Excerpt from The Raptorial Birds of Iowa It will be seen that the bibliographies of the different species do not follow the same plan of arrangement. Those of species 1 to 8 inclusive, and Of species 9b and 9c give the synonymy of the auth Ors consulted while the remaining bibliographies, although follow ing the same chronological order, do not give the synonyms under which the birds were described. This change marks the point at which the author's work was interrupted. The writer would gladly have adhered to the author's plan had circumstances permitted her doing so without greatly delaying the appearance Of the book, but, lacking the necessary library, the amount of time needed made the advantages Of rearrangement appear so slight as to be negligible. It is of interest to note several contributions which Dr. Bailey has made in his work. A new variety of the Broad-winged Hawk is de scribed, and the first records authenticated by specimens, are made of the Mississippi Kite in Iowa and of the Western Goshawk. Of the last two named species two specimens each have been taken. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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This long-awaited collection of James Landenberger’s paintings of Iowa birds of prey presents thirty-two full-page, full-color species, from the common turkey vulture to the red-shouldered hawk of Mississippi River woodlands to the little northern saw-whet owl. Four naturalists who have devoted their lives to conserving wilderness habitats and species have written essays to complement the paintings. Thanks to state and federal laws and a shift in public attitude, birds of prey are no longer seen as incarnations of ferocity but as creatures superbly attuned to their lives and surroundings. Although Iowa unfortunately leads the way in the amount of wildlife habitat that has been destroyed, conservation organizations and state agencies have also led the way toward successful raptor restoration projects, among them a roadside nest box program for the American kestrel, a project to restore peregrine falcons to their historic eyries, and a relocation program that should ensure a sustainable population of ospreys. The recent spectacular recovery of the bald eagle, whose nests had vanished from the state for seventy years, is particularly encouraging. There can be no substitute for seeing thousands of broad-winged hawks soaring high overhead during migration, a great horned owl perching in silhouette at dusk, or a Cooper’s hawk plunging toward its prey along the roadside. But Jim Landenberger’s meticulously detailed paintings go a long way toward conveying the remarkable beauty of the American kestrel and other falcons, the grace of the swallow-tailed kite, the immaculate mystery of the snowy owl and its fellow owls, the glistening head feathers of an adult bald eagle, and the piercing defiance so characteristic of our larger hawks.