Fifty Common Birds of Oklahoma and the Southern Great Plains

By George Miksch Sutton and Sutton G.M.

Book Overview

"This book aims at informing readers, in a painless way, about fifty species of common birds of Oklahoma and the Southern Great Plains," says Dr. George Miksch Sutton, noted ornithologist, writer and bird painter. A full-page color plate of a Sutton painting of each bird faces the page of text about that bird.

The text itself does not describe the shape and color of the birds in great detail-the color plates do that-but accents the seasonal status of each species in Oklahoma, changes in plumage as the individual bird matures, important food habits, and breeding habits, especially of the species that breed in the area. Not all the birds discussed breed in Oklahoma or inhibit the state the year round. A few are found here only during migration or in winter, but these species are common in much of the state.

A treasure of entertainment and information, the book is written not for bird students or ornithologists but for the general reader who appreciates the beauty of our common birds and wants to know more about them.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806117044
• ISBN13: 9780806117041
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Length: 126 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Mr. Sutton captures the wonder of birding.

This book is not meant to be a field guide. Each bird's page is a description of Mr. Sutton's encounter with that bird in the wild. He captures the beauty, wonder, and excitement of birding. I realize there are some that want to make an "extreme sport" out of it, trying to see how many species one can identify in one day, by checking off your list and quickly moving on to the next one. If this is your style, then buy Peterson's. But if you are the sort of birder that can stand for an hour or more, hardly breathing, just watching and listening, then you will find this book a rich experience to savor again and again. I was very happy to find that it is still available.