I own almost all of the books listed below, and have included
my own comments and rating (out of 5 star maximum.) I learned a lot from the classics by Zeleny and Scriven.
Most of the books that may be out of print may still
be in local libraries, or can be purchased new or used from resellers.
I generally buy new or used books through Amazon.com,
as their prices and selection are good, although their customer
service leaves something to be desired. If you buy a used book
the shipping is usually about $3.49, but some of the purchase prices
are quite low. Some of the books
listed are also available new from the North American Bluebird
Society (NABS).
You can click on the title link in the far right
hand column to get more information about the book, including
other reviews and sometimes a peek at the contents. If you click
through on any of the links to make a purchase, 5% of the purchase
price (the commission from Amazon) will be used for bluebird
conservation or donated to a nonprofit bluebirding organization.
You still get the best Amazon price.
Comments: Complete
info on nesting and breeding behaviors, instructions for
building a box and starting a trail, ID and range maps,
80 color photos. Good how to for beginners.
The Bluebird, How You Can Help It's Fight
for Survival
Larry Zeleny
1976, 1978
170 pp
ISBN 0253202124
Why the concern, behavior, causes of population decline,
what we can do, nestboxes, where and how to mount nestboxes,
monitoring, trails, coping with enemies, other cavity-nesters,
bluebird foster children, bluebirds for the future
Comments: Still an extremely useful and informative guide.
Zeleny founded NABS.
Out of print?
The Bluebird Monitor's Guide
Cynthia Berger, Keith Kridler, Jack Griggs
2001
128 pp
ISBN 0062737430
Attracting, monitoring, trails, advice, homes and hardware,
resources
Comments: Excellent for trail monitors, very informative. Lots of real world, useful experience. Good photos. Index could be better. Organized very differently from other books (e.g., no separate chapter on predators.)
Steve Grooms, Dick Peterson
1991
159 pp
ISBN 1559710950
A love affair with bluebirds, species, life, rise and
fall, bluebirds and you, nestbox, trail, problems and solutions
Comments: 100 color photos, focus on life cycle. Well
written
Out of print?
Bluebirds and Their Survival
Wayne H. Davis, Philippe Roca
1995
154 pp
ISBN 0813108462
Habitat, nestboxes and other structures, choosing sites,
when to erect boxes, through the seasons, feeder, pests and
guests, foiling House Sparrows, predators, trail, building
your own, photographing birds, troubleshooting, organizations
and suppliers
Comments: Only book with chapter on photography, interesting
research results on nestbox styles
Bluebirds Forever
Connie Toops
1994
143 pp
ISBN 0896582493
Anticipation, blue robins, song, mating, the marvel of new
life, family ties, competition, pests and predators, unraveling
the mysterious decline, human champions, passing the hammer,
welcoming bluebirds to your yard, landscaping, nestbox plans,
bluebird organizations and suppliers
Comments: Excellent photos. Good coffee table book.
Bluebirds in My House, Bonnie and Ben
Arnette Heidcamp
1997
150 pp
Hardcover
ISBN 051770497X?
Genus Sialia, fight for survival and human intervention,
life of the bluebird, story of Bonnie and Ben; yesterday, today
and tomorrow, landscaping, nestboxes, winter suet recipe
Comments: Covers all three species, covers diet, range and
habitat, behavior and territoriality, describes two month
rehab effort
Bluebirds
Their Daily Lives and How to
Attract and Raise Bluebirds
Tina and Curtis Dew, and R.B.
(Reber) Layton
1986
212 pp
ISBN 0912542063
Collection of letters, about, success story, where they
live, food and housing, protecting, Q&A, where to get
supplies
Comments: Story about a bluebird trail, month by month
Out of print?
Bluebird Trails
A
Guide to Success
Edited by Dorene Scriven
1999 (3rd edition)
210 pp
ISBN 0963966111
Natural History, Nestboxes, Trails,
Monitoring, Competition and Usurpation, Predators & Problems,
Food, Appendix on traps, mealworms, and monitoring form
Bluebird Trails in the Upper Midwest: A guide to successful
trail management
Dorene Scriven
1989
178 pp
Bluebird Recovery Committee of the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis
Bring Back the Bluebirds, Even to Your Hand
Andy Troyer
1994
32 pp
ISBN 0964254840
Booklet. Patterns
for feeder and a sparrow-resistant bluebird house. How to
attract bluebirds, manage a trail, natural parasite
control, predator control, raising mealworms, training
bluebirds to feed from your hand
Comments: General information, good basic pointers.
Andy Troyer, 20835 Morris Rd. Conneautville,
PA 16406
(800) 872-0103
Build a Bluebird Trail
Dale Evva Gelfand
1999
32 pp
1580172342
Booklet. Brief history, population,
three species, locating nestboxes, timing, monitoring, identifying
nests of competitors, nestbox design, building nestboxes,
guarding against predators, resources.
Captivating Bluebirds
Stan Tekila
2008
144 pp
ISBN
1591930731
Photos with text. Beautiful photographs and some pretty good information. A very quick read. Sources of information/statistics not identified.
Eastern Bluebird
Gary Ritchison
2000
119 pp
ISBN 0811727459
Wild Bird Guide. Introduction, taxonomy and distribution,
food and feeding habits, vocalizations, behavior, breeding;
nest building, egg laying and incubation, nestlings and their
parents, fledging and post fledging period, non breeding
period, relations with humans
Comments: Complete natural history - focus on behavior,
scientific/technical orientation
Enjoying Bluebirds More
Julie Zickefoose
1993, 1999?
32 pp
ISBN 188024103X
Booklet. Species profiles, nestbox design, mounting and
siting boxes, monitoring, nesting schedules, competitors,
troubleshooting chart, predators, parasites and pests, rescue,
planting, resources
Comments: Small inexpensive booklet, good starter, nice
charts
Hit the Trails for Bluebirds: How to make and enjoy your
own bluebird trail
Richard M Tuttle
1998
8 pp
Comments: Pamphlet - published by Ohio Division of Wildlife?
How to Control House Sparrows
Don Grussing
1980, 2000
51 pp
No ISBN
Booklet. The enemy, history, behavior, keep your neighborhood
from being House Sparrow breeding rounds, sparrow slum -
the improperly erected/maintained martin house, sparrows
vs. other native birds, aggressive methods of population
control, starlings, choices
Comments: How to guide to control House Sparrow and protect
native cavity-nesters. Gets a bit emotional. Does not address
euthanizing captures.
$6.95 from D. Grussing
1504 Lake St. Ext.
Minnetonka, MN 55345
I Hear Bluebirds
Shirl
Brunnel
149 pp
ISBN 0913425168
Story of a child psychologist who raises
two orphaned bluebirds. Written in journal style.
Comments: I cried at the end. Brunnel did
a good job describing how it is so easy to become attached
to bluebirds.
Also available from: Phyllis Howard, 106 N.Rondo Rd., Texarkana, AR 71854. Request and you will be invoiced.
Life Histories of North American Thrushes,
Kinglets and Their Allies
Arthur C. Bent
1949
452 pp
ISBN 0486210863
Part of a 20 volume series. Collection of detailed, specific
observations of individuals and flocks, including nesting habits,
plumage, egg form, distribution, range, winter habitats, courtship,
molting, migration, field marks, voice, enemies and food
Comments: Fascinating, beautifully written accounts of days
when bluebirds were plentiful. Anecdotal, not all that well
organized. Covers many other birds.
For very young children with a simple but loving story line on the right hand pages with great color drawings depicting the bluebirds life. On the left hand pages in smaller print is an adult/older readers' version telling you how and when to do all the things that a good monitor needs to do for the bluebirds. Thus it is suitable for young children and older readers. Pretty accurate.
About, nesting, diet, babies, how they learn to fly, survival
Comments: Nice photos
Out of print?
Bluebird Rescue
Joan Rattner Heilman
1982
48 pp
ISBN 0688008941
Grades 9-12. Where have they gone, watching them grow, building
and mounting a nestbox, making a nestbox, how to make a jug house,
monitoring, care and feeding, trail, glossary
Ages 4-8, hardcover. Golden Kite Award Honor Book for picture
text for 2001 by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
About coping with loss and personal legacies.
Comments: Nice illustration, heartwarming story about children
who try to attract bluebirds back to their grandmother's abandoned
garden. Contains
basic information about bluebirds.
Blue Sky Bluebird
Rich Chrustowski
2004
32 pp
ISBN 0805071040
Grades 2-4.
Comments: Accurate, colorful illustrations, good life history
of birds from nesting to migration. Good choice for parents
and grandparent bluebirders to bond with kids.
Helping Billy Bluebird
Mary Ellen Caruso
reprinted in 2007
24 pages
ISBN
1419664999 or 978-1419664991
Ages 4-8.
Comments: Delightful story with nice watercolor drawings, and tips on how you can help Betty and Billy Bluebird. Comments from "bluebars": beautiful watercolor illustrations by Angie Falstrom. Great little book for children; explains in short rhyme about helping bluebirds: Now the lady from the People House
Put a box upon a pole,
And at the very top
Was a round and little hole.
Betty and Billy Bluebird raise 4 babies, the Small People bring mealworms, the dog chases away Buster Sparrow, there are other characters like Rhonda Raccoon, Jake the Snake, etc. At the end are suggestions about nestboxes, mealworms, berry plantings, baffles, and such to help the bluebirds.
The Mountain Bluebird
Ron Hirschi
48 pp
ISBN 0525650105
Ages 9-12
Young Birder's Guide
Bill Thompson III (author), Julie Zickefoose (illustrator)
256 pages
ISBN 978-0547119342 or 0547119348
Kid-sized, developed by children for children. Fun and easy to use. Includes photos, drawings, life stories, range maps, habitat they are likely to be found in, description of song, and "wow" facts. Focuses on big, easy to see birds, birds children are likely to see/encounter, and some special "spark" birds like Painted Buntings.
For an additional charge, photos and songs can be downloaded onto an iPod.
Also suitable for beginning birdwatchers. Focuses on Eastern species.
Rene and Christyna
Laubach
1999
216 pp
ISBN 1580171044
Comments: It was rated very poorly
on Amazon.com - indicating plans were out of date, directions
were hard to follow, lacked detail.
It has chapters on the fundamentals of nesting, profilfes of cavity nesters, nestbox designs, mounting methods and predator guards, landscaping and conservation projects.
Birdhouse Book
Building Houses, Feeders, and Baths
Don McNeil
110 pp
ISBN 0914718363
Bird Watchers Digest paperback with step-by-step plans for
26 birdhouses, bird feeders and baths, tips for bird landlords.
Covers cavity nesters and phoebes and robins.
Birds in Nestboxes, How to help, study, and enjoy birds when snags are scarce.
Charlotte C. Cockran
143 pp
ISBN 0879612703
150
color photos and information on things you need to start a nestbox program,
such as site preferences, nesting cycles, making and checking nestboxes.
Good discussion of the importance of snags (standing dead trees) and lists of cavity nesters (gives all of them equal time vs. only covering bluebirds). Has some unusual content like a nest ID key, description of droppings, how to guess whether nesting was successful, how to make nestboxes out of logs, and an equipment checklist. Does endorse boxes on trees (a predation risk in my opinion.)
Birds of North America
Chandler S. Robbins, Bertel Bruun, Herbert S. Zim, Arthur
Singer
2001
360 pp
ISBN 1582380902
Golden Guide. 800+ species and 600 range maps, illustrations
of male, female, and juvenile plumage, sonograms that picture
sound, migration routes, feeding habits, and characteristic flight
patterns, check boxes to record birds you have identified, color
tabs for quick reference
The Birder's
Handbook A Field
Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds
Paul R. Ehrlich, David S.
Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye
1988
720 pp
ISBN: 0671659898
For 646 birds, covers nesting location, which sex
builds nest, number of eggs, egg ID, incubation, care of young,
food preferences, foraging habits, displays, mating, wintering,
conservation status .
Comments: Interspersed with fascinating essays on avian natural history. Also has good data on habitat, incubation and fledging times for all species covered. No photos.
Birds Eggs
Michael Walters, Mark B. Robbins, Harry Taylor 1994
256 pp
ISBN:
1564581756
Eggs of over 500 bird species with photographs, bird illustrations, and descriptions.
Short introductory sections on eggs and their biology, nests, breeding, and bird families.
A Wild Bird Guide. From Amazon review: Many excellent color
photographs. Text is somewhat sparse. Chapters on natural history,
reproduction, winter flocks, diet and foraging, social behavior
and communication, surviving winter, population ecology and
relations with humans.
Comments: Good overview of nesting
and flocking habits, good overall reference on this species.
Downy Woodpecker
Gary Ritchison
1999
96 pp
ISBN: 0811727246
A Wild Bird Guide. Covers communication, behavior, nesting,
feeding, and brooding habits.
Comments: Lots of information, many beautiful photos.
Enhancing Your Backyard for Wildlife
Peter M. Picone
27 pp
CT Dept. of Environmental Protection publication - goes beyond
traditional feeding and promotes landscapes that improve wildlife
habitat. Adding and modifying food sources, water, cover, emphasizes
use of native plants
A Field Guide to the Birds:
A Completely New Guide to All the Birds of Eastern and Central
North America
Roger Tory Peterson
1998
384 pp
ISBN 0395911761
Peterson Field Guide Series. Illustrations and species descriptions
of size, voice, and habitat. Color range maps. First published
in 1934, updated.
A Field Guide to the
Birds' Nests: United
States east of the Mississippi River
Hal H. Harrison, Mada Harrison, Ned Smith,
Roger Tory Peterson
1975, expanded edition 1998
288 pp
ISBN 0395936098
Peterson Field Guide Series. Nests and eggs of 285 species
found in the 26 states east of the Mississippi River. Descriptions
of breeding range and time, habitat, and nests and eggs with
222 color photographs.
Comments: Useful, especially sizes, shapes and color descriptions. Photos are somewhat disappointing in 1975 edition, lacking scale and with off-colors.
A field guide to the nests, eggs, and nestlings of North American
birds
Colin James, Oliver Harrison
1978
416 pp
ISBN 0529054841
Describes some 670 breeding species, with information on breeding cycle, nest habitat and construction, breeding season, eggs, incubation, and nesting and nestling period. Includes some 100 b&w drawings on nests and nestlings, and color photos and illustrations of nestlings and eggs.
Comments: Color plates of hundreds of eggs to scale
A Field Guide to Western Birds' Nests
Hal H. Harrison, Mada Harrison, Roger Tory
Peterson
1997, 2001
384 pp
ISBN 0618164375
Nests and eggs of 520 common birds found west of the Mississippi
are covered in detail. More than 400 photographs show the nests
and eggs in typical habitats. Descriptive text includes color,
shape, and number of eggs for each species, plus information
on nesting materials, construction, and dimensions.
The Grail Bird
Tim Gallagher
2005
288 pp
ISBN 0618456938
The quest for the Ivory-Billed woodpecker by the editor of Cornell's "Living Bird."
Comments: Good read on this amazing discovery. The author is not an ornithologist. Chatty writing style, providing a play by play on the search. Loved the story of a scientist who heard the double rap and tried to record it but forget to turn the microphone on. Discusses previous claims of sightings, but I would have liked more info on this and efforts to preserve the area. There is an epilogue with an update after the announcement.
A Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American
Birds
Paul J. Baicich, J. O. Harrison
1997 (2nd ed.)
350 pp
ISBN 0120728311
Describes nests, eggs, and nestlings and gives basic biological
information on nesting and breeding biology for 370 North American
birds (including Alaska and Canada). 700+ color and line illustrations
of nests, eggs, and nestlings
Comments: Not a field guide - it's a reference. Useful information, with scattered drawings of nests. Color plates of many eggs, some lifesize (scale noted), an identification key, and some drawings of nestlings (which I've never seen in a book.)
The Sibley Guide to Birds
David Allen Sibley
2000
544 pp
ISBN: 0679451226
Illustrations of 810 species with field marks,
most shown in flight, measurements, geographic distribution
for summer and winter and rare occurrences, voice descriptions
Comments: An excellent
guide to bird ID and distribution.
Great drawings which are clear and show subtle details and
field marks. Includes voice descriptions, and
often multiple views and drawings of male, female, and
juvenile. Annoying index that doesn't consistently list common names.
A Wild Bird Guide. Covers courtship, breeding, nesting and
nest building, fledging, feeding habits, communicating and flying
techniques, and relationship within their community, plus 135
color photos.
Comments: Spends a lot of time on unanswered research questions and terminology.
Woodworking for Wildlife: Homes for Birds & Mammals
Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources
2004
110 pp
ISBN 0964745178
General house and platform instructions, how to build or
buy a birdhouse, pest problems and control, nestbox designs
for various areas (e.g., open areas, forests, wet areas, by
species), woodworking plans
Comments: Basic info about species, good photos and drawings
with instructions
Note: 100% of any income
to sialis.org generated by clicking through to purchase a book
from Amazon.com is used for bluebird conservation or
donated to a nonprofit bluebirding organization.
A friend gave them a Bluebird book
And ever since they have been hooked. - "Bluebird Bob" Walshaw, from a poem entitled First Bluebirds
I own almost all of the books listed below, and have included
my own comments and rating (out of 5 star maximum.) I learned a lot from the classics by 
