The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America: Second Edition
$8.36
Pros
- great plates & illustrations
- complete for area
- updated 3/29/2016
Cons
- limited to western US/Canada
“These updated volumes are long overdue and well worth the wait. They offer species information updated beyond the updated parent volume; meticulous, lovely drawings; a layout designed for quick reference and comparative study; improved table of contents and index. The author is one of the foremost experts on bird identification in the United States and Canada, and understands how to communicate his expertise in simple, specific language and images. The price is extremely reasonable. These are guides that can be used productively by birders of every skill level. And, most importantly, Sibley Birds East and Sibley Birds West are the only regional field guides left that still fit into a pocket. A deep, full pocket, yes, but it can be done.”
SIBLEY BIRDS EAST & SIBLEY BIRDS WEST: A REVIEW
May 03, 2016
Donna Lynn Schulman (10,000 Birds)
Publisher’s Description:
Now completely revised and updated–the indispensable resource for all birders seeking an authoritative guide to the birds of the West in a portable format they will want to carry into the field.
Compact and comprehensive, this guide features 715 bird species, plus regional populations, found west of the Rocky Mountains. Entries include stunningly accurate illustrations–more than 5,046 in total–with descriptive captions pointing out the most important field marks. Each entry has been updated to include the most current information concerning frequency, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. Here too are more than 652 updated maps drawn from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent, and showing winter, summer, year-round, migration, and rare ranges.
NEW AND IMPROVED:
• Updated habitat, description, behavior, and conservation text for each species account and all family pages (drawn from the second edition of The Sibley Guide to Birds and tailored for the specific region).
• All illustrations, including new and revised illustrations of species and regional forms, are taken from the rescanned and meticulously color-corrected second printing of the second edition of the Sibley Guide.
• New design reflects the layout of The Sibley Guide to Birds, Second Edition. All species accounts are now presented in columns, rather than stacked, allowing for better comparison and more illustrations and text for each species.
• Current taxonomic order and up-to-date common names.
• All maps revised to reflect the most current range information.
• More species and rarities included.