Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Articles

Vol. 44 No. 2 (2013)

BOOK REVIEWS: Raptors of New Mexico

Submitted
November 19, 2025
Published
April 1, 2013

Abstract

As the title suggests, this book reviews the birds of prey regularly occurring in New Mexico with additional information on the vagrant species that occasionally appear in the state. This is no small task given that New Mexico is the fifth largest state in the U.S. and boasts the fourth highest number of avian species recorded, so raptors are well represented in the Land of Enchantment. Forty-four documented raptor species, including breeding species as diverse as the Boreal Owl and Aplomado Falcon, make it unique among the 50 states. Each of the 37 regularly occurring species of raptors has its own lengthy section, ranging from 10 to 28 pages, that contains a detailed analysis of the species within New Mexico. Besides Cartron, the chapters are written by a number of authors who have studied a particular species in depth. Additionally, contributions of photographs came from over 100 individuals, so this book is truly a collaboration. This is a landmark publication for New Mexico ornithology as the first publication to take on only the raptors. For each species account and migration data the book pulls an enormous amount of information from the peer-reviewed literature, but it is worded in a fashion that amateur ornithologists and birders can easily follow.

References