Few people, writes Scott Weidensaul, are apathetic toward raptors. Once you"ve seen a hawk or a falcon or an eagle in action, you"re likely to take an interest in how these great birds of prey make their homes in the world. If that interest has seized you--and well it should--then Weidensaul"s encyclopedic guidebook to the world"s principal raptor species, well illustrated with photographs, maps, and charts and full of detailed information, is an ideal companion. Weidensaul addresses a range of questions, including the antiquity of the world"s raptor species and their evolutionary history. (In this matter, his text is thoroughly up-to-date and includes the results of recent genetic research by which carrion-feeding New World vultures have been reclassified as relatives of the stork, and not of predatory hawks, eagles, and falcons.) He traces the fortunes of species such as the peregrine falcon, which had all but disappeared in North America by the 1960s owing to hunting, habitat destruction, and the use of deadly pesticides, but which has returned to the wild thanks to a vigorous program of reintroduction. Other success stories await, and Weidensaul offers helpful notes on building nest platforms and boxes, aiding injured birds, contributing to conservation groups, and otherwise seeing to it that raptors flourish. --Gregory McNamee