| |  | Books : The Sibley Guide to Birds (Audubon Society Nature Guides Ser.) |  | | | | | | | | | |
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 598.097
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Knopf
Manufacturer: Knopf
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 544
Publication Date: October 03, 2000
Publisher: Knopf
Release Date: October 03, 2000
Sales Rank: 217123
Studio: Knopf
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
David Allen Sibley, America's most gifted contemporary painter of birds, is the author and illustrator of this comprehensive guide. His beautifully detailed illustrations—more than 6,600 in all—and descriptions of 810 species and 350 regional populations will enrich every birder's experience.
The Sibley Guide's innovative design makes it entirely user friendly. The illustrations are arranged to facilitate comparison, yet still capture the unique character of each species.
The Sibley Guide to Birds provides a wealth of new information:
—Captioned illustrations show many previously unpublished field marks and revisions of known marks
—Nearly every species is shown in flight
—Measurements include length, wingspan, and weight for every species
—Subspecies and geographic varients are covered thoroughly
—Complete voice descriptions are included for every species
—Maps show the complete distribution of every species: summer and winter ranges, migration routes, and rare occurrences
Both novice and experienced birders will appreciate these and other innovative features:
—An introductory page for each family or group of related families makes comparisons simple
—Clear and concise labels with pointers identify field marks directly
—Birds are illustrated in similar poses to make comparisons between species quick and easy
—Illustrations emphasize the way birds look in the field
With The Sibley Guide to Birds, the National Audubon Society makes the art and expertise of David Sibley available to the world in a comprehensive, handsome, easy-to-use volume that will be the indispensable identification guide every birder must own.
Amazon.com Review:
More than 10 years in the making, David Sibley's Guide toBirds is a monumental achievement. The beautiful watercolorillustrations (6,600, covering 810 species in North America) andclear, descriptive text place Sibley and his work squarely in thetradition of John JamesAudubon and Roger ToryPeterson; more than a birdwatcher and evangelizer, he is one ofthe foremost bird painters and authorities in the U.S. Still, hisfield guide will no doubt spark debate. Unlike Kenn Kaufman's Focus Guide, Sibley'sis unapologetically aimed at the converted. Beginning birders may wantto keep a copy of Sibley at home as a reference, but the wealth ofinformation will have the same effect on novices as trying to pick outa single sandpiper in a wheeling flock of thousands. The familiaryellow warbler, for instance, gets no less than nine individualillustrations documenting its geographic, seasonal, and sexvariations--plus another eight smaller illustrations showing it inflight. Of course, more experienced birders will appreciate this sortof detail, along with Sibley's improvements on both Peterson and the National Geographicguide:
- As in Peterson, Sibley employs a pointer system for key fieldmarkings--but additional text blurbs are included alongside theillustrations to facilitate identification.
- Descriptive passages on identification are more detailed than those in mostother field guides. For example, Sibley includes extensive information onthe famously hard-to-distinguish hawks in the genus Accipiter(sharp-shinned, Cooper's, and northern goshawk), noting differences in legthickness and wing beat that will be of use to more advanced birders. Asection on the identification of 'peeps' (small sandpipers) includes tipsabout seasonal molting and bill length. Confusing fall warblers,Empidonax flycatchers, and Alcids receive similar treatment.
- As previously mentioned, ample space is given to illustrations thatshow plumage variations by age, sex, and geography within a single species.Thus, an entire page is devoted to the red-shouldered hawk and itsdiffering appearances in the eastern U.S., Florida, and California;similarly, gulls are distinguished by age and warblers by sex.
- Range maps are detailed and accurate, with breeding, wintering, andmigration routes clearly depicted; rare but regular geographic occurrencesare denoted by green dots.
- The binding and paper stock are of exceptional quality. Despite its 544pages, a reinforced paperback cover and sewn-in binding allow the book tobe spread out flat without fear of breaking the binding.
Some birders will be put off by the book's size. Slightly larger than theNational Geographic guide, it's less portable than most field guides andwill likely spend more time in cars and desks than on a birder's personwhile in the field. For some it will be a strictly stay-at-home companionguide to consult after a field trip; others may want to have it handy in afannypack or backpack. But regardless of how it is used, Sibley's Guideto Birds is a significant addition to any birding library. 'Birds arebeautiful,' the author writes in the preface, 'their colors, shapes,actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature.'Pleasing, too, is this comprehensive guide to their identification. --Langdon Cook
Customer Reviews Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Sibley's Guide to Bird's
Excellent pictures of birds.If you are trying to identify them in Flight, there are pictures of the underside that you would see when looking up.
Rating: - good book
Nice book, I purchased it on the reviews of others.I have not regretted it.I got it for some information, and found I was using it for other items.
Rating: - Beautiful artwork
I'm keeping the book by the window that looks over my bird feeder.
The drawings are beautiful - one could cut out the pages, frame the pictures, and have a home full of beautiful artwork.
Rating: - The Shelby Guide to Birds
This is the Best Bird Book on the market for beginers and those of experience. It is visually more complete than other books that I have or seen. It is a must as a birders' companion.
Rating: - So nice I had to keep one!
I bought two of these books for gifts but when my husband saw it he had to have one for us.
It's that nice. We love it.
The Sibley Guide to Birds (Audubon Society Nature Guides Ser.) | | | |
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