The Sibley Guide to Birds

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Summary: Great structure and approach to details
Review: Many a word has been said about this wonderful book and rightly so! It combines the styles of all the previous versions of birding guides, corrects their mistakes in structuring (e.g. maps or descriptions at the end of the book, etc.) and much more: you finally have the opportunity to see each bird from as many as five+ different positions, including flight patterns, and all on one page! The drawings remind me of those by Roger Tory Peterson, but you get more different angles. In a word, I would say this book represents a new generation of bird guides and sets a new standard of field guide publishing.

Very highly recommended.

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Summary: Get this book!
Review: The arrival of this book gives North American birders what their European counterparts have enjoyed for some time now - a first rate, superbly illustrated bird guide. The artwork by the author, David Sibley, is equal to the best work in the better European guides. This is work by someone who knows what birds look like. And can convey that knowledge through a drawing. The colors are clear and bright (the way so many birds actually look when seen well) and though occasionally they may seem a touch off, they are probably as accurate as modern printing will allow. The figures are a refreshing change from the often too dark and dingy, over detailed, and awkward images in some other guides, North American or otherwise. Where feather detail is needed, it's shown, see p. 186, Western Sandpiper, for example. The birds are accurately posed, and, equally important, they are well portrayed in terms of head and body shape and "facial" expression. The printing in my copy is excellent and tack sharp. The organization and layout for this book is outstanding, and though it may remind some of the equally excellent Birds of Europe by Svensson, Mullarney, and Zetterstrom, it differs somewhat. For one thing, Sibley seems to treat birds more in terms of natural groupings than as completely individual entities. This reflects the more fluid context that many forms exist in, rather than our rigid and heirarchical taxonomies. The text on the top of many pages refers to both (usually) of the species shown, and there are many other extra bits of information scattered throughout like this. Birds are shown by age and sex from top to bottom of the page. If you want to compare juvenile plumages of two similar species, you can find them both at the top of the column, just under the images of flying birds. All the birds on a plate generally face the same direction too, facilitating easy comparisons. I would have liked to see more information on habitat and especially status, even though the latter is more subjective and can vary throughout a species' range. But these are minor quibbles and the book really stands up as it is. It's true, you won't be carrying this book in your pockets, unless they are particularly large ones, but it's no larger than many of the other international guides out, and lighter than many of them. Stick it in a book cover and drop it in your day bag or pack. You won't notice it. I recently carried one of the heavy international field guides for a couple of months in my pack. No problem. Probably the best technique for birding is to just leave it in your pack or car most of the time anyway, having studied it at home and gotten an idea of what to expect on the outing. But even very experienced birders may want to consult their guide on the spot occasionally. This one is no doorstop, so you'll be able to take it along okay. Because of its excellent organization, outstanding illustrations, and up to date information, this is now the best bird guide for North America. Both beginners and experts will no doubt find it very useful. Thanks and congratulations to the author for such good work, and to all you birders out there, get this book!

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Summary: The Best So Far!!
Review: I started with Chester Reed. In 1936 I went to the first Peterson and have used Peterson as my principal help ever since. Yesterday I saw a flycatcher that didn't quite fit.I thought I would try Sibley. In a glance my problem was solved!! This new book has my vote. GET IT. Peter Mott, Former Bird Study Instructor, Maine Camp, National Audubon; Former President, Florida Audubon; Former President, New York City Audubon

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Summary: Just Back from Cape Cod
Review: Having recently received Sibley's Guide, I took off for Cape Cod, Sibley in hand, accompanied by my well worn Stokes and National Geographic 3rd edition. Mission: Identification of shore and wading birds, fall warblers, gulls. Sibley is a bit big for use as a field guide, but it surpassed the other two excellent guides in its presentation of each bird in its various plumages, by gender, maturity and season. The art work is accurate and second to none. I appreciated the fact that each bird was presented in a consistent profile, bird to bird as opposed to a variety of attitudes or positions. So, while the other guides may make it out into the field, Sibley will at least be close by in camp, the car, the boat for a complete and authoritative answer.

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Summary: A great guide for the central Chihuahuan Desert
Review: I received yesterday my copy of The Sibley Guide to the Birds. It is exciting to see the detailed illustration and to read the useful information provided in this book. It is much more than a field guide. I bird in the central Chihuahuan Desert and this guide will be a most useful tool in many seasons to come. It arrived just in time for the fall migration. Sibley has raised the standard several notches for field guides everywhere.

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Summary: Awesome !
Review: I've just received my "SIBLEY" as birders will call it soon. It's amazing. So much work, so much details. I've been birding for years and I own douzens of books on the subject but this "SIBLEY" is a masterpiece. It's been recommended to me by Amazon, I was not even aware that such a beauty was coming on the market. Thanks.

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Summary: A New Standard in North American Field Guides
Review: This is a superb field guide for those who have some previous experience birding. Its presentation is so clear that it is possible an eager, intelligent and highly motivated novice would not be overwhelmed by it, but in general a beginning birder would be well advised to start with one of the good, but less comprehensive guides. The arrangement of information, the variety of poses (overhead, perched, etc.) and plumage (by gender, season and/or age depending on the species) and level of detail is unparalleled. This makes an excellent addition to one's birding library. Some will take it to the field and others will find its 544 pages bulky enough leave home and consult upon return. It's already settled one argument with a friend about juvenile plumage. Although listed as having a "hardcover," it's really closer to a paperback, albeit a sturdy flexible one.

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Summary: Just awesome !
Review: I've just received my "Sibley" as birders will call it soon. It's amazing. So much work, so many details. I've been birding for years and I own dozens of books on the subject but this "Sibley" is a masterpiece. It's been recommended to me by Amazon, I was now even aware that such a beauty was coming on the market. Thanks.

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Summary: Every bird watcher will want this book in his or her library
Review: From the moment I first opened David Sibley's new field guide, I was mesmerized. It offers a compact presentation on every species of bird north of the Mexican border and is undoubtedly one of the most user-friendly guides ever developed. In many ways, Sibley takes Roger Torey Peterson's method to its logical end--a guide that capsulizes all the essential information about similar species, arraying them close to each other for comparison. But unlike Peterson, Sibley presents ample information on the many plumages of individual species which are apt to confuse even some of the most experienced birders. Sibley's art work is very appealing to the eye, and his bird potraits are all very naturally posed. He also points out distinguishing field marks with text arrayed alongside his portraits, facilitating rapid identification. His approach also offers flight views together with perched views where that is helpful.

There are a few negatives--only a few. The book would be unwieldy to carry in the field. (Best to bring it along and leave it in the car, perhaps.) The range maps are for the most part too small to easily distinguish, especially where birds appear in only limited areas. And the description of songs and calls strike me as inferior to Peterson's, from which I've learned most of the songs and calls I know over the past 40 years.

In comparison to the other new bird guide just published, Kenn Kaufman's "Focus Guide," I much prefer David Sibley's. While Kaufman has crammed an incredible amount of information into a small, very quickly accessible volume, Sibley's is far more useful in distinguishing between species. Kaufman's is far handier to carry along in the field, but it offers far less data on individual species than Sibley. (Although I cannot feature using this information, Sibley even gives the average weight of each species--a fascinating bit of information not readily available in most other guides.)

In any event, if you are a person interested in birds at any level of expertise, you are bound to enjoy David Sibley's excellent new guide. Buy a copy as soon as you can!

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Summary: If you had to have only one birding book, this is not it.
Review: This is a nice book and well worth the money; but if you are looking for the "one" field guide my recommendation is to select the National Geographic Society (NGS) Birds of North America or the Golden Field Guide.

Here is why. Sibley is very large--about 13 sq inches larger the BNA and 18 sq inches large than Golden, too large to fit in any pocket and it is "heavy".

The art work is good with many more view than either of the other two books, but the descriptive text is very limited.

Here is an example: Huttons vireo.

There are five pictures in Sibley. Two in NGS and one in Golden. But in my opinion only one of this bird is all that is required. Others may disagree. Sibley has one sentence describing this bird 15 words. NGS has 85 words. Golden, 79 words. All three note that Huttons vireo is similar to the ruby crowned kinglet, but Golden and NGS show you a picture of the kinglet right beside the vireo and explain how to tell them apart. Sibley just says to compare it to the kinglet.