Like our binoculars, birding field guides are highly evolved tools that support us to appreciate the birds in ways we couldn’t possibly enjoy otherwise.

In this blog entry I’ll do my best to summarize and share my personal experience and biases about the most popular “true” field guides out there. For me, a field guide is literally a handy-size book you take into the field, or keep right next to your binos at home, to help you identify birds. As opposed to specialized reference guides to a particular bird family, simplified “beginner’s guides,” or handbooks that focus on how birds live, their physiology, or whatever. All these wonderful resources have their place! But their purpose is not to guide you to ID any and every bird you might encounter.

A field guide is not generally something you read in bed. It’s a tool that you pick up when a living bird is right in front of you! Wind blowing, rain spattering -- whatever -- you scramble to match the images and data in the book to what you’re seeing. Over time you get familiar with its layout and format: you can open it right to the sparrows or the warblers. It takes on a patina of use, like your favorite sweatshirt. It becomes a trusted friend, whose quirks you accept and whose stalwart support you wouldn’t want to be without.

Which one should you pick? Only you can really know! (And there’s no law against having more than one…) That said, and with a sincere wish that you find them helpful, here are my personal opinions on the pros and cons of the best field guides out there today.

A Field Guide to Eastern Birds and A Field Guide to Western Birds
(Peterson Guides)

These are my personal choice, hands down, as the best birding field guides out there for birders at all experience levels.

The thing about the Peterson guides is they embody the special genius of Roger Tory Peterson himself. They are built around his original (and now highly refined) “field mark” system, which remains unsurpassed for helping us identify birds quickly in the field through our binos. The text is simple, clear, and brief-yet-pithy, with helpful notes on ID-related behavior that only the Stokes guides can match. The illustrations, again reflecting Peterson’s genius, are better than any other visual representations available -- in actual use. (Sibley might be more “artistic” but the plates don’t come close in terms of connecting us to the birds.)

The Peterson guides impart the essence of each bird like nothing else. And because they cover east/west separately, while still doing an outstanding job letting you know about “vagrants,” alternate plumages, etc., the Peterson guides are easier to use and more compact to lug. They’ve also got some great advice up-front on how to approach identifying birds. The maps are on the same page as the accounts (unlike older editions) and the organization by bird family, with multiple birds on a facing page, is what you really want. (You’ll quickly outgrow a “by color” organization, for instance.) Get all the other field guides you want, but don’t leave this one at home when you go birding.

National Geographic Society’s Field Guide to the Birds of North America

This is the book I keep in my vehicle as a reference and to help out whoever asks me on a daily basis what bird that was they saw recently. It’s a wonderfully comprehensive, up-to-date and well-executed book, but more for the bookshelf than the back pocket. It’s just too big and embodies too much extraneous data to make a field-worthy package. And while the illustrations are excellent, again, they don’t convey the essence of the living bird as seen through binos the way the Peterson plates do. The descriptions, likewise, are rich in detail but lacking in spirit. Overall: Nat Geo is technically terrific but short on magic.

Even so, Nat Geo is a favorite of hardcore birders who are willing to lug it, because it’s so comprehensive with respect to illustrating various plumages, subspecies, etc. And it’s got some excellent features, like flagging threatened and endangered species. But I’ll take the “Peterson System” any day for ID -- and ad hoc educational -- purposes. All the Nat Geo’s detail, particularly the inclusion of all the continent’s birds on one lump, will overwhelm most newer birders and frequently confounds experienced folks, too. The “flip-through” factor (despite the thumbtabs and quick-reference flaps) is just too high.

Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America and Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America
(The “small” Sibley guides)

The “big” Sibley is too big and heavy to lug in the field, and has no particular advantages that make that a worthwhile undertaking. It’s a nice addition to your reference library (I use it all the time at home) but the “small” Sibley guides are the ones designed as actual field guides.

The Sibley guides are the masterwork of David Allen Sibley, arguably the most gifted field guide illustrators since Peterson in an artistic sense, and an ornithological expert in his own right. It’s hard not to love the look-and-feel of these books. They’re wonderfully well designed and easy to use. In particular, I appreciate how they call attention to subtle field marks that even Peterson’s doesn’t always catch. And they do a great job covering parrots and exotic waterfowl, etc. But put aside the visual appeal and they can’t touch the Peterson guides on truly supporting in-field birding -- especially for newer birders. For instance, the rendition of “rufous” colors on the Sibley plates is so far off that it confuses newer birders: they expect the bird they’re seeing to be day-glo rusty red like the garish illustration. Call the small Sibley’s the second-best field guides out there for intermediate and experienced birders, but not recommended for beginners.

Focus Guide to the Birds of North America
The “Kaufmann Guide”

If you like the digitally enhanced photos in this book you might find it the best book for you. It’s designed for newer birders (with color-coded page edges and mostly basic species information) but the limitations of its text and images frequently frustrate intermediate and experienced birders. My feeling is that it’s too big to carry comfortably, covers more birds than you want to know about if you’re a beginner, and tries to do too much visually: the pages get bizzy and your eyes can’t focus. Personally, I strongly dislike the retouched photos and find them much more difficult than illustrations to relate to living birds.

My bottom line: The Peterson, Stokes and Golden guides support newer birders better and are much easier to use in the field.

American Bird Conservancy’s Field Guide to All the Birds of North America

This is a nice package for backyard birders and definitely designed for beginners. On the plus side, the “ABC” guide focuses on the field marks and behaviors that are most helpful to newer birders. And its large-format illustrations are easy on the eyes. There’s lots of good natural history info, too. I particularly like how it focuses on bill size and shape as an aid to ID; I so often do the same thing myself when mentoring beginners.

On the minus side, it covers the whole continent, and is therefore not very field-friendly. And yet it leaves out many of the less common species, vagrants, seabirds, etc. -- why? I’d like to see this book come out in Eastern and Western editions, which would greatly simplify it for its intended audience. Plus the whole layout is, well, weird. The intro section is right in the middle, for instance. And the tall, narrow pages just don’t feel that good in my hands.

Bottom line: If you’re strictly a backyard birder and the quirky layout doesn’t throw you, you might like this book best. The Stokes guides are likely to work better for those backyard birders who choose to “expand their range” into the field. Experienced birders will run screaming from this one.

Stokes Field Guide to Birds (Eastern and Western editions)

Beginning and intermediate birders love these books! I got my start with Stokes and, while I gave that battered book away long ago, I always recommend these as a stepping-stone to a more complete field guide like Peterson’s. The large format photos are terrific (albeit limited in depicting different plumages, etc.) and the text uniquely compelling and fun. Highly worthwhile conservation data is included.

The Stokes organization is perhaps the best compromise between ease of use for beginners and not completely confounding more advanced users. Many people like the one-bird-per-page approach, though it’s not ideal for “comparing” images of two or more birds when you’re unsure. A further bonus for newer birders is the “Quick Guide to Common Birds” section that’ll help you out with most feeder birds at a glance. Though bulkier than other “region-specific” guides, they’re not too big to bring with you to the park or the beach.

The Stokes guides are more than field guides: they genuinely support appreciation of the birds as well as ID. Serious birders might want more, but otherwise definitely check these out!

Field Identification: Birds of North America (Golden Guide)
There’s something about a Golden Guide -- people can be so loyal to them! I know many a long-time birder who won’t switch to something more sophisticated, comprehensive, glitzy, whatever -- they love their Golden Guide.

And not just for its nostalgic feel. The Golden Guide is the only birding field guide that’s small enough to put in your back pocket, yet covers both eastern and western birds. It’s got same-page range maps, handy silhouettes, well-written text and a sensible organization based on bird families. The thumbnail sketches that demonstrate diagnostic behaviors are terrific. And let’s not forgot the Golden Guide’s unique innovation: sonograms of some songs and calls, along with a tutorial on how to use them -- a big improvement over text descriptions of vocalizations.

Are you a “Golden person?” There’s only one way to find out…

In conclusion…
Just as it can be a challenge to get a feel for a car on the basis of a single test drive, it’s hard to judge how well a birding field guide will work for you when you’re checking it out online or at the bookstore. There’s just so much to consider, and you’re not really giving it a workout.

You can find a good selection of field guides at “big box” book stores or your local nature center. It’s definitely a good idea to handle them before you buy, if possible. Online booksellers like Amazon.com will have all the titles discussed above and many more. Another excellent online source of birding books is American Birding Association sales: don’t hesitate to call and a friendly staff person will assist you personally. (Remember what that feels like?)

Peace and good birding,
Scott Cronenweth
www.naturalpathwalks.com