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Abert’s Towhee Acadian Flycatcher Acorn Woodpecker Alder Flycatcher Allen’s Hummingbird Altamira Oriole American Avocet American Bittern American Black Duck American Coot American Crow American Dipper American Golden-Plover American Goldfinch American Kestrel American Oystercatcher American Pipit American Redstart American Robin American Three-toed Woodpecker American Tree Sparrows American White Pelican American Wigeon American Woodcock Anhinga Anna’s Hummingbird Arctic Tern Arizona Woodpecker Ash-Throated Flycatcher Atlantic Puffin Audubon’s Oriole Bachman’s Sparrow Baird’s Sandpiper Baird’s Sparrow Bald Eagle Baltimore Oriole Band-tailed Pigeon Bank Swallow Barn Owl Barn Swallow Barred Owl Barrow’s Goldeneye Bay-breasted Warbler Bell’s Vireo Belted Kingfisher Bendire’s Thrasher Bewick’s Wren Black Guillemot Black Oystercatcher Black Phoebe Black Rail Black Rosy-Finch Black Scoter Black Skimmer Black Swift Black Tern Black Turnstone Black Vulture Black-and-white Warbler Black-backed Woodpecker Black-bellied Plover Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Black-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Magpie Black-capped Chickadee Black-capped Vireo Black-chinned Hummingbird Black-chinned Sparrow Black-crested Titmouse Black-crowned Night-Heron Black-footed Albatross Black-headed Grosbeak Black-legged Kittiwake Black-necked Stilt Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Gray Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Black-throated Sparrow Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Blue Grosbeak Blue Jay Blue-footed Booby Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue-headed Vireo Blue-throated Hummingbird Blue-winged Teal Blue-winged Warbler Boat-tailed Grackle Bobolink Bohemian Waxwing Bonaparte’s Gull Boreal Chickadee Boreal Owl Botteri’s Sparrow Brandt’s Cormorant Brant Brewer’s Blackbird Brewer’s Sparrow Bridled Titmouse Broad-billed Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Broad-winged Hawk Bronzed Cowbird Brown Booby Brown Creeper Brown Pelican Brown Thrasher Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Brown-headed Cowbird Brown-headed Nuthatch Buff-bellied Hummingbird Buff-breasted Flycatcher Buff-breasted Sandpiper Bufflehead Bullock’s Oriole Burrowing Owl Bushtit Cackling Goose Cactus Wren California Condor California Gull California Quail California Thrasher California Towhee Calliope Hummingbird Canada Goose Canada Jay (Previously Gray Jay) Canada Warbler Canvasback Canyon Towhee Canyon Wren Cape May Warbler Carolina Chickadee Carolina Wren Caspian Tern Cassin’s Auklet Cassin’s Finch Cassin’s Kingbird Cassin’s Sparrow Cassin’s Vireo Cattle Egret Cave Swallow Cedar Waxwing Cerulean Warbler Chestnut-backed Chickadee Chestnut-collared Longspur Chestnut-sided Warbler Chihuahuan Raven Chimney Swift Chipping Sparrow Chuck-will’s-widow Chukar Cinnamon Teal Clapper Rail Clark’s Grebe Clark’s Nutcracker Clay-colored Sparrow Cliff Swallow Colima Warbler Common Eider Common Gallinule Common Goldeneye Common Grackle Common Ground-Dove Common Loon Common Merganser Common Murre Common Nighthawk Common Pauraque Common Poorwill Common Raven Common Redpoll Common Tern Common Yellowthroat Connecticut Warbler Cooper’s Hawk Cordilleran Flycatcher Costa’s Hummingbird Couch’s Kingbird Crescent-chested Warbler Crested Caracara Crissal Thrasher Curve-billed Thrasher Dark-eyed Junco Dickcissel Double-crested Cormorant Dovekie Downy Woodpecker Dunlin Dusky Flycatcher Dusky Grouse Eared Grebe Eastern Bluebird Eastern Kingbird Eastern Meadowlark Eastern Phoebe Eastern Screech-Owl Eastern Towhee Eastern Whip-poor-will Eastern Wood-Pewee Elegant Tern Elf Owl Emperor Goose Eurasian Collared-Dove Eurasian Tree Sparrow Eurasian Wigeon European Starling Evening Grosbeak Ferruginous Hawk Field Sparrow Fish Crow Flammulated Owl Florida Scrub-Jay Forster’s Tern Fox Sparrow Franklin’s Gull Fulvous Whistling-Duck Gadwall Gambel’s Quail Gila Woodpecker Gilded Flicker Glaucous Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Glossy Ibis Golden Eagle Golden-cheeked Warbler Golden-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Sparrow Golden-crowned Warbler Golden-fronted Woodpecker Golden-winged Warbler Grace’s Warbler Grasshopper Sparrow Gray Catbird Gray Flycatcher Gray Kingbird Gray Partridge Gray Vireo Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Great Black-backed Gull Great Blue Heron Great Cormorant Great Crested Flycatcher Great Egret Great Gray Owl Great Horned Owl Great Kiskadee Great-tailed Grackle Greater Pewee Greater Prairie-Chicken Greater Roadrunner Greater Sage-Grouse Greater Scaup Greater White-fronted Goose Greater Yellowlegs Green Heron Green Jay Green-tailed-towhee Green-winged Teal Groove-billed Ani Gull-billed Tern Gunnison Sage-Grouse Gyrfalcon Hairy Woodpecker Hammond’s Flycatcher Harlequin Duck Harris’s Hawk Harris’s Sparrow Heermann’s Gull Henslow’s Sparrow Hepatic Tanager Hermit Thrush Hermit Warbler Herring Gull Hoary Redpoll Hooded Merganser Hooded Oriole Hooded Warbler Horned Grebe Horned Lark Horned Puffin House Finch House Sparrow House Wren Hudsonian Godwit Hutton’s Vireo Inca Dove Indigo Bunting Ivory-billed Woodpecker Juniper Titmouse Kentucky Warbler Killdeer King Eider King Rail Kirtland’s Warbler Ladder-backed Woodpecker Lapland Longspur Lark Bunting Lark Sparrow Laughing Gull Lawrence’s Goldfinch Lazuli Bunting Le Conte’s Sparrow Le Conte’s Thrasher Least Bittern Least Flycatcher Least Grebe Least Sandpiper Least Tern Lesser Black-backed Gull Lesser Goldfinch Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lesser Scaup Lesser Yellowlegs Lewis’s Woodpecker Limpkin Lincoln’s Sparrow Little Blue Heron Loggerhead Shrike Long-billed Curlew Long-billed Dowitcher Long-eared Owl Long-tailed Duck Louisiana Waterthrush Lucifer Hummingbird Lucy’s Warbler MacGillivray’s Warbler Magnificent Frigatebird Magnificent Hummingbird Magnolia Warbler Mallard Mangrove Cuckoo Marbled Godwit Marsh Wren Masked Duck McCown’s Longspur Merlin Mew Gull Mexican Jay Mississippi Kite Montezuma Quail Mottled Duck Mountain Bluebird Mountain Chickadee Mountain Plover Mountain Quail Mourning Dove Mourning Warbler Mute Swan Nashville Warbler Neotropic Cormorant Northern Bobwhite Northern Cardinal Northern Flicker Northern Fulmar Northern Gannet Northern Goshawk Northern Harrier Northern Hawk Owl Northern Mockingbird Northern Parula Northern Pintail Northern Rough-winged Swallow Northern Saw-whet Owl Northern Shoveler Northern Shrike Northern Waterthrush Northwestern Crow Nuttall’s Woodpecker Oak Titmouse Olive-sided Flycatcher Orange-crowned Warbler Orchard Oriole Osprey Ovenbird Pacific Golden-Plover Pacific Loon Pacific-slope Flycatcher Painted Bunting Painted Redstart Palm Warbler Pectoral Sandpiper Pelagic Cormorant Peregrine Falcon Phainopepla Philadelphia Vireo Pied-billed Grebe Pigeon Guillemot Pileated Woodpecker Pine Grosbeak Pine Siskin Pine Warbler Pinyon Jay Piping Plover Plain Chachalaca Plumbeous Vireo Prairie Falcon Prairie Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Purple Finch Purple Gallinule Purple Martin Purple Sandpiper Pygmy Nuthatch Pyrrhuloxia Razorbill Red Crossbill Red Knot Red Phalarope Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-breasted Merganser Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Sapsucker Red-cockaded Woodpecker Red-eyed Vireo Red-faced Warbler Red-headed Woodpecker Red-naped Sapsucker Red-necked Grebe Red-necked Phalarope Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-throated Loon Red-winged Blackbird Reddish Egret Redhead Ring-billed Gull Ring-necked Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Rock Pigeon Rock Ptarmigan Rock Sandpiper Rose-breasted Grosbeak Roseate Spoonbill Roseate Tern Ross’s Goose Rough-legged Hawk Royal Tern Ruby-crowned Kinglet Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ruddy Duck Ruddy Turnstone Ruffed Grouse Rufous Hummingbird Rufous-capped Warbler Rufous-winged Sparrow Rusty Blackbird Sabine’s Gull Sage Sparrow Sage Thrasher Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow Sanderling Sandhill Crane Sandwich Tern Savannah Sparrow Say’s Phoebe Scaled Quail Scarlet Tanager Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Scott’s Oriole Seaside Sparrow Sedge Wren Semipalmated Plover Semipalmated Sandpiper Sharp-shinned Hawk Sharp-tailed Grouse Short-billed Dowitcher Short-eared Owl Slate-throated Redstart Smith’s Longspur Smooth-billed Ani Snail Kite Snow Bunting Snow Goose Snowy Egret Snowy Plover Solitary Sandpiper Song Sparrow Sooty Grouse Sora Spotted Owl Spotted Sandpiper Spotted Towhee Sprague’s Pipit Spruce Grouse Steller’s Jay Stilt Sandpiper Summer Tanager Surf Scoter Surfbird Swainson’s Hawk Swainson’s Thrush Swainson’s Warbler Swallow-tailed Kite Swamp Sparrow Tennessee Warbler Thick-billed Murre Townsend’s Solitaire Townsend’s Warbler Tree Swallow Tricolored Heron Tropical Kingbird Trumpeter Swan Tufted Puffin Tufted Titmouse Tundra Swan Turkey Vulture Upland Sandpiper Varied Bunting Varied Thrush Vaux’s Swift Veery Verdin Vermilion Flycatcher Vesper Sparrow Violet-green Swallow Virginia Rail Virginia’s Warbler Warbling Vireo Western Bluebird Western Grebe Western Gull Western Kingbird Western Sandpiper Western Screech-Owl Western Tanager Western Wood-Pewee Western-Meadowlark Whimbrel White Ibis White-breasted Nuthatch White-crowned Pigeon White-crowned Sparrow White-eyed Vireo White-faced Ibis White-headed Woodpecker White-rumped Sandpiper White-tailed Hawk White-tailed Kite White-tailed Ptarmigan White-throated Sparrow White-throated Swift White-tipped Dove White-winged Crossbill White-winged Dove White-winged Scoter Whooping Crane Wild Turkey Willet Williamson’s Sapsucker Willow Flycatcher Willow Ptarmigan Wilson’s Phalarope Wilson’s Plover Wilson’s Snipe Wilson’s Warbler Winter Wren Wood Duck Wood Stork Wood Thrush Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay Worm-eating Warbler Wrentit Yellow Rail Yellow Warbler Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Magpie Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Yellow-headed Blackbird Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Vireo Yellow-throated Warbler Zone-tailed Hawk

Bird Field Guides

bird guides

Once you become interested in birds, you’ll want to be able to start identifying the different species that you see. A good bird guide will be one of the two most valuable tools for identifying new species. The other is a good pair of binoculars.

The late Roger Tory Peterson, a well-known wildlife artist, created the first bird guide in 1934. His guide pioneered the use of indicator marks on his illustrations to call attention to key identification points, or “field marks”, as an aid in identifying a particular bird. This early Peterson guide spawned an entire series of Peterson field guides for different subjects, as well as a flock of competing bird guides.

 

Selecting a bird guide

There are many different bird identification guides in publication. Some are targeted at the beginning bird watcher and some at the most advanced expert. When selecting a field guide you will want to consider several parameters.

Location
The birds found in one part of the country are often very different from those in another. There are over 800 species found in the continental United States. In order to accommodate the great diversity of species and still keep the book to a reasonable size, some authors create two guides. One guide covers the eastern United States and one the western United States. Stokes and Peterson each have guides that take this approach. Other guides provide less information on each species, but cover all of the birds normally found in the United States. (Several field guides are often referenced by their primary author, such as Peterson, Sibley or Stokes.)

When purchasing a guide book, make sure that it either covers the region you are in or covers all of the birds in the United States. If you live in the middle of the country, you may need to purchase both an eastern guide and a western guide, or purchase one of the more comprehensive national guides. The National Geographic Society’s “Field Guide to the Birds of North America” is one such guide, and is considered by many to be one of the best all-around selections.

Also check to see if there are any guides which are state specific. Stan Tekiela has produced individual bird guides foremost states. The guides are targeted at the novice birder and features colorful photographic images. The birds are arranged by color.

Photographs or illustrations
Some guides use photographs, while others use illustrations (paintings). Beginners often prefer photographs, more experienced birders prefer guides that utilize illustrations.

Bird order
Most guides place birds in what is known as phylogenetic order. Basically this means the most primitive birds are in the front of the book, and the most advanced birds are in the back. Birds in the same family are placed in the same section of the guide.

A few guides group birds by color. This approach is OK for the novice. With even a little experience, the user will switch to one of the guides that places the birds in phylogenetic order.

 

Bird Guides for beginners

In addition to the Tekiela guides, these are some of the better guides for novice birders or children. They focus on a limited number of more common species.

In our opinion, however, these guides have often selected birds based on their visual appeal, not necessarily the birds most likely to be seen by those new to the hobby. If you are serious about learning to identify the birds you see, we suggest using the beginning guides only as a supplement to one of the more complete field guides.

Stokes – Beginner’s Guide to Birds (Eastern and Western United Sates versions.)
A nice series for the beginning bird watcher, containing excellent pictures and species information. Some birds are shown twice, apparently when the male and female differ substantially in plumage. Many of the selected species do not qualify as those most likely to be seen by the beginning bird watcher.

National Audubon Society – First Field Guide – Birds
Contains nice pictures and species information. Shows some of the more visible species and comparisons with similar species. Birds selected cover a wide range of habitats and parts of the country. In some ways, it is more suggestive of a beginner’s “coffee table” book than a field guide.

Bird Watcher’s Digest – “Enjoying Birds More”
Covers 80 or so of the more common species. A very good book for the price.

 

Bird Guides for more experienced birders

Here is a brief comparison of several of the more popular, comprehensive guides.

GUIDE NAME IMAGE TYPES AREA COVERED BEST SUITED FOR COMMENTS
Peterson Eastern Series
(Houghton Mifflin Company)
Paintings Eastern U.S. and Canada Beginning to Intermediate
Experience Level
The ORIGINAL Guide and still one of the most popular.
Peterson Western Series
(Houghton Mifflin Company)
Paintings Western U.S. and Canada Beginning to Intermediate
Experience Level
Part of the popular Peterson series.
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America Paintings Entire United States and most of Canada All Experience Levels A favorite guide for many birders.
Field Guide to Birds by Don and Lillian Stokes
Eastern Region
(Little, Brown and Company)
Photographs Eastern U.S. and Canada Beginning to Intermediate Experience Level Many beginning birders prefer guides with actual photographs of the birds they see. The Stokes series also includes more natural history information than most field guides.
Field Guide to Birds by Don and Lillian Stokes
Western Region
(Little, Brown and Company)
Photographs Western U.S. and Canada Beginning to Intermediate Experience Level Many beginning birders prefer guides with actual photographs of the birds they see. The Stokes series also includes more natural history information than most field guides.
Kaufman Focus Guide – Birds of North America
(Houghton Mifflin Company)
Digitally Enhanced Photographs Entire United States and most of Canada Beginning
Bird Watcher
This guide is the first one to use digitally enhanced photographs to ensure key identification marks are shown. It was specifically designed for the beginning bird watcher.
The Sibley Guide to Birds
(National Audubon Society)
Paintings Entire United States and most of Canada Advanced Bird Watcher This guide was designed for the advanced birder and is currently the most advanced general guide on North American birds. An outstanding work.
Birds of North America – Golden Guides
(St. Martin’s Press)
Paintings Entire United States Beginning to Intermediate Experience Level At one time this guide was one of the best and most popular in the U.S. Its original authors were leaders in the field of ornithology. While it still has its fans, it is perhaps more dated than other guides.
The Audubon Society “Field Guide to North American Birds” Photographs Eastern and Western versions Beginning to Intermediate Experience Level All the pictures are in one area and the bird descriptions in another. Colorful but not the best choice for identification purposes.

 

Bird Books

There are many other books about birds.  Some bird books focus on different behaviors, such as bird migration.  Songbird Journey’s by Miyoko Chu is an excellent, easy-to-read example.

There are also many bird books about bird feeding and gardening for birds.  Here are a couple of good choices.

Garden Secrets for Attracting Birds: A Bird-by-Bird Guide to Favored Plants (Gardening)

The Backyard Bird Feeder’s Bible: The A-to-Z Guide To Feeders, Seed Mixes, Projects And Treats

 

About the Author

Sam Crowe

Sam is the founder of Birdzilla.com. He has been birding for over 30 years and has a world list of over 2000 species. He has served as treasurer of the Texas Ornithological Society, Sanctuary Chair of Dallas Audubon, Editor of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "All About Birds" web site and as a contributing editor for Birding Business magazine. Many of his photographs and videos can be found on the site.

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