All of the references listed here are concerned with the birds of Minnesota. Some are out of print and some are very rare, while others are still widely available. While this list is not be complete, it does represent all of the major works published in the last hundred+ years.

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Books

Notes on the Birds of Minnesota
Philo L. Hatch. 1892, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The earliest work on Minnesota birds to appear in book form. Actually, it is a "First Report by the State Zoologist", and was Volume I of a planned series of books on every class of animal represented in the state. The book mostly deals with general species accounts, occasionally offering first-hand tales of specific encounters. The order of the accounts is perhaps a little odd by today's standards, with blackbirds and finches following crows and jays, and some of the sightings may be a little dubious as well. All in all, interesting reading, though not entirely dependable. Rare. Somewhat difficult to find.

The Birds of Minnesota
Thomas S. Roberts. 1932, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The original definitive work on Minnesota's birds. This large, two volume work includes more than 1500 pages of authoritative text, ninety-two color color illustrations by Alan Brooks, George Miksch Sutton, Walter A. Weber, Francis Lee Jaques, Walter Breckenridge, and Louis Agassiz Fuertes, plus over 600 black-and-white photographs and line drawings. All 327 species recorded in Minnesota at the time (currently 432) receive full treatment, discussing their North American range, range in Minnesota, migration dates, nesting dates, food, field marks, as well as more general information. It is an informative and interesting work that has stood out as one of the finest state monographs ever published. Out of print for many years, still often available at larger used book stores.

The Birds of Minnesota
Thomas S. Roberts. 1932, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The special edition of Roberts' original work on Minnesota's birds. Leather bound limited edition. Very rare and expensive.

The Birds of Minnesota
Thomas S. Roberts. 1936, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The revised edition of Roberts' original work on Minnesota's birds, expanded to include a key to identifying birds found in Minnesota and neighboring states. Seemingly more difficult to find than the earlier edition, but still available.

A Manual for the Identification of the Birds of Minnesota and Neighboring States
Thomas S. Roberts. 1932, 1936, 1949, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Originally published as an appendix to Roberts' 1932 edition of The Birds of Minnesota, this separate publication includes a systematic checklist of the birds of Minnesota. Found on this list are such interesting species and subspecies as Little Brown Crane, Giant Red-wing, Blue-headed Vireo and Migrant Shrike.

A Manual for the Identification of the Birds of Minnesota and Neighboring States, Revised Edition
Thomas S. Roberts. 1955, 1965, 1974, 1980. The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Similar to the earlier publications, but with a revised checklist (up from 329 species and 31 subspecies to 335 species and 33 subspecies) and a coorespondingly updated index.

Logbook of Minnesota Bird Life 1917-1937
Thomas S. Roberts. 1938, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
This book is, basically, a twenty year seasonal report of the birds, their nesting, and their migration in the state from October 15, 1917 to October 15, 1937 as compiled by T. S. Roberts. The contributors to this extensive record are listed in the index, which occupies the last 21 pages of this 355 page book. The state journal, The Loon, now serves this purpose, but in the early years of this century, there was no place for the permanant record of Minnesota's ornithological data. This book served that purpose. It is therefore not for casual reading so much as it is a reference work. In addition to the ornithological data, extensive space is given to weather patterns, and this practice continues today in The Loon. Somewhat rare and difficult to find.

Bird Portraits in Color
Thomas S. Roberts. 1934, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
All ninety-two paintings originally published in Roberts' Birds of Minnesota are reproduced here, with text by Roberts. Artists are Alan Brooks, George Miksch Sutton, Walter A. Weber, Francis Lee Jaques, Walter Breckenridge, and Louis Agassiz Fuertes. The included text is intended to accompany the paintings as source of general information about the birds depicted. Rare.

Bird Portraits in Color
Thomas S. Roberts. 1960, 1968, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A re-issue of the book first published in 1934, different only in that nomenclature and species range have been updated by Walter Breckenridge, Dwain W. Warner, and Robert W. Dickerman, and it has a new dust jacket.

The Log of Tanager Hill
Mary Andrews Commons. 1938, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, Maryland. Written in the manner of a personal diary, the book takes from actual data and experiences of bird banding and other birding activities gathered at Tanager Hill, near Lake Minnetonka. Banding records are from 1923 to 1930, with an analysis of the data explained toward the end of the book. Curious is the hand drawn map included in the back of the book in a way similar to Eckert's first edition of A Birder's Guide to Minnesota. It shows a section of Lake Minnetonka with all appropriate vegetation drawn in and labeled, while a few old cars motor down the road following the shoreline. Introduction by T. S. Roberts. Out of print, but not difficult to find.

Minnesota Birds: When, Where and How Many
Janet C. Green and Robert B. Janssen. 1975, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Labeled on the cover as "A field guide to the distribution of 374 species in Minnesota", this book details the range, distribution, and abundance of the state's birds. Maps for 103 species are included and represent those species with a breeding range that is restricted to a specific area of the state, (for example, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher receives a map showing a limited nesting range in the southeast, while American Robin, which nests across the state, does not.) Informative, but now a somewhat dated book. Includes a checklist and bibliography.

Birds in Minnesota
Robert B. Janssen. 1987, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Published as both a hardbound and soft cover, this book deals with the status of Minnesota's birds, and was intended as an update to Janssen's and Green's original 1975 Minnesota Birds: When, Where and How Many. This work is intended to keep the official record of Minnesota's birds up to date, and to provide a continuous stream of data from T. S. Roberts' day to the present. Expected to be revised in the future.

Birds and Forests
Janet C. Green. 1995, The Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul, Minnesota.
This guide brings together what is now known about forest birds in Minnesota, concepts that affect their populations, and some ideas for planning and practices to further their conservation. This is a book about birds in Minnesota and how they respond to a changing landscape, providing information and data to understand the relationship between forest birds and forest management.

Where to Find Birds in Minnesota
Kenneth D. Morrison and Josephine Daneman Herz. 1950, Itasca Press: The Webb Publishing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Possibly the original guide to bird finding in the U.S., it is said this was the inspiration for Olin Sewall Pettingill's later works on bird finding in the U.S. This is a guide to 62 birding places in Minnesota, contributed by 49 different people (including Pettingill). The book divides the state up into four regions of the southeast (30 locations), southwest (9 locations), northwest (12 locations) and northeast (11 locations). Sites can be as specific as a marsh on Twenty-fourth Avenue in Minneapolis, or as vague as "Eastern Kittson County." One location is even in North Dakota. While certainly interesting and informative, more recent publications have made this booklet obsolete.

Where to Find Birds in Minnesota
Kenneth D. Morrison, Walter J. Breckenridge and Josephine Daneman Herz. 1955, Itasca Press: The Webb Publishing Company, St. Paul, Minnesota.
A revised and enlarged edition, this booklet covers 78 birding areas across the state contributed by 69 different birders. It is otherwise generally similar to the first edition.

A Birder's Guide to Minnesota
Kim R. Eckert. 1974, Curle Printing, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
This first edition bird finding guide covers more than 150 birding areas in Minnesota. With densely packed text, it is somewhat similar in layout to, though in no way based on, the older Where to Find Birds in Minnesota. The book first breaks the text into three divisions, Winter, Migration and Summer. Each of these three sections are than divided into four parts, representing four regions of the state, northwest, southwest, southeast and northeast. Each section takes you on a sort of "tour" through that particular part of the state at a particular time of year. Instead of separate maps, the novel idea of including a standard issue state highway in a pocket on the inside back cover was substituted. Scarce.

A Birder's Guide to Minnesota, Second Edition
Kim R. Eckert. 1983, The Pine Knot, Cloquet, Minnesota.
Completely revised from the first edition, this second edition covers over 500 birding spots around the state. Entirely different from the previous edition, this second edition is instead a county by county description of locations, birds and other useful information. A full 216 pages of maps, photos and text on Minnesota's birding hotspots. Now out of print.

A Birder's Guide to Minnesota, Third Edition
Kim R. Eckert. 1994, Williams Publications Inc., Plymouth, Minnesota.
This third edition follows the format of the second edition, but increases the number of birding spots discussed to over 800. Issued as both a softcover and special edition hard cover. Out of print and somewhat difficult to find.

A Birder's Guide to Minnesota, Fourth Edition
Kim R. Eckert. 2002, Self published. Distributed by ABA Sales, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Issued as both a softcover and special edition hard cover, this is the book on bird finding in the state. This fourth expanded edition follows the format of the second and third editions, but increases the number of specific locations referenced to over a thousand (including over 200 sewage ponds). Its 258 pages of informative text and over 220 accompanying maps make this most recent guide indespensible for anyone looking to increase his knowledge of Minnesota's birding places.

Birding Minnesota
Jay Michael Strangis. 1996, Falcon Press Publishing Co. Inc., Helena Montana.
Available only in soft cover. The majority of the book is devoted to 37 specific birding areas around the state, giving general and sometimes specific directions to the more sought after species. Each of these locations is given a map, all of which are well done and easy to follow. A separate chapter has range maps to 122 of Minnesota's "choice species." Included in the back of the book is a checklist separated into Regular, Casual, and Accidental species. In print but not always easy to find.

Birds of Minnesota and Wisconsin
Robert B. Janssen, Daryl D. Tessen, and Gregory Kennedy. 2003, Lone Pine Press, Auburn Washington. Paintings by Gary Ross and Ted Nordhagen.
Available only in soft cover. A field guide to 322 birds that regularly occur in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. An attractive book covering nearly all species expected to occur annually in either state. One species account per page, the bulk of which offer information on each species' general habits and behavior with some discussion on natural history. Short, single paragraphs at the bottom of each page discuss actual range and occurrence in each state, including information on where to look. Only breeding adults are illustrated, and occasionally only males.

Birds of Minnesota - Field Guide
Stan Tekiela. 1998, Adventure Publishing Co. Cambridge, Minnesota.
A small (6" x 4.5") and popular field guide, this book illustrates 111 of the common birds found in Minnesota -- about a third of the state's Regular list of 313 -- with some remarkable photographs. Status, description, notes, and Minnesota range maps are all included. Note that many species common in Minnesota are not described. For example, none of the thrushes are mentioned. Also, in earlier editions some errors were included, though most these have been corrected in later printings. A great book for beginners and backyard feeder watchers.

Shotgun and Stethoscope, The Journals of Thomas Sadler Roberts
Edited by Penelope Krosch. 1991, J. F. Bell Museum, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
This large, paper-bound book is a transcription of Roberts' journals, written from 1874 to 1900. Nearly every day has an entry, recording events ranging from extensive birding trips to different corners of the state to not leaving the house all day except to "collect some flowers." The book begins with an introductory chapter on Roberts' early life, and ends with a telling of his later life after the date of his last journal entry. Some old photographs of Roberts and his friends are included - there is even one of his mentor, P. L. Hatch. Also included (thoughtfully) is a cross reference of the birds Roberts' mentions with the names they are known by today, (e.g., Blue Yellow-backed Warbler is a Northern Parula).

Periodicals

The Flicker
Minnesota's original state journal, The Flicker was first published in 1929 as the official publication of the newly formed Minnesota Bird Club, which eventually became the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. Oddly, the first issue had a drawing of a shrike on its cover. This was soon replaced with a rough outline drawing of a flicker by Walter Breckenridge. This too, was quickly replaced with a much finer drawing, also by Breckenridge. This drawing was used on every issue from 1937 until 1952 when Breckenridge updated his flicker drawing. This new drawing was held until the June 1954 issue when the M.O.U. began using black-and-white photographs on the cover.

The Loon
The Loon reports the state's ornithological data, and has kept such a record, uninterupted, since 1929, when it was known as The Flicker. The first issue to be called The Loon was March 1964, not long after the Common Loon had become the official State bird. In each issue, The Loon publishes articles, short "Notes of Interest," and "The Season." "The Season" is a report of the status, distribution, nesting, abundance, and occurrence of birds in the state, as recorded and reported by many contributors around Minnesota. The Loon is issued four times a year to all M.O.U. members. Anthony Hertzel is editor.

Minnesota Birding
Originally called the Newsletter, then the MOUthpiece, and now officially entitled Minnesota Birding, it's issued bi-monthly to all M.O.U. members. The official magazine of the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union, Minnesota Birding has undergone several revisions in its 40+ years to become the high quality publication that it is today. Each 32 page issue is full of information on birding locations, bird conservation, highlights from the most recent birding season, birding stories, history, and photographs, plus an extensive calendar of upcoming events. Barb Martin is editor.

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