CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: THE WORLD OF BIRDSONG
Why Birds Sing
Where Each Bird Gets His Song
Songs and Calls
The Practice of Deep Listening
Where to Begin
SECTION 1: THE NON-PASSERINE GROUP
Ducks and Geese (Anatidae)	Canada Goose
	Mallard
New World Quail (Odontophoridae)	California Quail
Grebes (Podicipedidae)	Western and Clark’s Grebes
Hawks and Eagles (Accipitridae)	Red-tailed Hawk
Rails, Gallinules, and Coots (Rallidae)	American Coot
Cranes (Gruidae)	Sandhill Crane
Plovers (Charadriidae)	Killdeer
Sandpipers and Phalaropes (Scolopacidae)	Wilson’s Snipe
Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae)	Mourning Dove
Owls (Strigidae)	Great Horned Owl
Goatsuckers (Caprimulgidae)	Common Nighthawk
Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)	Anna’s Hummingbird
Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)	Belted Kingfisher
Woodpeckers (Picidae)	Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers
	Northern Flicker
SECTION 2: THE PASSERINE GROUP
Tyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)	Western Wood-Pewee
	Black Phoebe
	Western Kingbird
Vireos (Vireonidae)	Hutton’s Vireo
Jays and Crows (Corvidae)	Steller’s Jay
	Western Scrub-Jay
	American Crow
	Common Raven
Larks (Alaudidae)	Horned Lark
Swallows (Hirundinidae)	Violet-green Swallow
Chickadees and Titmice (Paridae)	Mountain Chickadee
	Chestnut-backed Chickadee
	Oak and Juniper Titmice
Nuthatches (Sittidae)	White-breasted Nuthatch
Wrens (Troglodytidae)	Bewick’s Wren
	House Wren
	Winter Wren
	Marsh Wren
Kinglets (Regulidae)	Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Thrushes (Turdidae)	American Robin
	Western Bluebird
	Swainson’s Thrush
	Hermit Thrush
Babblers (Timaliidae)	Wrentit
Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)	Northern Mockingbird
	California Thrasher
Starlings (Sturnidae)	European Starling
Waxwings (Bombycillidae)	Cedar Waxwing
Wood-Warblers (Parulidae)	Orange-crowned Warbler
	Yellow Warbler
	MacGillivray’s Warbler
	Common Yellowthroat
	Wilson’s Warbler
	Yellow-breasted Chat
Tanagers (Thraupidae)	Western Tanager
Sparrows (Emberizidae)	Spotted Towhee
	California Towhee
	Chipping Sparrow
	Brewer’s Sparrow
	Lark Sparrow
	Lark Bunting
	Savannah Sparrow
	Fox Sparrow
	Song Sparrow
	White-crowned Sparrow
	Golden-crowned Sparrow
	Dark-eyed Junco
Cardinals, Grosbeaks, and Buntings (Cardinalidae).	Black-headed Grosbeak
	Lazuli Bunting
Blackbirds (Icteridae)	Red-winged Blackbird
	Western Meadowlark
	Yellow-headed Blackbird
	Great-tailed Grackle
	Brown-headed Cowbird
	Bullock’s Oriole
Finches (Fringillidae)	House Finch
	American Goldfinch
	Lesser Goldfinch
Old World Sparrows (Passeridae)	House Sparrow
More Fun with Birdsong
Additional Listening and Reading Sources
References
Illustration Credits
Recording Credits
About the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
About the Artists
About the Author
Index
Acknowledgments