The ROM Field Guide to Birds of Ontario

W.J. Keith is a retired professor of English at the University of Toronto and author A Sense of Style: Studies in the Art of Fiction in English-Speaking Canada.

Birders in North America now have a choice ranging from the new Sibley
Guide to various modest “common-birds-at-your-feeder” compilations.
Recently, however, we have seen an increase in books devoted to specific
Canadian provinces; the one under review provides a useful guide to the
birds of Ontario.

The book works on a one-bird-per-page basis for 345 birds considered
regular in the province, plus an appendix giving briefer descriptions of
126 “accidentals.” It is illustrated by photographs rather than
drawings, with two photos generally provided when the sexes are notably
different. These photos are usually of high quality, though they cannot,
of course, give all the variations (immatures, juveniles, color-morphs,
etc.) that we find in more comprehensive guides like those of Sibley or
Peterson. Each main entry contains details of “appearance,”
“voice,” “habitat and behaviour,” and “status.” There are
also maps showing usual distribution within the province.

Birds of Ontario is neat, compact, and easy to use. Those who travel
widely in North America will need a book of larger scope, but those who
do most of their birding within the boundaries of the province will find
this a boon. It is attractively produced, though I find it a little odd
that the front cover shows a little blue heron, a decidedly uncommon
visitor that most Ontario birders will be unlikely to see.