At the age of 16, as a young man obsessed with birds, I left home and went out on the road to try to see all the birds of North America. I wound up bumming around this continent for several years, traveling tens of thousands of miles on very little money, but gaining a wealth of experience. This is the story of that time in my life.

“This story is told so naturally that I felt I was in the presence of a mind that is completely original." -- Tracy Kidder, author of The Soul of a New Machine and Mountains Beyond Mountains

“It’s a cut above anything written so far by an American birder and will surely be regarded as a classic in future years.” -- Tim Gallagher, editor, Living Bird

“A travel book to rival any you’ll read this year.” -- Los Angeles Times

“Move over, Jack Kerouac, this is an on-the-road classic. Kingbird Highway is part Audubon, part Huck Finn. The subject might be birding, but the story is freedom and finding.” -- Pete Dunne, author of The Feather Quest and Hawks In Flight

First published in hardcover by Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, in 1997. First Mariner Paperback edition published in August 2000. Reissued in paperback by Houghton Mifflin Co. in April 2006 with a new Afterword by the author. Translated into Swedish by Lennart Nilsson and published by ellerstroms, with a commentary by Jonas Ellerstrom, in 2004.

Anyone who watches birds, whether in the back yard or in the wilderness, will eventually start to ask questions: Where does a Song Sparrow build its nest? How does a Peregrine Falcon hunt its prey? There are other books that will tell you about bird life and behavior in general terms, but this one has specific facts, all presented in clear, non-technical writing. Here are complete life history accounts for 680 species of birds, with every important detail of their lives: what they eat, where they build their nests, how many eggs they lay, what habitat they choose, when they migrate, and much more. In addition, 230 briefer accounts deal with birds that are rare visitors to this continent. More than 600 color photographs and more than 600 range maps are included.

Published in hardcover by Houghton Mifflin Co. in 1996. Reissued by Houghton Mifflin in a flexi-cover edition in 2001.

AUDUBON -- This prizewinning magazine, published by the National Audubon Society, has been a staple in my life since I joined that society at the age of nine. Since 1998 I've had the pleasure of working as a field editor for the magazine; most of my work is behind the scenes, but I do write occasional pieces for publication. More information is here.

BIRDER'S WORLD -- I started writing occasional articles for this magazine in the 1980s, and since 1994 I have been writing a regular column on field identification of birds. Initially this column was illustrated with my own paintings, but in recent years the column has been a collaboration with ace bird photographer Brian E. Small, and we illustrate it with Brian's outstanding photographs. More information is here.

BIRD WATCHER'S DIGEST -- This independent magazine, published by the remarkable Thompson family of Marietta, Ohio, has carried my regular column, "After the Spark," since 1997. The Thompsons have given me great latitude in writing about anything related to birds. More information on Bird Watcher's Digest is here.

WILDBIRD -- I have been on the editorial advisory board of this fine bimonthly magazine for several years, and frequently write articles for them. More information is here.