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As to the content of Sibley's guide, there is none better. His illustrations are outstanding, and descriptions are just wonderful. He describes ranges, eating habits, whether the bird tends to be solitary or fly in groups (flocks), nesting, coloration, etc. Best of all, I really like how he shows the bird in a multitude of positions, from standing to flight, so that if you saw a glint of the bird in a different point of view, you can still identify it using this guide. Top ratings.


the best guide I've used   January 10, 2004
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I own Sibley's larger guide, his "birding basics", and his guide to behaviour. I adore his plain, honest writing style, and his amateur-scientific approach. Not to say that Sibley, one of the big shots in the birding world, is an amateur -- just that he knows what the serious student needs and wants.

His paintings are amazingly accurate (and beautiful -- I wish you could buy offsets.) I've made tentative identifications (later more solidly confirmed) just based on, say, the density of stippling or the exact extent of a faint color wash. Even in the small-size guide, he includes helpful "in flight" sketches, notations about wing motion, and anything else that might be helpful.

His notations next to each species are fantastic. In addition to voice, they cover some identification problems (easily confused species, variable plumage, marks that are appear obvious in pictures but are hard to see in the field), some remarks on habitat and behaviour (especially when it helps identification), and some hints for identification that you might not pick up on at first. Subspecies and crossovers are depicted when necessary.

There are a lot of field guides that rely on photographs; Sibley's work will instantly convert you to drawings. They present the "idealized" bird; you can compare your rugged, flea-bitten specimen to the text and learn a lot more than just its name.

As a scientist myself, I appriciate Sibley's cautious approach to identification, as well as his ability to quickly synthesise what is know about a population even when it doesn't admit of a quick one-liner. Sibley jumps right in and uses the ornithological terms for plumage patterns; I would have appriciated having the non-passerines diagrammed on the back inside cover (instead of in his excellent introduction, and in place of a rather superfluous map of North America) for easier reference, but that's a minor quibble.

This is not a guide you easily outgrow. My one last complaint is that the pages and binding are a little stiff and seem to have resisted "thumbing in" even after many months of use!


Excellent field guide   November 28, 2003
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This field guide is a nice size that's easy to carry around, has multiple drawn pictures of each bird as well as a short text and range map for each - The text generally starts out with saying if the bird is common or not and then goes into where they nest, winter etc. It talks about the typical foods, if they're solitary or not. One thing I like too is that it often tells if the bird is native or non-native to the US which I find particularly interesting. Voice/song is also discussed in the text. Excellent reference book. I keep one in the house and one in the car. Highly recommended!


Excellent guide.   July 7, 2003
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

As a beginner bird-watcher, I was looking for a field guide that was easy to understand and contained plenty of information about the habits of birds. This book certainly meets those criteria. It is easy to read and understand, and contains lots of helpful information. It is also beautifully and accurately illustrated, making it easy to identify birds by sight.

I would recommend this book to anyone, beginner or advanced, who is interested in observing birds in eastern North America. This guide has something for everyone.