This much-awaited final volume of The Birds of British Columbia completes what some have called one of the most important regional ornithological works in North America. It is the culmination of more than 25 years of effort by the authors who, with the assistance of thousands of dedicated volunteers throughout the province, have created the basic reference work on the avifauna of British Columbia.

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.

Wayne Campbell is a renowned bird biologist and co-author of Birds of British Columbia: Volumes 1-4. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, he graduated from the University of Victoria in 1976 and received his M.Sc. from the University of Washington in 1983. After graduation he joined the staff of the University of British Columbia as Curator of the Cowan Vertebrate Museum in the Department of Zoology. For almost 20 years, Wayne Campbell has been the Curator of Ornithology at the Royal British Columbia Museum where he conducted wildlife inventories of remote areas of the province including the first complete census of breeding seabird colonies. Since the early seventies, Wayne Campbell has spoken to naturalist groups in almost every B.C. community to impress upon them the importance of their contributions to the knowledge of the birds of our province. He has written more than 300 scientific and popular articles, reports and books on higher vertebrates, including Birds of British Columbia, for which he was one of the six co-authors.

Wayne Campbell's profile page

Neil K. Dawe's profile page

Ian McTaggart-Cowan's profile page

John M. Cooper's profile page

Gary W. Kaiser's profile page

Michael C.E. McNall's profile page

• Short-listed, BC Book Prize, Roderick Haig-Brown Regional, Province of British Columbia