Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America

A complete illustrated guide to these enigmatic seabirds

Petrels, albatrosses, and storm-petrels are among the most beautiful yet least known of all the world's birds, living their lives at sea far from the sight of most people. Largely colored in shades of gray, black, and white, these enigmatic and fast-flying seabirds can be hard to differentiate, particularly from a moving boat. Useful worldwide, not just in North America, this photographic guide is based on unrivaled field experience and combines insightful text and hundreds of full-color images to help you identify these remarkable birds.

The first book of its kind, this guide features an introduction that explains ocean habitats and the latest developments in taxonomy. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features such as flight manner, plumage variation related to age and molt, seasonal occurrence patterns, and migration routes. Species accounts are arranged into groups helpful for field identification, and an overview of unique identification challenges is provided for each group. The guide also includes distribution maps for regularly occurring species as well as a bibliography, glossary, and appendixes.

• The first state-of-the-art photographic guide to these enigmatic seabirds
• Includes hundreds of full-color photos throughout
• Features detailed species accounts that describe flight, plumage, distribution, and more
• Provides overviews of ocean habitats, taxonomy, and conservation
• Offers tips on how to observe and identify birds at sea

"This book is the product of a lifetime of fieldwork by the principal author and his collaborators. Howell's love for pelagic birding is apparent and he communicates that enthusiasm with clearly written sections describing plumages and behavior and accompanied by photographs illustrating all the important field marks and many of their variations. The book is a real tour de force and will be the standard of the realm for a great many years. I strongly recommend its inclusion in the library of any serious student of birds."---Robert Ake, Raven

"I highly recommend both versions of this book: clothbound or electronic. The eBook version is by far the best electronic version of a field guide for birds that I have ever used. And lest you are concerned that the text will be dry and boring, check out the section under each species entitled 'Names'. These bits of trivia are so entertaining that even if one never has the opportunity to take a pelagic trip, the book is worth whatever it costs."---Douglas Chapman, South Dakota Ornithologist Newsletter

"I congratulate Steve Howell on casting so many petrel pearls before seabird enthusiasts."---M. de L. Brooke, Ibis

"I can honestly say this book has not only changed my mind about photographic guides, I believe it sets a benchmark and standard that other titles and authors should follow. This is an outstanding work and should sit on the bookshelf of every keen sea-watcher."---Hugh Harrop, Seabird

"This is a reference book, not a field guide. But it is a very comprehensive and helpful introduction to birds that might be seen on pelagic trips off either the East or West Coast of North America. . . . This is a good book for professional ornithologists or amateurs committed to studying tubenose species."---Mark Lystig, Trumpeter

"[T]his is a top-quality product that successfully captures our growing knowledge and interest in pelagic seabirds. It is an essential purchase for anyone going pelagic birding in the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans, and I would also recommend it to seabird enthusiasts restricted to European coasts due to the comprehensive coverage of many northeast Atlantic species. [I]t represents excellent value-for-money, so buy a copy, pack it with your binoculars and ginger biscuits, and get out there!"---Russell B. Wynn, Royal Navy Birdwatching Society Newsletter

"A must have for pelagic birders! This title is an early contender for my 'Birdbooker's Best Bird Book for 2012!'"---Ian Paulsen, Guardian

"The author's knowledge and love of his subject are reflected in a superb book, which will hopefully inspire more people to get out on the oceans, learn about these magnificent birds and contribute to their conservation. . . . Anyone with an interest in seabirds will want to buy it and then start planning their next pelagic!"---John Martin, British Birds

"Howell opens the book by offering a great chapter that will benefit any seabird enthusiast . . . cycles. This chapter will prove invaluable to both the novice and expert alike, as it takes one back to the basics. . . . I liked the book very much. It is user friendly and informative and will be a valuable asset to the serious sea bird enthusiast."---Geoffrey Carpentier, Ontario Birding News

"This is a great book and a 'must have' for the serious birder who enjoys pelagic birding. . . . Birders with the desire to build a big life list know there will be pelagic trips in their future. Petrels, Albatrosses & Storm-Petrels of North America is just the book for that type of birder."---Fritz Brock, Wildlife Activist

"Tubenoses, the collective name for the birds that are the subject of this guide, live and thrive in a challenging environment, the open ocean. Equally challenging is the task of identifying these birds. From the deck of a pitching boat, looking at distant birds that usually are basic black, white, and gray, the typical bird watcher would find the task of identifying these species to be almost impossible. This is no longer the case. The arrival of this photographic guide, with excellent images contributed by some of the most experienced, skillful seabird photographers, makes that task much less daunting. . . . This book will be in the library of every serious bird watcher and will be used for many years to come."

"Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America is a certainly a detailed and comprehensive reference of tubenoses that have occurred in North American waters. Steve Howell has produced an outstanding book, one that is essential reading for all pelagic enthusiasts, regardless of their geographic location."---Brook Whylie, Corella

"[T]he guide provides a wealth of useful information, much based on the author's own extensive at-sea experience, and should be in the library--or checked luggage--of every seabird enthusiast."---Angus Wilson, Birdwatch

"From the moment one opens this tome, one cannot help saying 'wow!'. . . This is a book by a talented, enthusiastic writer, who knows his subject. There is little in the way of speculation, and any uncertainties are highlighted. I give this book a strong 'buy' recommendation."---Dick Newell, Birding World

"A much-needed ID guide."

"Steve N. G. Howell's book on the tubenoses is thorough and highly enjoyable. No other single source provides so much information on such a complicated group of birds."---Eddie Callaway, Birdfreak.com

"This is a truly essential guide for sea watchers and keen birders on both sides of the Atlantic, even though it is written in the main for a North American audience. It is a particularly well-written guide that should be used as a primary reference for those studying these mysterious sea-dwellers."---Lee G R Evans, Rare Birds Magazine

"Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America: A Photographic Guide is absolutely required for anyone interested in the identification of these wonderful birds, and is one of the best family identification guides, period. If you have ever been, are planning to go, or even think that you might someday go on a pelagic trip, then you should get this!"---Grant McCreary, Birder's Library

"Steve N.G. Howell's spectacular Petrels, Albatrosses & Storm-Petrels of North America: A Photographic Guide ranks in my pantheon as one bodacious mind-blower of a book, a how-on-earth-did-he-do-it combination of a definitive text riding perfectly at anchor with a photographic embarrassment of riches, not so much the work of a one-man band as a one-man symphony orchestra with a full chorus. . . . So why's an Adirondacker like me going wild about a book about birds that spend their entire life at sea? Because after hurricanes and major storms they get blown inland and birders spot them as far afield as the Upper Hudson and Lake Champlain."---John Thaxton, Albany Times Union

"This is one very in-depth and detailed tome. . . . Field guides talk about wing shape and structure when discussing shearwaters and petrels, but it's very difficult to grasp with only one or two illustrations. Through hundreds of painstakingly chosen photos (most taken by Howell), we can see and understand the subtle differences that the experts describe. The species accounts also highlight each species molt, which is often the best--if not the only--way to identify some species."---Greg Neise, North American Birding

"Steve N.G. Howell cannot be commended enough for this information dense and thoroughly enjoyable text."---Radd Icenoggle, Radley Ice

"This superb, hefty tome brings us mentally close to some of the most obscure and alluring big birds on earth. . . . If you are prone to pelagic birding, get this book. If you want to see seabirds without the sea-toss, then this is a good, solid read."---Harry Fuller, A Towhee blog

"Steve Howell has a rare talent that makes his publications a joy to read: his writing can take a potentially difficult or dry subject and present it in a way that everyone can understand--and enjoy. Petrels is no exception. . . . There's no excuse for European birders not to buy this book: many of the species covered are regulars on European pelagics, and most of the rest could turn up in future. . . . Four words that sum up Petrels, Albatrosses & Storm-Petrels of North America: accessible; informative; stunning; essential."---Stephen Menzie, Bird Guides

"A must-have for birders with a strong interest in pelagic birding and desirable for birders living near the coast, as some tubenose species may be seen from land on occasion."---John Beetham, A DC Birding Blog

"Excellent. . . . If you're planning to see or study tubenoses you'll want to own Petrels, Albatrosses & Storm-Petrels of North America by Steve N. G. Howell."---Kate St. John, Outside My Window

"A must-have resource, and definitive guide for anyone interested in Petrels, Albatrosses & Storm-Petrels of North America."

"[T]his is a fine book which covers a good number of the oceans' wanderers, a volume which all birders and those interested in conservation should aspire to own, and in whichever continent they happen to live. . . . My advice to any birder out there is to order this book right now."

"Will likely become a classic for ornithologists and birdwatchers interested in the most nomadic of all birds, the seabirds. It is packed with information. . . . If you have a boat and wondered about the birds that glide past off the stern or you are a seabird biologist or a serious pelagic birder in North America, then this is a book you should purchase."---Rob Butler, Vancouver Sun

"If the sea and its specialized birds draw you to them, you'll love the treasure trove of seabird identification tips and extensive taxonomy treatments found in this scholarly, and weighty, volume. If you want to know the status, distribution, and identification of all the Procellariiformes from Panama to the Arctic, including all vagrants, then this highly anticipated book won't disappoint. If you are interested in the latest Taxonomy then this book is for you. If you are planning your next pelagic trip to the Gulf Stream in order to search for Cape Verde or Desertas Petrels or taking a cruise off western Mexico in the hopes of spotting Ainley's or Townsend's Storm-Petrels then this is a 'must-have' book."---Greg Gillson, Pacific NW Birder blog

"An essential tool to help readers get their eye in for their next pelagic trip. But even if you're not going down to the sea in boats, Petrels, in its sophistication of approach and exemplary detail, may well be the most useful book you read this year."---Rick Wright, ABA Blog

"This book stands alone as the single most up-to-date, relevant and comprehensive reference guide to the tubenoses of North America on the market, and as it covers virtually half the world's seabirds, it will probably be of use to virtually every birder in the world, although clearly a keen seabirder on either coast of North America will end up wearing their copy out sooner! At $45.00 this is a screaming bargain. At double the price it would be a justifiable expense for any serious birder, but as it sits now, I would think anybody who is interested enough in birds to be reading this right now on Surfbirds has to ask themselves if they can afford NOT to buy this book. An instant classic and a book unlikely to be surpassed in the next several decades."---Mark Maftei, Surfbirds Forum

"A MUST have for pelagic birders! This title is an early contender for 'Best Bird Book for 2012'!"---Ian Paulsen, Birdbooker

"This is a field guide because of its attention to bird identification, a reference because of its rich detail and copious citations, and a coffee table book because it is biggish, hard covered, and pretty. . . . If you plan on adding any number of tubenoses to your life list as a birder, you need two things. 1) This book; and 2) Dramamine. Oh, and a boat. Happy birding!"---Greg Laden's Blog

"Short Version: If you bird on or near the ocean, buy this book and read it. Slightly Longer Version: Steve Howell's guide to petrels (including shearwaters), albatrosses, and storm-petrels is a must-have resource for anyone who aspires to identify birds on the open ocean."---Jake Rackstraw blog

"This book has incredible information and lots of maps, and although the title suggests it is a guide for North America, trust me, it is so comprehensive, it can be used anywhere in the world!"---Karen Roy, KaHolly blog

"Seasoned pelagic veterans and landlocked birders alike will have tons to learn about North American tubenoses from this book and I know it will offer enjoyment to anyone interested in wild birds! The bottom line: This is a must-have title for any serious North American birder--get it!"---Bill Schmoker, Brd Pics blog

"Howell's introduction is perhaps the most critical and useful piece of writing at the fore of any bird guide in the past few decades because, before this, so little was written on what it means to be able to identify pelagic birds. Howell explains in great detail concepts like 'wing-loading' and how it pertains to the different species flight styles. He breaks down dynamic soaring, the process by which so many tubenoses get around the oceans. He illustrates, clearly and concisely in simple line drawings, the flight manners of several species of shearwater in both calm and strong winds. He even explains how to orient yourself on the boat relative to the wind to best take advantage of passing birds. It's truly a treasure chest full of incredible information, none of it self-evident, on best experiencing the open ocean. . . . Howell, a man who is truly fluent in tubenose, has produced the something essential here. I could not possibly recommend it more enthusiastically."---Nate Swick, The Drinking Bird

"Howell has done a tremendous job throughout this book in evoking a sense of ocean exploration and discovery through seabirds and I think that he succeeds admirably in his goal of synthesizing the present knowledge of tubenose identification."---John Carlson, Prairie Ice blog

"Learning to identify seabirds requires more time in the field, and more time studying field guides than do most other orders of birds because the field conditions are often so challenging. . . . Anyone who loves seabirds or who is planning a pelagic birding trip will want to own this book."---Wayne Mones, Audubon

"No other text on the tubenoses begins to offer the material contained in Howell's latest book. The reader has a palpable sense, when reading it, that the author not only knows his subject and audience but also genuinely loves the ocean and its inhabitants—and relishes teaching people about them."—Edward S. Brinkley, author of National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America

"This is a well-written and scholarly book that will be widely used as a primary reference by a growing cadre of at-sea birders and ornithologists. Text, photos, and photo captions are excellent, at times entertaining, and very informative."—Peter Pyle, author of Identification Guide to North American Birds