The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (Paperback)

by David Allen Sibley (Author), Rick Cech (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Providing birders the convenience of portability, Sibley's newest volume breaks down the information in The Sibley Guide to Birds into specific regions (The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America will be published the same month). The guide includes much of the basic information in the Guide to Birds, such as the parts of a bird and general color-coded maps, but focuses most of its attention on birds who make their home east of the Rocky Mountains, such as the Double-crested Cormorant and the Eastern Screech-Owl. The color-coded maps that accompany each bird show where the birds live throughout North America, so that birders in, say, Pennsylvania, will know to look for the Northern Mockingbird in California as well. And, of course, Sibley's beautiful full-colored paintings of birds jump out at every page-even in small format.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Not just spin-offs from the famed Sibley Guide to Birds, these field guides are specifically designed to tote along on outings. The maps are new.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (April 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067945120X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679451204
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,277 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #4 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Birdwatching
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

125 of 129 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Birding Field Guides! Not just for East Coast.., January 30, 2004

By	Wallis Davenport "joyous2" (Ithaca, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book because I live in the Northeast. However, I was surprised to discover that this edition actually has most species of birds, including those that live in the West or South, with ranges through and including Mexico. This was a wonderful surprise as I actually travel quite a bit, so I don't have to buy additional editions of Sibley's bird books.

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.

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent field guide, November 28, 2003

By	merrymousies (Waterford, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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!

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When only the best will do, November 5, 2005

By	Edward Prete (New York City) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After a several year hiatus of working with a camera, I recently picked up photography again as a hobby. Shortly thereafter, I started gaining an interest in wildlife and birds, and began photographing them. When I asked several photographers which bird ID book to look into, they immediately mentioned Sibley.

While browsing through the shelves at a B&N brick and mortar store, I immediately understood why Sibley's book is so highly regarded.

There are several elements that really stand out in my mind
* The book is very well laid out
* Excellent, accurate illustrations detailing various characterstics among species, gender, etc
* Thoughtfully organized sections that make reading it a breeze, whether you are simply browsing for a bird ID or want to learn more by reading more in-depth.
* It's a managable size, that can be carried along, should you decide to take it in the field. I usually leave mine home, as I am usually capturing the bird on camera already.
* Although it's the Eastern North American field guide, there are species that can be found in the book from much further away. I can only assume they include everything that you "might" encounter out in the field, which is an excellent benefit.

Don't settle for anything less. Get the Sibley's book.