Iowa Birdlife

Introduction

Introduction Gladys Black's book Birds ofIowa was published nearly thirteen years ago. At that time we could not have foreseen its future popularity and demand. It went through two printings of 2,000 copies each, and the last copies were sold some years back. Gladys has continued to write about birds since 1979, and thus The Nature Conservancy felt it would be appropriate to republish the original articles along with a sizable number of new ones. This book covers comprehensive information about life histories based on many years of observation and research for our specific geographic area. It is the kind of material that comes only with persistent dedication and covers about one-third ofthe common species that can be seen in Iowa on an average year. There are also accidental species, such as the magnificent frigatebird, and species which have infrequent invasions, such as the snowy owl and common redpoll. This book has a dual purpose. First, it is intended to provide a readily accessible body of information about Iowa's birdlife for students and birders of every interest level. Second, monies generated from the sale of this book will be directed toward habitat acquisition through The Nature Conservancy's Iowa Chapter. Numerous individuals have contributed to the production of this book. I would like to give the following acknowledgments. To the numerous photographers who have given me the use of their photographs . To Darrell Norman and Gary Hauser, who made the black-and-white prints under difficult conditions. To Dr. Jim Dinsmore , who gave his time and expertise to edit and check for minor XI technical errors. To TNC staff-Bev Allen, who shepherded the entire manuscript, Kim Chapman, whose community characterization work provided the habitat information, and all the other TNC staff members whose time, ideas, and energy made this edition a XII INTRODUCTION reality. And finally to Gladys Black, who gave us permission to use her material and has patiently put up with many delays in publishing the first and now the second edition. Carl Kurtz ...