Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The Golden field guide, *Birds of North America* has been a favorite companion for countless birders since it was first published in the late 1960's. It has the virtues of being nationally comprehensive, easy to follow (illustrations, maps, songs, and descriptions are provided on the same two pages), and perhaps best of all, small enough to carry in a jacket pocket. It also uses an interesting and highly useful visual "sonagram" approach to conveying information about bird vocalizations.

Unfortunately, however, the ornithological powers that be are constantly lumping and splitting species, rendering field guides at least somewhat obsolete overnight. Consequently, these books must be updated periodically so as to be optimally useful to birders. The Golden guide was last updated during the 1980s, and was long overdue for a makeover.

Happily, this has finally been provided. And indeed, this revised version of the guide is (for the moment) up to date regarding the various lumps and splits that have gone into effect over the past decade. Some of the "splits" are fully illustrated, as with the Canyon vs. California (formerly Brown) towhee. Some, however, are only mentioned in the text, and sometimes all too briefly. It's probably ok not to have a separate illustration of the smaller Gunnison species of the Sage grouse, but a separate illustration of the California gnatcatcher surely should have been provided. Similarly, the somewhat larger and brighter Island scrub jay should have been depicted separately from its relatives the scrub and Florida jays.

Certainly, the publishers of this revised version of the Golden guide have made an earnest effort to provide an updated and attractive entry into the increasingly crowded birding field guide competition. They have included, for example, some new plates illustrating the various introduced parrot species and some (surely not all) of the Eurasian vagrants that are reported in Alaska and along the west coast. There also is a fine illustration comparing the tail feather patterns of both common and accidental pipit species.

However, it seems apparent that the update to this guide was done on a fairly tight budget. Most disappointing is the sometimes mediocre reproduction of what otherwise are fine color illustration plates. Particularly in the shorebird, gull, and tern sections, the quality is simply not first-rate. Apparently sloppy reproduction work also can lead to some misleading visual information. For example, based upon the illustrations of the loon species, one might conclude that the summer Pacific loon has a greenish throat patch while that of the Arctic loon is purplish.

Still, overall, I have always liked this field guide simply because it is so very easy to carry and to use. Consequently, whereas other larger, heavier volumes may be what I study while preparing for a day in the field, the Golden guide provides me with the quick reference I might need while out in the field. As a handy pocket reference, I would continue to recommend that birders consider purchasing this field guide in its updated version.

I have carried the older edition of this bird book for a number of years, and purchased this new one as the old one had become so dog eared as to be embarassing. Also we knew that many species ranges were changing, and wanted to be up to date on that information. The new edition has the same format (down to the exact page) as the previous, and same illustrations. The many advantages of this guide include:

1) It has every bird you are likely to see in North America 2) Everything about a species is on one page, including illustration, description, range map, and sonogram of song (for many species) 3) Nice comparison charts of similar and confusing species 4) Range maps include migration date lines 5) True pocket size -- you will carry this book with you in the field!

The new edition also has updated nomenclature for species that the bird expert powers-that-be keep changing on us. It also has updated range maps for those species whose ranges are changing. It is printed on a slicker stock than the previous (only time will tell if this is better). It also has a new "quick" index which is handy for locating birds by generic name (crows).

But there are some disappointments.

1) It is probably 95% a reprint of the previous edition, both with respect to descriptions and (particularly) illustrations 2) The little check boxes to mark off birds you have seen are missing from the new edition -- surely that was an oversight(?) 3) They did not correct the one thing that was a true weakness of the previous edition, that the range maps are small and rather difficult to interpret. How much easier it would be if the US state borders were overprinted on these little range maps (or for that matter Canadian provinces and Mexican states)???

But of course, it is still our favorite -- if you have only one bird book, and you want to carry it in your pocket, this is the one to buy.

How they can sell this book at such a low price is beyond me. Lots of quality here.

Look at the cover with the buntings: it's not just some recycled art from the interior, but a specially painted picture just for the cover. This is part of the value that the authors offer you.

More importantly, the illustrations really capture what the birds look like in real life -- to my mind better than other paintings in guides and a thousand times better than photos -- and the text is clear and to the point.

Sections that showcase winter plumage of gulls or peeps or that illustrate the heads of warblers or sparrows have the page numbers right next to each picture so you can just whip over to bird in question if you need more information.

I especially like the fact that the range maps are right next to the bird's picture so you don't have to thumb to some inconvenient map index the back of the book only to find that the bird is never present in your area. Everything is right there to help you make a quick identification.

There are bigger and more expensive bird guides but none pack as much information into such a portable, easy to use, inexpensive book as this. I've used it as a casual birder for several years. Among my favorite features are the taxonomic indicators (blue squares and circles indicating Order, Family and Sub Family or Genus), little bits of natural history (that some advanced guides assume you already know) and comparison silhouettes. I recommend this book to anyone wanting a first bird guide.

I birded with this book for years, not replacing it until 1983 and the arrival of NatGeo. Unfortunately, the two 'updates' it has undergone in the last twenty years are barely cosmetic, and the book is now embarrassingly outmoded even for beginners, who would be much better served by Sibley or Kaufman.
The thorough criticisms in Rich Stallcup's "Birds for Real," which appeared as a response to the first revision of the Golden Guide, remain valid. There are still a great many birds that will be simply unidentifiable using this guide; there is no excuse, for example, for not having the shorebird plates repainted to include the distinct juvenal plumages of the small Calidris, for example.
If you want a one-volume guide for use in the field, choose the Eastern or Western Sibley, the most sophisticated and most informative American field guides available. If your ambitions are more limited, if you are a 'backyard birder' or a 'feederwatcher' or just don't care about anything brown or far away, you will be very happy with Kenn Kaufman's "Focus Guide," with its accurate but brief texts and realistic illustrations.

"Birds of North America" is a truly excellent guide. It may not be the most comprehensive, but it certainly is the most useful. It's probably the all-around greatest birding field guide out there. The illustrations are very well done, and the size of the book is easily manageable. This book is detailed enough to accomodate all but the most demanding and professional birders, but user-friendly enough to not overwhelm the amateur.

I must say however, that the new St. Martin's Press re-printed is a travesty. I luckily have the 1983 printing with the original blue cover and the beautifully rendered pages. I've seen the "new" edition in the bookstore, and like many other reviewers I am very annoyed by the poor quality of the reproductions. The pictures and pages are now faded and off-colour.

I've recently been aquainted with the National Geographic bird guide, and I must admit it's a very good guide with pictures that are perhaps "sharper" than those in the Golden Guide. By today the Golden Guide is also a little out of date, due to many changes to avian nomenclature. However, one thing the NG guide will never match is the Golden Guide's immense readability. The NG guide is too detailed for its own good, and uses highly technical language that simply overwhelms the casual birder. I now tend to carry both books into the field, but the Golden Guide will always have a special place in my heart. I highly recommend it if you can find an old copy of the 1983 printing.

I have used this guide for 25 years. It is excellent for casual North American birders. It is compact, inexpensive and covers all birds normally found in North America. It has good illustrations of all birds one would normally encounter and good descriptions of the birds. It has some outstanding features found in no other birding guide such as heads of all sparrows on two facing pages so that they are all right there together where they can be easily compared. It has the same layout for winter peeps and fall warblers. This feature in itself makes the book worth having.

Tired of flipping from index to photo or illustration to description of one bird? This field guide gives you everything on pages facing one another. They also have a sonogram for bird calls and the best and most easily identifiable art work of any field guide I've ever seen.

I've had this field guide in my possession for quite a while. While it does have some good features, I still don't take it along with me into the field. The reason is that I don't have complete confidence in the full-color illustrations. I don't think that any of the illustrations are bad; however, I do find some of them to be fuzzy and unclear. That aside, there are other aspects of this field guide that I like better. This field guide covers all of the birds of North America--regular, casual, and accidental visitors are also included. There's also an informative introduction and a nice section on how to use the field guide. There's an illustration of the topography of a bird with its various parts pointed out. There are two other illustrations detailing the parts of a duck wing. The text information and range maps are on the left page, while the illustrations are on the right page. Habitat backgrounds are used in combination with the illustrations, too, while individual species in varying plumages are also represented. The length of the particular species of bird is shown next to the illustration. The average wingspan of larger flying or soaring birds is also included next to the illustration. Most birds normally seen in flight are illustrated in a flying position. The text information includes the common name, scientific name, abundance, habitat, description, behavior, and vocalizations. Besides the verbal descriptions of songs in the text, songs or calls of many birds are pictured by Sonagrams. There are separate sections that display illustrations of female ducks in flight, hawks in flight, winter plumage of smaller shorebirds, immature gulls, and immature terns. There are also two other separate sections dealing with warblers: one section shows illustrations of only the heads of spring male warblers with and without wing bars, and the other section displays illustrations of fall warblers. Also, another section shows sparrows with and without streaked breasts. This field guide also includes a bibliography and an index. The index of bird species can be used as a checklist for the species identified. A check-off box is situated next to each common-name entry for this purpose. Even though I don't take this field guide with me whenever I go birdwatching, I still find it to be a helpful back-up reference at home when I need to gather some additional information.

The Golden Guide to Field Indentifcation of Birds of North America is a handy, not to mention effective, guide to the birds. Accidentals, rarities, stragglers, and casuals are all covered, along with the common birds. This guide includes full color illustrations of birds were and how they are most often spotted, whether gliding over the ocean or perching in dense underbrush, as well as winter, summer, eclipse, immature, chick, juvenile, adult, male, female, breeding, non-breeding, molting, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd winter plumages, if need be. Any bird spotted can quickly be indentified quickly and easily with this guide.