed over the map to designate the location and status of a breeding bird. Nineteen different codes were used in the field surveys and then arranged into three distinct categories reflected on the map. These three status types are confirmed, probably, and possible breeding.

Another small map of Missouri displays the six primary phsyiographic regions of the state, which are shaded to represent the relative abundance of sightings of the bird. Another table shows nicely the seasonal timing for four types of breeding categories.

The text offered for each bird encompasses four key topics: habitat, code frequency, distribution, and abundance. Each receives a brief paragraph to give a basic synopsis of each subject. The information offered in the text is a bit on the generic side and is somewhat sparser in comparison to other state atlases I’ve examined.

I’ve listed several related books below…
1) Birds in Missouri by Jacobs
2) Birds of Illinois by Bohlen
3) Birds in Iowa by Kent/Dinsmore
4) Iowa Birds by Dinsmore et al.
5) The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas by Jackson et al.
6) Birds of Nebraska: Their Distribution and Temporal Occurrence by Sharpe
7) Arkansas Birds: Their Distribution and Abundance by James/Neal… (plus d'informations)

Basics: 2003, hardcover, 375 pages, 112 color plates, 345 species, range maps

Following up from his earlier atlas for birds of Missouri, the author has put together a good illustrated "guide" to all of the birds found in Missouri. This is not a field guide, but a slightly generalized identification guide. The 112 large color plates illustrate the birds very well, with each plate showing 1-8 species.

Each of the non-accidental birds in Missouri is illustrated with one, sometimes two, color illustrations. Although the artwork and detail is good – often with nice backgrounds included – these illustrations will not always be helpful for identifying all species. The key reason is there is only one plumage (typically breeding) shown for the male; and, for the female if it is notably different. This means you will not see the various age, seasonal, or subspecies plumages. But, keep in mind, this book was not meant to be an identification guide, but an illustrated reference for the Missouri birds. This is something the author has done well. My only minor critique of the illustrations is the proportion of the birds. Several seem to be a bit too short and deep-chested, making them look vaguely stunted or squashed (e.g., female Baltimore Oriole and male Yellow-headed Blackbird). But, this is minor.

One paragraph of text is given for each bird. This covers in general the habitat, status, behavior, and other natural history notes about the bird. Some brief descriptions are also given of the bird and its vocalizations.

The range maps use 6 different colors to denote the seasonal presence of the birds across Missouri as well as the adjacent states. With each map is a bar-chart showing the abundance of the birds in Missouri for each month.

Anyone who enjoys good bird art or who wants an attractive book that focuses on just the birds of his home state of Missouri will certainly appreciate this book.

I’ve listed several related books below…
1) Missouri Breeding Bird Atlas 1986-1992 by Jacobs/Wilson
2) Birds of Illinois by Bohlen
3) Birds in Iowa by Kent/Dinsmore
4) Iowa Birds by Dinsmore et al.
5) The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas by Jackson et al.
6) Birds of Nebraska: Their Distribution and Temporal Occurrence by Sharpe
7) Arkansas Birds: Their Distribution and Abundance by James/Neal… (plus d'informations)