Raptors of New Mexico

No book has ever before specifically focused on the birds of prey of New Mexico. Both Florence Bailey (1928) and J. Stokley Ligon (1961) published volumes on the birds of New Mexico, but their coverage of raptors was somewhat limited. In the ensuing years a great deal of new information has been collected on these mighty hunters' distribution, ecology, and conservation, including in New Mexico. The book begins with a history of the word raptor. The order of Raptatores, or Raptores, was first used to classify birds of prey in the early nineteenth century, derived from the Latin word raptor, one who seizes by force. The text then includes the writings of thirty-seven contributing authors who relate their observations on these regal species.

Jean-Luc E. Cartron (MD, 1991, University of Paris Val de Marne, France; and PhD, 1995, Biology, University of New Mexico) is a research assistant professor at the University of New Mexico and director of the Drylands Institute New Mexico office. He has written numerous articles on raptor ecology and is coauthor of A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque (UNMP).