Volume 4 covers the last half of the passerines and describes 102 species, including the warblers, sparrows, grosbeaks, blackbirds, and finches. The text builds upon the authoritative format of the previous volumes and is supported by hundreds of full-colour illustrations, including detailed distribution maps, unique habitat shots, and beautiful photographs of the birds, their nests, eggs, and young. In addition, a species update lists and describes 27 species of birds new to the province since the first three volumes were published. The book concludes with Synopsis: The Birds of British Columbia into the 21st Century, which synthesizes data and information from all four volumes and looks at the conservation challenges facing birds in the new millennium.
The four volumes in The Birds of British Columbia provide unprecedented coverage of the region’s birds, presenting a wealth of information on the ornithological history, regional environment, habitat, breeding habits, migratory movements, seasonality and distribution patterns of 472 species of birds. It is the complete reference work for birdwatchers, ornithologists and naturalists.
R. Wayne Campbell was a senior research scientist (retired) and is the British Columbia Wildlife Branch Director at the WBT Wildlife Data Centre, Wild Bird Trust of British Columbia. Neil K. Dawe is a senior wildlife technician at the Canadian Wildlife Service. Ian McTaggart-Cowan is a dean emeritus (Graduate Studies) at the University of British Columbia. John M. Cooper is a wildlife biologist at Manning, Cooper and Associates. Gary W. Kaiser was a marine bird ecologist (retired) for the Canadian Wildlife Service. Andrew C. Stewart is a wildlife habitat specialist for the British Columbia Resources Inventory Branch. Michael C.E. McNall is the ornithology collections manager at the Royal British Columbia Museum.