Minnesota and Mongolia share many bird species, if only in migration for us. The two countries lie on the same general latitude, the Mongolian capitol, Ulaanbaatar, at latitude 47.9 degrees, Minneapolis at 44.9.

Because of our geographically similar location (even if the landscape differs widely), it was interesting to page through a new field guide, "Birds of Mongolia" from Princeton University Press. It is the first book dedicated to Mongolian birds, according to the publisher.

There they are — our ducks, geese, loons, mergansers, grebes, herons, raptors, shorebirds, gulls, doves, owls, and some but fewer songbirds. Many species if not seen here can be found elsewhere in North America. Many of the species you could see in Mongolia would be familiar to an active North American birder. Other species are of similar plumage, close enough for family identification, but with different names.

One bird family would be likely to be troublesome — warblers. North American warblers are yellow and black and white with touches of blue and gray. With a little practice, this is easy ID. Mongolian warblers, on the other hand, don't all look the same, but at first glance it seems that way. They are brown and tan and brown and tan and brown and tan, the wood warbler with its yellow breast absolutely jumping off the page because bright color is so scarce in this group.

Paperback, this is a traditional guide — text, maps, illustrations — with 224 pages and 112 color plates showing 502 species. Its authors are Gombobaatar Sundev, Mongolian ornithologist, and Christopher Leahy of Massachusetts Audubon. Price is $35.