Book excerpt: This generously illustrated, easy-to-use reference gives instant information on 238 birds that are native to New York State. The core of the atlas is a series of accounts of each species, each account including a distribution map with possible, probable, or confirmed breeding. Facing each map is an explanatory page of text that covers a number of topics: abundance, historical and current distirbution, habitat, and nest description and location. On the same page is an illustration of the bird, often with its nest and young.