Birds are simply beautiful creatures which have easily identifiable marks, (or so you might have previously thought). There are actually many birds that look very similar to each other. This means that the best way to keep from making mistakes when trying to name the birds that you have been watching in the field is to keep a reference book handy. There are many good guide books on Birds of North America (and indeed birds of any country in which you may live).
The available books about Birds of North America can vary wildly in quality and price. There are quite a few of these books that are very popular with bird watchers however and to give you an idea about useful reference books, a few are briefly described below.
The Focus Guide to Birds of North America is written by Kenn Kaufman. This excellent reference book covers all of the known bird species found in North America. This is also an ideal book to take out into the field as it is designed to fit neatly into your pocket. Unfortunately this book is currently out of print, but if you can find it at a second-hand book shop you should definitely try to buy it.
The Sibley Guide to Birds is another bird reference book. There are people out there who consider this book to be the most interesting and exciting. Many believe that this book is similar in quality to Roger Tory Peterson’s book which was published around the beginning of the 20th century.
Sibley’s book contains over 6600 pictures of the birds of North America. The pictures are very beautiful and the birds have been captured in very lifelike poses. However, as this book is somewhat large sized it is definitely one to enjoy at home, poring over the pictures and information in comfort to identify the birds you saw on your last trip.
Our next book, The Field Guide to Birds of North America is a fourth edition paperback book that’s extremely comprehensive. This book covers many different bird species including some very rare birds from places like the Western Aleutians Islands of Alaska and the Dry Tortugas of Florida. Actually, even though this book is fairly large you should be able to manage using it in the field if it is your preference.
The last book that I’ll mention here is the Golden Field Guide, which is a guide to identifying birds of North America in the field. This book was written by Chandler S. Robbins and is also a paperback book. While it’s the least expensive of the bird reference books mentioned here, it’s a very good book to buy as all the birds of North America are mentioned here. The best things about this guide (apart from the price) are the range maps, bird descriptions and bird photos that are clearly depicted.
The books outlined above will surely whet your appetite for bird watching. It may be an idea to check them out at our local library to see which you prefer before investing. However, buying a good bird guide book to the birds of North America (or whichever country you live in), is a good way to help you to identify all of the birds you are likely to see in and around your home, as well as on any bird watching treks that you might choose to indulge in. If you’re interested in birds and bird watching then don’t think twice, go out and buy yourself a good bird watching guide to the birds of North America (or the birds of anywhere) today. Who knows what kind of birds you might encounter on your way to the store?