Birds (Golden Guides) [Paperback]

Herbert S. Zim (Author), Ira N. Gabrielson (Author), James Gordon Irving (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Golden Guides

After describing the parts of a bird, the book has a table of contents which is also a quick reference list for bird classification. Maps give the location of the area in which the bird is found.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Instant fun... you'll always have an answer when the kids wail: "I don't have anything to do..." -- Boston Herald --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

Combining 50 individually die-cut cards with full-color illustrations, plus hundreds of intriguing facts, stories, statistics, and trivia, Fandex is the newest breakthrough in information-packed, family publishing.

With its large images, bright colors, and die-cut profiles unmistakable the bird and the bird card could almost be one and the same. Birds: Wild Birds of North America is the ideal way to learn about North America's songbirds, backyard birds, shore birds, and birds of prey. From the diminutive Indigo Bunting, which navigates by starlight during its long migrations, to the fearsome Red-Tailed Hawk, Birds introduces 47 species and covers their habitat, range, diet, nests, eggs, and up-to-date conservation status. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Golden Books Pub Co (Adult); Rev&Updtd edition (August 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307240533
• ISBN-13: 978-0307240538
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,273,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good guide for beginners., October 19, 2000

By 

sauerkraut - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birds (Golden Guides) (Paperback)

This was either the first or second guide that I started out with when I was very young. I will always have respect for it. It contains full-color drawings of the most common birds that a person is likely to see. A total of 129 of the most common American birds is included. Text and range maps are also included in this pocket-sized guide. The drawings display spring plumages of adult male birds, and normally females or young if they are very different. The text is good and gives the common name, length, description, behavior, verbal descriptions of vocalizations, and sometimes abundance. The text also points out the differences between males and females, and related birds that are similar. This guide contains some nice introductory information. Some of the information deals with how to use the guide, how to identify birds, equipment, where to look, bird classification, and attracting birds. There are also two illustrations that detail the parts of a bird. I find all of the drawings throughout this guide to be pretty good. Most of the drawings share the same page as the text and range map, but a few of the drawings are on the right page, while the text and range maps are on the left page. This guide has some very useful information that is located in the back. For each bird that is illustrated, there is information dealing with migration, eggs, nests, and feeding habits. The back of the guide also contains a listing of scientific names for the birds illustrated and an index. I used to take this guide out with me when I first started birdwatching. I still have the older and also the newer edition. Whenever I would identify a particular species of bird, I would write all of the important information about it on the page. Even though I don't take this guide into the field anymore, it's not because I don't like it. I feel confident with the organization, drawings, and information; however, this guide does not contain all of the birds of North America--only the common ones. That aside, I still think that this guide is a good choice and starting point for beginners.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great guide for beginning birders and children, April 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Birds (Golden Guides) (Paperback)

This was either the first or second bird guide I ever owned. It's a birding guide that contains the most common species of birds that you'll see. The maps are good, the drawings are excellent, and the information on each bird is great. Greater starter guide for beginners and children.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice way to introduce kids to birding..., February 24, 2001

By 

Laura Haggarty (Northern KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Birds (Fandex Family Field Guides) (Misc. Supplies)

My kids find the Fandex format easy to use, and the information on them accessible. We have several, and they're fun for all of us to use together.

This Fandex covers a number of wild birds of North America. Each page has a large photo of the bird in question, its Latin name, a description of it, and the following Field Note categories: Habitat; Range; Diet; Nest; Eggs; and Status. Mind you, this is not a scientific, adult field guide, but a fun way to introduce children to the joys of birding.

The only quibble I have about these decks is that sometimes when they're completely fanned out, the edges of the illustrations get caught up in each other, making it hard to close them properly. But other than that, they're cute, informative, and a nice format for kids.