A comprehensive account of the North American landbirds that make the incredible non-stop journey across the Atlantic. The thought of a small North American songbird, weighing as little as 10g, battling for 5,000km through a storm out over the Atlantic, is difficult to comprehend. Yet a spell of heavy migration coinciding with the tail-end of a hurricane can result in memorable experiences for birdwatchers seeking out rare and vagrant birds. North American Landbirds in the Western Palearctic is the first comprehensive guide to the birds that breed in North America but that have been recorded as vagrants in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. It summarises the history of migration studies and explains the physiology, morphology and navigational capabilities of birds that make the transatlantic crossing, along with their likely arrival routes and journey times. The roles that boats and weather conditions play are also explored. Detailed species accounts cover identification and taxonomy, habitats and behaviour, normal range and migration and status in the Western Palearctic. Vagrancy patterns are illustrated with up-to-date maps, graphs and tables.

Featuring first-rate photography of birds taken in their unusual destinations, this book provides an in-depth understanding of vagrancy that will prove useful to anyone interested in finding and observing the next great rarity in the region.