I am just starting out birding, so this is my first field guide. But as I was picking out which guide to purchase, I quickly realized this was the one to go with. The features that make this guide superior are: actual photos (not drawings), multiple images (juvenile, adult, male/female, multiple color morphs, subspecies, in flight, or anything that helps in ID). And the main thing I liked is that all the text info is on the same pages as the photos (unlike the audobon society guide which forces you to do a lot of page flipping and finding). It may be slightly larger than other field guides, but definitely not a hindrance. And the abundance of pics and info makes up for the size.
The DVD w/ mp3 files are great, but I would not buy the book simply for the DVD of bird songs. -I actually did not realize it was there until after the purchase. But I am excited that I can bird with my iPod and add another dimension to my birding experience.
Overall, I think you cannot go wrong with this field guide!

This is an excellent field guide: well researched and written. The photos are beautiful and the descriptions are clear. A perfect layman's guide.

I'm going to start with the summary first, for those in a hurry: this is a wonderful guide, chock full of full, high-color photographs and a fantastic CD with bird calls on it that can be downloaded to an MP3 player. With the possible exception of the fact I had some issues actually correlating the birds in real life before me with their counterparts in the book, I really like having this book as reference.

Birds are categorized according to their species and further information is provided with each bird such as their locations in the north American area (which, to be specific, comprises of the lower 48 states, Alaska and Canada, but not really Mexico and parts further south) and their winter ranges and otherwise.

Each entry is succinct and easy-to-follow. All variations, if they exist, in plumage are described. The different sexes and juveniles are also described, but all without being overwhelming. The only issue I had with using the guide was using it to find birds in my backyard, the names of which I didn't know. I wish there were a better way of quickly finding a bird in the book, perhaps by grouping them by color? I don't know, I suppose knowing which birds are which is a skill is picked up with practice.

Four stars.

The Smithsonian Field Guide to Birds of North America is an outstanding contribution to a crowded field. Unlike the Peterson and National Geographic Guides (among others), this guide uses high quality photographs taken of the birds in a characteristic environment. Detailed, well colored maps indicate the yearly range of the bird specifying breeding, migration, winter, year round, and rare ranges. Photographic quality is uniformly excellent. But the biggest advantage of this book is that it comes with a comprehensive CD of bird calls beautifully recorded. This is a feature that the other guides lack and is a very strong recommendation for this volume, for, as any birder knows, we hear many more birds than we see.

I am not a experienced bird watcher. My husband and I moved into our house 5 years ago and we have a bunch of butterfly bushes and tree's and I am always seeing birds around our yard. One even nested in the butterfly bush just outside my kitchen window. This guide has wonderful photographs, loads of birds all categorized by type.

My only issue with this guide is, as I am very inexperienced I really haven't figured out all the different types of birds, so I wish there was a way to have an index of small photographs categorized by color, so I could very quickly find a bird while I was watching it. I think the more I look at the book the more I'll learn to recognize what type of bird I am looking at and be able to look it up more quickly.

This is a very impressive and easily navigable guide for bird novices and a nice handy recourse for the bird expert. It comes with a dvd that has 587 birdsong samples in high quality, along with a picture to go along with each sample. The book is set up with a nice introduction establishes how the book is laid out and what information one can expect to find in the text. The text itself is organized by bird families and each entry shows where one would expect to find the birds in question most often. The pictures to go with the descriptions are all very nice and clear, and should enable one to have a good shot at picking out the different species on sight. Lots of information, lots of great pictures and a host of extras (including the birdsongs) here. The book is light in weight for having so much information, and the cover and binding are made especially to be durable and portable. It's a great guide.

I grabbed this one on a whim, being a bird lover. And yep, every North American bird is in here. It's fascinating, the variety and breadth.

Of course, when you're cataloging so much, you trade being able to go into depth on anything particular, so, while this provides a huge overview, books on specific areas are a must if you're primarily interested in the birds in your own area or in an area you might be traveling to. And if these same people offer such books, I would be interested to see them and would assume they'd be of similarly high quality.

Also, just to note, Hawai'i (not being part of North America) is not included in this volume.

Ok, I do think it is best in class (a narrowly defined class) but not the best general field guide out there. That bar still stands at The Sibley Guide to Birds which has painted illustrations rather than photographs that tend to work better for portraying idealized birds and page layout.

But this guide does stand heads and shoulders above the old Audobon Bird Guide: Eastern Land Birds in photo quality as well as layout. Audobon's original attempt really showed just how hard it is to identify birds from photographs due to changes in lighting and feather contours (see kinglet images.) This was improved upon greatly with Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America Kaufman reattempted a photographic field guide by using a lot of retouching and computer work to make more idealized photographs and was easily the best until this book.

This book succeeds in the most part because the pool of available high quality photographs is much larger than it was when the Audobon series came out. Each species is well represented with striking images. You can never have too many reference books when trying to make a difficult identification and this would augment the Sibley guide very well. However we are still talking about three images to identify a Thayers Gull, where sibley can dedicate 6 or more to a gull species. Also there are family specific guides out there like Gulls: Guide to Identification, The Shorebird Guide, A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors which this book cannot compete with, however it is surprisingly decent for covering these families.

Pros
Great high quality pictures
General design puts all information for a species on one page
Good species coverage
DVD of bird songs is a nice bonus (see caveats below)
Good additional reference for field identification
Size decent (approx the size of Sibley's, but does not fit in pocket)
High Quality construction

Cons
Photos make page design seem a little cluttered
Species information is pretty brief
range maps small somewhat confusing, somewhat optimistic in ranges.
DVD has limited species

Notes on the DVD

Much like this book in general, I would never pass on getting another reference, especially if it is kind of a bonus DVD of bird calls. But I was a little disappointed to find out that the 587 birds songs listed on the front was not 587 species, but only 587 clips of 138 major species. And it is a little strange what species they chose. It appears that they chose the most common species you would find in your backyard. This seems less helpful than choosing confusing sound alike species, or species that are most likely located by calls. It is odd that they don't cover all the epidonax flycatchers which are ID'ed by calls, or the call of the yellow billed cuckoo without the black billed. If you were hoping to learn bird calls from this DVD, think about getting Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides(R)) or Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Eastern Region (Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs) for a more complete species list.

All in all, if you are getting one field guide get The Sibley Guide to Birds, if you are getting just two, get this for your second, or if you are like me get this for your 23rd. It is a good but not perfect guide.

The book is arranged in order of families and not color or general habitat, which takes a bit getting used to. Each species listed in this book is covered by some of the best bird photographs I have seen in any field guide at any time. In most cases there is a photograph of the female, male and juvenile. In addition, when appropriate there is a photo of the bird in molt and out. All of these photographs are of top quality. There is a range map provided with each species which covers breeding, winter, year-round, migration and rare ranges. This is most useful. Information given on each species includes measurements and average weights, molt periods, differences between mature and adult birds, geographic variations, if any and a nice written example of their call, which I find most accurate. Many of the photographs feature the bird in both flight (very helpful) and setting. Both the common name and the scientific name are given. Each bird is given its ABA Code for each area, again, most useful.

There is a nicely written and informative introduction to each family of birds. There are many little side notes of interest interspersed throughout the book addressing particular problems of identification of particular birds. Of course there is the DVD which includes 587 recordings and is completely down loadable. This is a very nice DVD and the quality is great. Now there are only 138 species of birds represented on this DVD.

I do highly recommend this work. This is an outstanding guide and I do not see how you could possibly go wrong with it.

This will be an excellent companion when I'm out hiking in the Columbia River Gorge. The book features all the species of bird found in North America (including some I'd never heard of). Each entry features three to five clear, full-color pictures of the species discussed, usually with variants in plumage shown for identification purposes. Written information about the size and shape of each bird, its seasonal ranges, and basic habits adds just enough information to clarify positive I.D. While further research should be done to find out more about the species identified, this is an excellent text out in the field.

This field guide both excels in many ways and is pretty typical in others. The bird photographs are excellent and the book well organized. For each bird the author includes average length, weight, and wingspan as well as various notes on habitat, habits and other help for identifying the bird. Of course there is an extensive index as well as introductory information for each section to help in classifying.

If your goal is to identify birds, then I personally still prefer the Sibley Field Guide to Birds even though it contains illustrations and not photographs. It provides more information on flight patterns and more illustrations of birds at different stages and angles.

But, I did say at the beginning that there are ways in which this book excels. The greatest way it excels is the phenomenal DVD of bird calls. Most birding books do not come with CDs and you end up trying to look them up on the Internet if you are interested. This DVD has several different calls - common, variations, mating, immature, songs, cries, and other sounds as appropriate. This is the most extensive collection of bird sounds that I have ever come across and that makes it worth the price of the book by itself. The Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America is highly recommended and especially so for those who want a great collection of bird sounds to help learn to identify local birds.

This "Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America" was written by "Birding" magazine editor Ted Floyd to incorporate a "holistic" approach to bird identification that includes behavioral, ecological, and morphological aspects, not just field marks. The result is a guide in which the field marks are not as clearly illustrated as they are in a Peterson guide but which presents other useful information alongside the classic identifying features, including a DVD of 587 bird calls that can be transferred to your computer and portable audio devices. The guide covers 730 species which occur in North America north of Mexico and up to 200 miles from shore. Birds are divided into 46 groups of related species, each with an introductory essay. The American Bird Association code indicating the frequency of occurrence is provided for each group and each species.

There is a substantial introduction that will help the reader understand the book's philosophy and format. It explains the types of information given for each bird, provides overviews of bird habitat and behavior, and provides illustrations of bird anatomy and terms that may be referred to in the guide. Progressing to the field guide, each group of birds in clearly designated by a colorful band at the top of each page containing the group's common name (e.g. waterfowl, hawks and falcons, jays and crows, thrushes, sparrows and allies) along with the scientific name of that group's order. This makes it easy to locate the part of the book that will contain the species you want. There is also a good index of both common and scientific names at the back of the book.

For each species, there are 1-5 photographs. My other field guides have drawings, which I have always liked for identification purposes, but photos of what the birds really look like, not an idealized version, has advantages as well. There are 2000 photos, most very good. They illustrate the species in different plumage, in flight, male and female, and sometimes unique behaviors. It is generally more difficult to see identifying marks in a photo than in a drawing, but the field marks are explained in the captions. Other information included for each species are: length, wingspan, weight, number and type of molts per year, sex/age/seasonal differences, habitat, vocalizations, a range map, and often some comment on behavior. The range maps are small; you may not be able to see clearly if a bird occurs in your area. If there is audio available on the Birdsong DVD, it is indicated by a symbol.

Consistent with the holistic approach to bird identification, this is also a guide to the sounds of North American birds. The included Birdsong DVD features 587 calls from 138 species, 1-8 calls per species, in MP3 format. It's nice to have multiple calls or songs for a single species. When there is only one call available, it never seems to be the one the bird is making. Samples are typically 30-40 seconds. You can import them into iTunes, WMP, or other MP3 software, and from there into a portable audio device. This works, but it's inconvenient to clutter my iTunes with 587 calls (1 gigabyte of data) that will not be grouped together in my music library. They're not grouped together, because both the artist and album name are the bird species' name. I think that must be an error. The album name should be "Birdsong DVD". To alleviate the clutter, I suggest only uploading the files for species found in your area. A picture of each bird shows up as "album art", which is also downloadable to your portable device.

I am enjoying the "Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America" quite a bit. I don't know if this is the best or easiest way to identify birds. I'm accustomed to looking for field marks. The "best" way may depend upon circumstances and personal preference. But this guide is a complement to my other field guides and a worthy addition to my library. It addresses multiple aspects of what distinguishes birds from one another, I like the photographs, the organization is uncommonly good. It is a little big to carry into the field at 6 x 8 x 1.25 inches (15 x 20.5 x 3.5 cm) but no bigger than necessary to hold the information. I think that novice to intermediate birders of all ages, including backyard birders, will like this field guide a lot.

This book is sure to develop bird interests in someone who does not watch birds. There have been many excellent reviews that go into all of the details of the book, how it's organized and how useful it is to bird watchers. Here's an opinion from a person who usually doesn't notice birds other than to say, "oh how pretty, or what is that strange sound?"

Within a few days of getting this book, we've started noticing the birds that are around our neighborhood. We saw a road runner, my son chased it as futilely as W. E. Coyote. Then we went back and read all about it, looked at the pictures and appreciated it. Then we saw a hummingbird, and then a hawklike creature. After looking at the book, we concluded that the hawk was an osprey. Later my husband noticed a bird whose nest is glued to our house. Again this book came out and by looking closely at the pictures he was able to 80% identify which variety. Birdcalls are another mysterious area for people who don't notice these things. But with the DVD and mp3 files we're sure to learn enough to pay attention and then go out and look for them in our yard.

Nice educational tool for the children too. We'll be sure to keep this book handy on the kitchen counter so we can quickly refer to it whenever we see a bird.

Field guides to birds can be divided into two categories - those with drawn illustrations and those with photographs. I admit my preference for drawings, because I believe that they can better emphasize the distinguishing characteristics of a species than a photograph of a particular bird. On the other hand many birders prefer photographs, and it is to that group that this book will most appeal.

The different groups of birds are not listed in the same order as most guides, which has something to do with the way the American Ornithological Union lists birds. Most books follow the 7th Edition of the AOU checklist, while this book follows the order of the List of Species of the AOU. This can lead to confusion in searching through the book for a particular bird, but the user will probably become familiar with the order after a little use. The book also excludes exotic birds like the orange bishop, which some other guides include.

Descriptions vary from one-half page to a page in length, apparently depending on the variation in the bird's plumage, although the red-tailed hawk with its many morphs gets two whole pages. Where there is substantial variation, several photographs are included. There is also brief descriptive text relating to the molts of each species as well as a range map and a description of favored habitat. The print is not quite bold enough for my taste, or rather my aged eyes.

The pictures are uniformly excellent, usually revealing the most salient characteristics, and sometimes approach the level of art photography. This is by far the best of the several guides illustrated with photographs that I have seen.

Included in the back of the book is a DVD featuring 587 MP3 sound files of 138 species of birds that can be transferred to play in the field. (Apparently birds are no more able to recognize the lower quality of MP3 recordings than humans.) There is a flimsy brochure, illustrating each bird whose song is recorded, that will not last long in the field. Luckily instruction on the use of the recording is included in the main volume.

The book is a little large, being an inch wider than the National Geographic Guide. It fit into my Pajaro waist bag, but not into the cargo pockets of my field pants.

After several weeks of use, I found this book to be helpful for difficult identifications, and if a birder prefers photographs to illustrations, he owes it to himself to examine this book.

The editorial reviews describe this guide well.

It would have been adequate for me if it been restricted to Western North America. However, I mostly will be using it from my living room back window so the weight and size don't bother me. I do appreciate the photographs and the CD [ Windows Media Player handled it well]: be sure to notice the flap so you can extract the CD easily and not start to pull the plastic off the back cover of the book [Who would do that!].

The range maps on each page along with the photographs make it easy for me to see which birds I'd expect to find here in Northern California. The description of the Black Phoebe, for example, is good. The tail-dipping (as the guide says the behavior of this bird is similar to the Eastern Phoebe) is certainly "distinctive". In addition to breeding on such cited human structures as "pump houses, dam gates and cattle troughs", we've had a nest now for two years on top of a rear night light. For us, it's conveniently placed because we can watch from the rear living room window. For the birds, it's wisely placed because the neighborhood cat can't reach it from the roof. For two years now we've had the treat of watching the kids take their first flight: all around the back yard from fences to the smaller trees before they later take off. This year, several came back to the nest for a few days. The nest from last year was re-used.

I suppose it is lazy not to have to go out into the field to see these Black Phoebes. I can also read through this book at home: better for me so I don't have to keep taking my reading glasses on and off. Just looking at the photos and listening to the CD is enjoyable. I can also spend a little time at each sitting with one kind of bird, either from the front or to a specific species using the species index in the back of the book. Judging from the range maps and photos, my guess is that we have Allen's [or is it Rufous?] hummingbirds (yet another species we can sit in our living room and watch).

The introduction is helpful and not too long. There's a list of Recommended References and Resources in the back that includes other books as well as websites and periodicals. I looked at one recommended website, it seems excellent, "The Birds of North America Online" from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the American Ornithologists' Union [Even without subscription, it appears to provide a good introduction to each bird, as I confirmed for the Black Phoebe].

Given its size and weight, you may want to use this as a home reference primarily but the photos and range maps would undoubtedly make it handy in the field. I'd benefit if I studied it some to become familiar with the species and organization, after which it seems like it would make for enjoying efforts to identify more bird in my neighborhood and then it would seem worthwhile to actually get out of the house and head out into the woods.

When my copy of the book "Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America" by Ted Floyd arrived in the mail, my wife, a lifelong birder, immediately snatched it up. Her first remark upon picking it up was, "A bit heavy for a field guide." Measuring 6"x 8", the book's 512 glossy pages weigh in at more than two pounds; bulky to carry in a fanny pack. No need for concern, though. The book comes with a DVD that may be loaded onto an MP3 player. The disc contains 587 sound files with vocalizations and pictures for 138 species of birds. There is also a color-photography insert for quickly locating each bird in the sound files and the printed field book.

The book itself is visually appealing and functional. The introductory material includes information on identifying birds, habits, ecology, vocalizations, ranges, bird behavior, plumage, how to identify birds, conservation, and much more. I especially appreciate the line drawings with labels for the various parts of different birds.

The goal of the book is to provide the tools needed to simplify the identification of birds in the field. The individual bird listings include multiple color photographs, measurements, notes, and a range map. I like that all the information for each bird is placed together on the page. No need to flip back and forth between pages to view a photo and read the bird's description. I find the photos to be clear. I appreciate the pictures illustrating the differences between genders and between juveniles and adults. Also helpful are the photos of the birds in flight.

What did my wife think after hoarding the book for a week? She asked that we keep this guide right next to our binoculars.

This wonderful new birding guide has come along just when I am hearing birds much more now before I see them (if at all); the birdsong DVD has already helped me to identify a call of the Brown Headed Cowbird (which sounds like a muted emergency scanner), and the sharp photos enabled me to narrow down a sighting to the Yellow Warbler amid a wide array of similar birds.

I also appreciate the detailed, in-depth introduction for extending my interest in birds beyond just the watching.

The Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America has to be in every bird lovers possession. As a fellow bird watcher I can attest the valuableness of this guide. Not only is this book packed with a lot of information such as the flight range and natural habitant of these beautiful creatures, but we also learn about their mating calls and how to easily spot the physical and subtle differences between the males and females.

The book is compact and easy to take when you're in the wild or in your backyard. A DVD-Rom disc is included with hundreds of bird calls. These MP3s can be loaded in your IPod for further reference. A lot of pictures as well are generously peppered throughout the book. So, if you're a bird watcher or in other cases a hunter then you'll find this book to be a helpful guide on your expeditions.

Highest recommendation possible.

I have been a home educator for quite a few years now, and when I got a copy of this book- the SMITHSONIAN FIELD GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA to review, I was not expecting the reaction I got from my family.

My son got the book and ran with with it. Once I managed to get it away from him, my daughter booknapped the book and ran with it, studying it in depth.

What ensued was a burst of creativity that was invigorating. Not only did my son gain from the book, I got inspired from his love of a few bird photos, to design a new makeup look ( I am a makeup artist). I came up with some of the most unique looks I have enjoyed to date.

My daughter has been glued to the book searching out all birds in our yard and she is all excited about birds where before, she was interested, but nothing like this.

The DVD included in the book is a collection of MP3 files of all different kinds of calls of different birds in the book. They are very pretty and I really enjoy them. Be aware that this is a DVD - NOT a CD.


BASIC CONTENT AND LAYOUT OF THIS BOOK

The book is laid out with lots of lovely photos. Each section is based upon categories

Waterfowl
Upland Game Birds
Loons
Tubernoses
Pelicans and Allies
Herons and Allies
Flamingos
Hawks and Falcons
Rails Limpkins and Cranes
Plovers
Oystercatchers
Sandpipers & Phalanropes
Gulls, Terns and Skimmers
Skuas & Jaegers
Auks, Murres, and Puffins
Pigeons and Doves
Parrots and Parakeets
Cuckoos and Allies
Owls
Nightjars
Swifts and Hummingbirds
Trogons and Kingfishers
Woodpeckers
Tyrant-Flycatchers
Vireos
Jays & Crows
Larks
Swallows
Chickadees & Titmice
Nuthatchers
Wrens and Dippers
Kinglets
Gnatcatchers
Thrushes
Babblers
Mimic Thrushers
Wagtails & Pipits
Waxwings and Silky Flycatchers
Olive Warblers Wood Warblers
Tanagers
Sparrows and Allies
Buntings and Allies
Blackbirds and Allies
Finches
Glossary
American Birding Association Checklist
Index


WHAT IS THIS BOOK LIKE?

The way that every bird is set up is very easy to look at. There is

Code of the bird is listed from common to almost extinct (1-6)
Species name
Photos of the adult male and female is shown
Length
Wingspan
Weight
specific unusual features of the bird
Map with places the bird is usually found
Description of the birdcall


WHAT DO WE THINK OF THIS?

The whole book is delightful. Although it is 512 pages long, the book is paperback with flaps for further description on it (in lieu of a slipcover). The size is 6x8 inches which is just small enough to carry with you in the field while watching birds, but not so small that it is easy to lose.

The DVD is lovely and the birdcalls are well recorded- again it is in MP3 format.

FINAL COMMENTS

This Book is well loved by my children who have been raised to learn as much as they can, enjoying every bit that they can. I was very surprised at how much my children fought over this book and how often I see them curled up in the corner with this book.

That says more than any amount of words I can expound with. If you are looking for an educational book that will capture the hearts of your children, this book is well worth the time it takes to get it.

It is a lovely resource to have and if you are a homeschooler- by all means, take a look at this. It will be a book you will use for years.

I am very glad we got it- and my kids are too.

There is a lot of information packed into this smallish book. There are almost 500 pages, mostly presented in two columns per page. The bird photos are small, but very clear and detailed. For most species, there are photos of both adult and juvenile specimens.

Most of the book is dedicated to terse descriptions of the birds, including their size, and where they live. However, there are some interesting essays as well, mostly given as chapter introductions. For example, the chapter introduction for Parrots & Parakeets explains how native species such as the Carolina Parakeet have been replaced by exotics.

The included DVD is a collection of 587 MP3 files. Each MP3 presents a bird sound. When I listen to these MP3s on my computer, I can see a small photo of the singing bird, along with a few explanatory remarks. Technically, these visuals seem to be encoded as MP3 lyrics. Anyway, I am enjoying this DVD as a source of background "music" in my home.

A word about the binding. This book is obviously meant to be thrown into a day pack for a bird watching adventure. The binding seems to be up to the task. The "tough but flexible" cover will serve to protect the book, but it will show major wrinkles almost immediately. Finally, I suggest using a stout rubber band to secure the book before firing it into ye olde day pack. Maybe two rubber bands.

My review:

"Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America by Ted Floyd is a newcomer to the bird field guide scene. This guide offers a new combination of features that may make it the best choice as the primary guide for a small number of birders, and as an excellent second (or third) guide for most birdwatchers. Given the guide's qualities and price (it is not expensive) if you are a North American birder (anywhere in the region) this is a must-have for your collection, and if you know a birder who is having a present-able event (birthday, etc.) any time in the next couple of weeks, get this as a gift because they might not even know about it yet and you will gain mucho brownie points.

Having said that, I do think there is room for improvement in this product, so do please read the fine print."

First off, I'd like to say, that though I love watching birds I do not have an intense interest in "birding", so this review is from a novice who appreciates our feathered friends, but is in no way, shape or form someone who knows a lot about them.

This guide is put together by the Editor of "Birding" magazine, Ted Floyd. Mr. Floyd is clearly very knowledgeable and has worked hard to put a guide together that would be accessible to all those that love birds and want to know more about them in a very user friendly book.

The book is filled with beautiful photography of each bird listed, and under each picture (or pictures, in most cases), is some basic information about the bird and a short paragraph about them. Details given are the length of the bird, wing-span, weight, molts per year and other important facts, followed by a short description of the bird and the sounds that they make.

The beginning of the book breaks down for you the range map color coding, showing where the bird breeds, where they are during winter, year round, their migration and whether they are rare, ABA codes, showing whether they occur regularly, rarely, casually, etc. in North America, and a short terminology box that explains terms regarding plumage, molt and age related words.

As someone who lives in the San Francisco Bay area, we live close to a shoreline interpretive center, where we often see many types of birds. We also are within a mile and a half of a community park with a man-made pond where we often see ducks, geese and other water fowl. Before now, it has not been easy to identify these birds (except for the really easy ones, like a mallard) and I was excited to thumb through the book (organized by type of bird ex: waterfowl, sparrows, blackbirds, etc) to see if I could find the bird that I saw and to learn more about them.

As an addition to this well put together book you also get a dvd on bird calls. We down-loaded a couple to i-tunes, and up comes the bird (where your cover art would be) and several different calls. This will be nice to have though I doubt it will be used as much for me and my husband as the book will be. Maybe once we really start to get good at identifying new birds this will be something we would use more often.

If you are interested, even casually, in birds and identifying what is in your area and learning more about them, I would highly recommend this beautfully photographed and well researched book. It is well laid out, easy to use and beautiful to look at.

A very well done book!

A beautifully illustrated guide of North American birds. Contains an ample introduction to get any novice started in bird watching. And enough information to keep even the experts satisfied. Hundreds of pictures -many are with both male and female or adult and juvenile of the species. Also includes facts on the individual birds:

Length
Wingspan
Weight
Molting intervals
Plumage pattern
Geographical Habitat
Song -written description

Along with the book is a fantastic high quality CD with hundreds of bird songs (500+). This handy guide (~ 8" x 6" ) would easily fit into a bag/backpack. The glossy cover can be wiped downed in case of spills. And the pages and binding are sturdy enough to withstand years of use.

*The only caution I have is that this guide may be complex in the beginning for a novice (that would be me). The birds are listed by species order and not by geographical region. So you can't simply look up all the birds in New York State for example. Therefore unless you have a at least a vague idea on what you looking at, searching through the book maybe a bit time consuming at first.

I am a huge lover of the birds and consider myself a hobbyist in the area. For folks like me, this book and enclosed birdsong DVD are a wonderful addition to my reference library.

Since I like to compare items to ones I have used in the past, I decided to compare it to my Audubon Field Guide (linked below).

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds--E: Eastern Region - Revised Edition

The Audubon guide is one I have used since the 70's and it shows. For "fit and finish", I prefer the Audubon book over this one because of the Audubon's size and it's vinyl cover. For a true "field guide", I think that durability is important. If I want to take the book out birding, I need to be sure that it will live up to my expectations and abuse. The Smithsonian Field Guide is just a tad more bulky than I would want. The size and heft of the book are the reason for the 4 stars.

On the positive side, this book as a reference and a tool for finding bird species is fantastic! The pictures are gorgeous and I especially appreciate multiple pictures per bird species that show the male, female and sometimes the adolescent bird. This is extremely helpful in identification. There is a quick index near the back flap that makes finding the bird in question a breeze.

The one caveat about the Smithsonian guide is that one must have a basic working knowledge of bird species in order to use the reference guide properly. For example, if I don't know what a Tufted Titmouse is by shape or color, it would be difficult to locate the bird in the book. If you are a novice birder, I would recommend spending some time going through the guide in order to familiarize yourself with different species in your area. Pre-study will help a lot!

The birdsong DVD that comes along with the book is a nice addition. It is logically arranged by directories stating different bird types (example: Baltimore Oriole). The directories contain various songs per bird and the variety is amazing and deep.

I don't think of this book as a "Field Guide" per se (something you'd think of taking in your pocket) as much as I do "The Ultimate Reference".

As a hobbyist, I highly recommend it as an addition to your reference library.

For years I have used the Field Guide to the Birds East of the Rockies by Roger Tory Peterson. This Smithsonian Guide is a wonderful addition to my collection. The sharp photographs make it easy to identify unfamiliar birds. It is especially handy to have the maps on the same pages with the birds, so that one doesn't have to keep flipping the pages of the book (as with the Peterson edition). At the end of the book there is a list of recommended books, periodicals and websites. There's also a handy glossary of terms used in the book.
The book comes with a DVD of birdsongs. This is a delightful bonus and really brings the birds to life. It doesn't cover every bird in the book, but it is quite interesting.
The book is organized by species (I never knew there were so many water birds). The introduction contains diagrams showing all the parts of a bird.
This book is easy to love. The only drawback is that it's a little too large and heavy to carry around on a bird-watching hike. Perhaps it would be more manageable if it were divided into birds east or west of the Rockies (like the Peterson guides).

First, I want to say that this bird book represents a fine overall effort by its author, editors, designer, photographers, devisors of range maps, and other contributors. While it has clear limitations as a field guide, it's still an excellent reference for birdwatchers.

I need to provide some background here so that folks will better understand my comments regarding this new 2008 birding field guide. Field guides are used by nature lovers and natural resource professionals mostly to IDENTIFY birds, wildflowers, rocks and minerals, reptiles, trees, and any number of other creatures, plants, and non-living objects found in our natural environment.

In regard to birds there are hundreds of available field guides but their numbers shrink as one either limits the geographical area that they cover, or, as the number of species in such guides expand, (e.g., from "Hawks of the U.S." to "Birds of the U.S.").

In this instance we have a birder's field guide which covers all species found in the United States (including Alaska) and Canada. So, there are really only three other field guides which closely rival the instant one and they are The Sibley Guide to Birds, National Geographic Field Guide To The Birds Of North America, 4th Edition, and, Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America (Peterson Field Guides(R)). (I don't mention A Guide to Field Identification: Birds of North America ["Golden Field Guide"] because it offers very limited information). This is not to say that I use the large Sibley guide while I'm out on bird hikes - I don't because it's too bulky. The National Geographic guide is just small enough to carry in the field as is the Peterson guide but, again, they offer limited information, (which is okay if all you want to do is IDENTIFY the birds). The Smithsonian guide suffers from the same perplexing size and weight problem as the large Sibley guide, albeit the former is actually 12 percent smaller than Sibley (I refer to the "large" Sibley guide because it is now also available in essentially an "eastern" and a "western" version.)

Both my wife and I have been active birdwatchers for many years (her science is far superior to mine!) and we own every available birding field guide for our regions of study and duplicates of some. After hundreds of hikes, camping trips, and other bird outings, I'm pretty aware of the likes and dislikes of birders concerning field guides. The one conclusion that most of us share is that a field guide should be COMPACT and LIGHT so it can be comfortably carried in a large pocket. To achieve this we now know that field guides should be split into two volumes: Eastern U.S. and Canada, and, Western U.S. and Canada. One does not need a western guide for birding in say, Pennsylvania, so why deal with the excess bulk? That's what we'll be doing when we carry either the large Sibley guide or this one into the woods or marsh.

The large Sibley Guide weighs 2 ½ pounds. The Smithsonian Guide weighs 2 pounds (I weighed them both on accurate culinary scales). That's slightly too much for comfort in the field even if your pocket is big enough. Hearty souls might carry the Smithsonian guide in a day pack or, in a new and innovative piece of birding attire called "Big Pockets". The outer dimensions of The Smithsonian Guide are: 8" x 6" x 1 ¼".

Which field guides DO I see during outings of experienced birders? In addition to the large Sibley guide, there are only four which are used 98% of the time:

A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America
(Peterson, essentially divided into two separate volumes, "eastern" and "western")

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America
(divided into two separate volumes, eastern" and "western")

National Geographic Field Guide To The Birds Of North America, 4th Edition

A Guide to Field Identification: Birds of North America
("Golden Field Guide")

I use The Peterson Field Guide and my wife uses the National Geographic Field Guide. I think that many of us have stayed with the Peterson guide for no better reason than the fact that it's been a real workhorse and a good friend over many years of hobbyist birding. However, we always carry the large Sibley guide in the car as a back-up reference and now, we will additionally be carrying along the Smithsonian Field Guide. And here's a good place to point out the unique Hallmark Feature of the Smithsonian Field Guide: IT HAS INCORPORATED ACTUAL PHOTOS OF ALL THE BIRDS! All the others rely solely on artwork of the birds so having actual photos is going to be a great advantage and probably offers the chief reason as to why folks should keep it close at hand on birding trips.

Here are my criteria for selecting a birding field guide. I have also rendered the "answers" as to how the Smithsonian Field Guide fits into these criteria:

1. size (will it fit in a large pocket or daypack?) - daypack, but not cargo pants pockets.

2. photos, art (color?), or line drawings? - actual photographs, from 1-5 photos per species.

3. quality of bird descriptions - superb!

4. illustrated "field marks" included? (these are little marks on the drawings to direct the birder's attention to significant nuances of each bird species' appearance) - no.

5. are both Spring and Fall plumages illustrated? (most important with warbler species and certain shorebirds) - not very much.

6. juvenile birds illustrated? - quite a bit, especially where it's important.

7. font size and type (straight-forward and big enough to read easily?) - a little dicey but readable.

8. binding types (softcover versions are always best in the field) - softcover.

9. credentials of the author(s)/illustrator(s) - superb.

10. water resistant/waterproof binding and/or pages? - yes.

11. pleasing format/layout? (this varies widely from guide to guide and is subjective from one person to another). - yes, quite usable and pleasing, not confusing.

12. terminology (technical or common terminology?) - anyone can understand, plus book includes a glossary of terms.

13. range maps included? (very important for new birders!) - yes, including winter, year-round, breeding, migration, and "rare" range maps.

14. migration route maps included? - refer to regular range maps.

15. a "fast" index? (this is difficult to determine in advance because it's a subjective evaluation, varying with individuals -- this involves how fast one can locate a bird drawing/description, utilizing the index to refer to the page on which it is featured) - yes, and it includes a second "quick index" which is a very nice feature.

16. price? (the least important consideration) - very reasonable for the high quality of this publication.

No field guide offers the "best of everything" for two specific reasons:

1. The book would become a tome which, in itself, would totally disqualify it as a field guide. Remember, the first purpose of any field guide is to help the user to IDENTIFY something - so, you don't need a "life history" or any other field use impedimenta.

2. No two birders could ever agree on what is "best"!

The Smithsonian Field Guide also features a birder's checklist (life-list, in the back of the book) which can be maintained as one "collects" sightings of each species. Also, secured inside the rear cover is a "birdsong DVD" which will be equally useful to experienced birders and to newbies of this great pastime as well. Be advised that if your DVD player represents older technology (as mine does) this disc will read out as "incompatible" with your player. My five year-old computer rejected it as well. A final nice feature of the Smithsonian guide is that each bird's status is noted by the ABA coding system, a device for conveying chiefly the abundance of any particular bird. I don't recall seeing this caveat in any other field guide, albeit, in a few years this feature will render the book out-of-date as the status of individual bird species change.

My career has been that of a State Park Ranger, State Game Protector, Federal Game Warden, and Instructor of Natural Resources at the local university. As a consequence of that professional exposure, in addition to my numerous informal bird outings, I have met hundreds of great birders and have had the singular privilege of discussing the frequent topic of field guides with them. Other than binoculars, no piece of equipment or accessory is more important to a birder than his or her field guide.

In summary, I award Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America my highest recommendation to accommodate experienced birders who would like to carry this guide in the car (or in a daypack); to people who would love a superior guide for identifying birds at their home feeders or as they vacation the beach, and; to both new and experienced birders who will find the beautiful photographs to be indispensable in identifying birds.

I thought our household would be a good test for this product. My husband is a 40 year wilderness birder. I can barely tell a heron from a chickadee. He took it with him on 2 trips he guided and found it to be one of the best field manuals he has used. He liked the clarity of the photos and the display of birds in various states (immature, male female, etc).

He then took me birding and I was not able to use the book without help. I don't know what makes a bird a warbler (for example) so it would be impossible for me to know that this was the section I needed to use. I am sure with time and an occasional eyeroll, I would find this useful.

Big rave for the DVD (although like another reviewer my back cover ripped getting it out). Not sure if this is clear to everyone but this DVD plays on a plain old DVD player. I have no home computer and because of the "MP3!" claims, almost didn't even try it out. The bird songs are very clear; I was able to identify bird song not only of where I live now but all my prior homes. I just wanted to make sure that prospective buyers know that you don't need to be high tech to enjoy all the features of this book.

I'm not a birder. At least not yet, but this book may change that. For now, I'm just city dweller who wants to know more about the birds I see outside my windows and on my morning walks. I've been using a helpful but basic backyard birdwatcher book by Stokes and thought I was ready to move up.

I'll not presume to try to speak to bonafide birders except to note that with bird life--habitat, range, etc.--now being so dramatically affected by global warming, it makes sense when choosing a new guidebook to pick one that's up to date and factors in the changes taking place. In 2008, at least, this book meets those criteria.

This is a beautiful, well organized and thoughtfully designed book and I'd say it's definitely worth owning even for those of us who will only ever encounter a tiny fraction of the birds therein. The photographs are superb-- sharp and clear and show male, female and juvenile of each species along with seasonal changes when applicable. The writing is interesting and to the point and the diagrams and indexes are clear, concise and helpful.

The book also comes with a disc of 587 downloadable bird songs. I was a little curious as to why some reviewers were calling it a CD and others a DVD, now I see why: It's a DVD but the only thing you'll see on your screen is an index, no film or photos. I sampled songs of birds that frequent my backyard and in every case my cats went on full alert. I'll probably not torture them with that again but I know I'll treat myself to frequent browses inside this book.

Very beautifully done with great color photographs of each bird, sorted into color-coded sections by genus. Good details, good listing of characteristics, geographic range. This book even comes with a CD that includes 587 bird songs, which we've taken into the field to help identify our sitings.

Wow, the "Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds" is breathtaking. The information, over 2,000 color photographs, range maps and the DVD of bird images and songs are both beautiful and informative. I highly recommend this book.

My daughter loves all animals and I'm always looking for field guides for her to study. I've been searching for a great bird reference book and I'm very pleased with this one. I love how visual the guide is - it is filled with wonderful photographs.

The information is good but not too overwhelming. This really is a good collection because the book is small enough that you could actually take it out on a bird watching adventure with you.

Well organized and beautifully done. The bonus disk of bird songs was especially fun for my daughter.

The Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America is by far the best field guide I have in my library. The pictures are crisp, clear and well done. The extensive collection of birds in this guide are vast. I couldn't ask for more from a guide. It displays range maps, data on each bird with good descriptions. Add measurements, such things as molting times, breeding and differences in sexes as well. There is also a wonderful bonus of a DVD with 587 downloadable bird songs to hear the melodies of the birds. These Mp3 songs can be quickly transferred to your Mp3 player and taken along with you on your outings. I especially liked the pictures that are included as album art for your player. I thought that was thoughtful and an extra bonus too! This is the only book I need, along with the bird songs on my player, a notebook, a camera and binoculars and I am good to go! There is a quick glossary of terms for newbies to ornithology and a convenient species checklist. I think this field guide by author Ted Floyd, who is also the editor of Birding Magazine, is a winner in every way!

This is a great full color book on birds for adults. Its got a nice water resistant cover and gives you just enough textbook information without overloading you with the minutia you'll never need to use. Each listing comes with at least one photo for you to see and help identify the species with, and when available they also included separate photos of both sexes of adults and the juvenile bird. Most of the photos are your standard bird sitting on twig, tree limb, ect.;but some are very interesting action shots just as the bird takes off.

My only concern is that the collection is organized not by region of the country, which I personally feel would be easier for amateurs and children to be able to correctly find and identify the birds they see outside, but by designation; Waterfowl,Upland Game Birds, Tubenoses, Woodpeckers, Tyrant-Flycatchers, ect. You have to have a basic knowledge of birds to be able to make an educated guess as to where to look for them. If you can't tell a finch from a warbler this may be hard to do.

I've had fun identifying the species in my backyard and now know that it's a mourning dove that's been serenading me on the porch. The DVD that's included at the back of the book was also helpful in distinguishing this since I could listen to the call to confirm my guess. I have the DVD currently playing in the background of my laptop and it's driving my cat crazy. She can't figure out where the birdy is!

There is no doubt that this book is well worth it's price for the information it contains, but for an avid birder like myself, it's hard to not compare it to the old standby, Peterson Field Guide(R) to Eastern Birds: Fourth Edition (Peterson Field Guides). (Eastern or Western North American editions.)

When I first started birding over 15 years ago, I started with a similar field guide that showed photographs of the birds rather than illustrations. While an illustrated field guide may not be as "pretty" it's much more consistent in being able to show the exact markings you will expect to see in a given species. Try to identify a fall warbler and you'll see what I mean. (Fall warblers are not as colorful as their spring counterparts which makes them much more difficult to identify.) I graduated to the Peterson's illustrated guides and have been using them faithfully ever since.

In this Smithsonian edition, the images are beautiful and attempt to show the variety on male/female/juvenille/seasonal plumages. The size, wingspan, weight, typical habitat, song description and a range map are included on every page of every species. Peterson's guides make you flip to the back of the book for the range maps and this is much easier.

Songs on the DVD go from species to species without an announcement of what species you hearing, unlike the other CD's of bird songs that I've listened to. If you are listening to the songs on an MP3 player, or in a program like Windows Media player, images of the current vocalizing bird display as album art which is a nice touch. Even if you aren't listening to specifically learn the birds, it's very pretty to hear the songs run from one to the next, like being in the woods with them.

The book includes a description of each family at the beginning of each section. There is also a species checklist at the back of the book.

One thing I missed in this book are the bird of prey silhouette images from Peterson's book. The silhouettes are very helpful for bird of prey identification when spotting them against a sunny sky.

I believe this book is too big to use as a practical field guide, both in physical size, and number of species unless you are taking a cross country bird watching expedition.

I'm also not sure that the cover would hold up in the long run, as it's not as durable as the cover on the Peterson's guide. The size and weight of this book might cause it to get beat up quicker than it should.

The DVD is secured to the inside of the back cover, and I personally don't like keeping a disc in a book as it makes the book hard to handle. This might be petty, but when I tried to remove the disc pouch, it was very secure and caused me to tear up the inside back cover.

All in all, I'm still giving it 5 stars for the amount of information you get for the money. It's a beautiful book worthy of taking a spot on your reference shelf.

My wife is an avid bird watcher and she has a respectable collection of books about birds, including reference guides, field guides and encyclopedias. She has one other book published under the Smithsonian name that has proven to be an excellent reference on North American birds, so this volume seemed to be another good choice. This turns out to be the case.

This is not a comprehensive almanac with everything there is to know about every different species of bird you may see, but it is not intended to be such. This is a field guide and as such it has the most important things you need while birding in the field - full-color photographs, maps showing the ranges for the various species, and descriptions of physical traits that assist in identification.

The photographs are, in a word, excellent. They are close-up, detailed and clear. Male and female of the different species are differentiated when appropriate.

The write-up on each species is very clear and concise.

Included with this book is a DVD filled with recorded bird songs. These are not included as simple WAV files, though - these are MP3 files with embedded images. I sampled quite a few of these and found them to be of high quality and very accurate. There are 138 species that are sampled and these include the most common birds you are likely to encounter. This lends an interesting possibility - the bird songs can be loaded on an MP3 player which allows for additional identification in the field.

Exploring the DVD I found that each of the recorded species was given its own unique directory.

I found only one real flaw with this book - the typeface is very small and could be hard to read for some people. My wife needs reading glasses to read the text, which defeats the purpose of having a field guide as opposed to a reference. That said, the images are much more critical than the text for identification, and considering that this is not a full reference it needs to be kept small for use when on the road.

If you are an avid birder and want an excellent field guide, this is a superb choice. The high-quality images and included birdsongs DVD make this a great guide for the field. The text is small, but that is a trade-off. The size of this book is just right for anyone wanting to enjoy birding on the road.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2RL57WU23CTIL We begin the book with excellent introduction consisting of identification, coverage, species accounts, and a concise Natural History of Birds prefacing over 400 pages of excellent spotting photos, descriptive text and colorful range maps.

The photographs are carefully shot to illustrate the characteristics identifying of a bird, but as I work through it I am finding the size to be a bit small- here, the Audubon guide's formatting seems to make more sense as it allows two large photos a page, instead of four to six rather small images. As a field guide, I suppose there must be concessions to portability- even though at just over two pounds and measuring 6 by 8 inches, it will not slip easily into many pockets.

Even so, I find I prefer to have all the info on one page, rather than having to go from the index to a plate to the description page then maybe back to the plate again. It's still a little effort to find your bird, but so far the most accessible and painless way I have tried.

Included was an unexpected bonus, a DVD-ROM with nearly 600 high quality MP3 files of birdsongs. The folder wrapping it has a thumbnail of each species and the filename of the call. Each file also has an embedded image of the bird to accompany, but my equipment is too ancient to be able to view. I find this to be an added advantage to me in identifying birds, if I can guess at the species in general, the sounds help me pin it down exactly. And they're great for driving your cats insane.

A review comparing one product to another is not a very creative way to go about it, but in a case like the SFG there is a perfectly good reason, and that would be the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds of North America. The earliest version of this book goes back to 1838, the edition I have was first published in 1977 (mine is from 1994)

Butte Creek Canyon is a great place for birds. The video is a little clip of the reviewer practicing his turkey call. Other than obvious birds like that, I have never been very good at identifying them, and I have just lumped them into categories- "those little finchlike things", "the doves", "woodpeckers" - only a few have a big enough reputation to be properly specifically identified: turkey vultures, quail, and, yes, turkeys. I picked up the Audubon book some time ago and I never really found it very helpful. I know two centuries of birders will revile my skills, but while I found the layout beautiful to flip through, it was frustrating for getting an answer.

Enter the SFG. At once I saw a major complaint I have with the Audubon book is not present: color plates and the description are on the same page, unlike the Audubon book, in which you must first find the plate of the bird you seek, then refer to the description in the second section. I know this is probably way John J did if back then, and I am equally sure there is a great reason for it, but for the casual bird admirer like myself it was just another step until I could get to understand the feeding habits of the Western Tanager, for example. Missing are the silhouettes of the Audubon book, which work for aircraft spotting but not much of a help to me with birds.

There are many bird books out there, but I would conclude this one is superior- it is thorough and professional in every regard.

While I am in no way a devoted bird enthusiast, I was glad to have picked up the vine offer for this concise and well illustarted guide. Even for fellow non-birders this is a great guide to Darwinian evolution in the bird world. The included cd adds an extra dimension, the sound quality is great and is a must for all fellow Messiaen fans.

Highly recommended.

The photos are great, much better than other photographic guides I've got. The detail is easy to see and the birds are not dark or in front of distracting backgrounds for the most part. I don't think this will replace my "Field Guide to Western Birds" by Peterson, (though that could be because I've used it forever!) I don't find the descriptions to be very detailed and you need to flip a lot of pages to find the exact bird you're looking for. My husband's first remark was that the print was almost unreadably tiny. I will use this "Smithsonian Field Guide to Birds" along with the Peterson and may eventually get used to it.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2RL57WU23CTIL We begin the book with excellent introduction consisting of identification, coverage, species accounts, and a concise Natural History of Birds prefacing over 400 pages of excellent spotting photos, descriptive text and colorful range maps.

The photographs are carefully shot to illustrate the characteristics identifying of a bird, but as I work through it I am finding the size to be a bit small- here, the Audubon guide's formatting seems to make more sense as it allows two large photos a page, instead of four to six rather small images. As a field guide, I suppose there must be concessions to portability- even though at just over two pounds and measuring 6 by 8 inches, it will not slip easily into many pockets.

Even so, I find I prefer to have all the info on one page, rather than having to go from the index to a plate to the description page then maybe back to the plate again. It's still a little effort to find your bird, but so far the most accessible and painless way I have tried.

Included was an unexpected bonus, a DVD-ROM with nearly 600 high quality MP3 files of birdsongs. The folder wrapping it has a thumbnail of each species and the filename of the call. Each file also has an embedded image of the bird to accompany, but my equipment is too ancient to be able to view. I find this to be an added advantage to me in identifying birds, if I can guess at the species in general, the sounds help me pin it down exactly. And they're great for driving your cats insane.

A review comparing one product to another is not a very creative way to go about it, but in a case like the SFG there is a perfectly good reason, and that would be the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds of North America. The earliest version of this book goes back to 1838, the edition I have was first published in 1977 (mine is from 1994) and while it is not as if the bird population has undergone significant changes since then, information retrieval has.

Butte Creek Canyon is a great place for birds. The video is a little clip of the reviewer practicing his turkey call. Other than obvious birds like that, I have never been very good at identifying them, and I have just lumped them into categories- "those little finchlike things", "the doves", "woodpeckers" - only a few have a big enough reputation to be properly specifically identified: turkey vultures, quail, and, yes, turkeys. I picked up the Audubon book some time ago and I never really found it very helpful. I know two centuries of birders will revile my skills, but while I found the layout beautiful to flip through, it was frustrating for getting an answer.

Enter the SFG. At once I saw a major complaint I have with the Audubon book is not present: color plates and the description are on the same page, unlike the Audubon book, in which you must first find the plate of the bird you seek, then refer to the description in the second section. I know this is probably way John J did if back then, and I am equally sure there is a great reason for it, but for the casual bird admirer like myself it was just another step until I could get to understand the feeding habits of the Western Tanager, for example. Missing are the silhouettes of the Audubon book, which work for aircraft spotting but not much of a help to me with birds.

There are many bird books out there, but I would conclude this one is superior- it is thorough and professional in every regard.

While I certainly do not consider myself an expert birder, I have been active in this wonderful pastime for around fifty years now. I do spend quite a lot of time in the field and my wife and I do travel quite a lot, she perusing her interests and mine. My first field guide was the old Roger Tory Peterson publication; actually it was the 1941 edition, which I still have. My goodness, we have come along way.

This new Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds is an absolute delight to use and a delight to the eye and ear. It is a rather large and heavy book, quite a lot larger than your average guide and weighs probably close to two pounds. This may not seem like much on a short stroll through the park, but it is of major consideration when spending day after day in the field, much of it walking. That cannot be helped though, as the size is indeed needed to record the plethora of information found between its covers. The book is well bound, which is very important. I have had more than one guide over the years that I have completely destroyed simply from over use and dragging in through the bush. I must admit that I have not had this particular book long enough to truly abuse it, but I suspect that it will hold up better than most. A day or two crouching in a swamp should tell that tale.

The book is arranged in order of families and not color or general habitat, which may take some getting use to for the beginning birder. This is really of minor concern though and of little moment. Each species addressed in this book is covered by some of the best bird photographs I have seen in any field guide at any time. In most cases we get a photograph of the female, male and juvenile. In addition, when appropriate there is a photo of the bird in molt and out. All of these photographs are of top quality. There is a range map provided with each species which covers breeding, winter, year-round, migration and rare ranges. This is most useful. As another reviewer pointed out, we are in a very dynamic period of flux at this time and some bird ranges are going through drastic changes. A current range map is quite necessary and this work provides that. Information given on each species includes measurements and average weights, molt periods, differences between mature and adult birds, geographic variations, if any and a