National Geographic Field Guide To The Birds Of North America, 4th Edition

Now in its fourth edition, the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America is the ultimate birder's field guide. Sturdy, portable, and easy-to-use, it features the most complete information available on every bird species known to North America. This revised edition features 250 completely updated range maps, new plumage and species classification information, specially commissioned full-color illustrations, and a superb new index that allows birders in the field to quickly identify a species.

The National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fourth Edition will continue to be a bestseller among the fastest-growing sector in the U.S. travel market—the nearly 25 million people who travel each year specifically to observe wild birds.

On my shelf I have a dozen guides...in fact probably every one published. Some are better for some things (such as Sibley), but overall this one is HANDS DOWN my favorite.

What makes it so good? With due respect to Roger Tory Peterson, the illustrations and written clues in the NGS guide are unmatched.

Secondly, in the 4th edition, National Geographic has demonstrated a fervent desire to keep up with the ever-changing naming conventions from the American Ornithological Union. Other guides simply do not keep pace.

If you are new to this hobby, this is THE guide. If someone told you they are interested, but they don't know where to start, this is THE guide to get them.

The one to get if you only get one. The one to use if you have many.


Good, but not great   February 21, 2003
N. Anich (Ashland, WI)
145 out of 150 found this review helpful

Just like many other reviewers, this is one of my many field guides to birds, but this one is not my favorite.

Plusses:
It's got all the latest revisions (e.g. Wilson's Snipe and Black-crested Titmouse) which the other books do not yet have.

It's got more birds, so if you're going somewhere where you might see Steller's Sea-Eagle or an Eurasian Kestrel, you'll need this book.

I personally think the maps in this addition are pretty accurate.

Minuses:

Other field guides have illustrations all by the same person. This guide has a bunch of artists. Therefore, I like how some of the birds are shown, but not others. You can't develop a feel of the artist's style and figure out how the typical bird is shown.

Some people may like how the birds are painted in natural habitats, but for me, I'm trying to get a good look at the bird, I don't care if it's up in some flowery tree, I want to see the bird. In other guides you can easily compare birds because they have the same posture, but often similar birds in this book are pictured doing different things.

It's too big to carry around easily. So if you want to carry one around, take Peterson, but if you're going to carry one that's too big for your pocket, you might as well take Sibley, it has more illustrations.

So, if you're into birding, you might as well pick this up, for the extra birds it offers if nothing else. But if you're not looking to collect a bunch of guides I find Peterson easier to use if you are beginning and Sibley better for more advanced birders.


A Very Good Birding Book   July 30, 2003
Sean Kelley (Parkesburg, PA USA)
50 out of 51 found this review helpful

I have many different bird field guides, but always take this one along on my trips. I have read reviews by others that state this book is too big to carry in the field. Nonsense. I like having a bird book with all the North American birds between the covers. You never know when you may see a stray bird hundreds of miles away from its usual locations. The illustrations are very detailed. The raptors in flight section is another bonus of this book. Don't get me wrong, Sibley's books are magnificent, but this one is good as well. The only drawback is the sparrow section. While they are good, they don't do the birds justice. However, no book is perfect. My birding friends and I all agree that this is probably the best field guide at the moment.


Still the best all-around guide   December 29, 2002
Erin K. Darling (olympia, wa)
36 out of 36 found this review helpful

I've been birding for about 6 years now, and this is the book I always have with me on birding expeditions, since its second edition - it's small enough to portable (though not small enough for a pocket,) and the illustrations are excellent in quality. The comparison pages showing several similar-looking species (comparing different species of ducks, hawks, gulls, warblers et cetera) are excellent. The descriptions are generally very good, and contain useful distinguishing information including vocalizations and distinctive movement patterns. The range maps are easily read, and at the front of the book, there are pages explaining how to identify birds, plumage, anatomy, and sundry other topics of use.

Generally, I prefer drawings/paintings to actual photographs when using birding books - I've found that often times, the photographs in birding books are less than good examples of several species, especially when there are one or more variations. Also, with illustrations, the artist controls the lighting, the angle, et cetera. Since this book uses illustrations, so perhaps I'm biased toward it in that way. ...P> The NGS book here is more than sufficient for most birders, I would imagine. Another plus is that it's all the birds of the continent, period; no need to buy an Eastern/Western edition when you travel to other areas of the country.

In this newest edition, they have included notations for whether or not the bird is endangered or threatened, as well as a handy one-page "quick-find index" at the back for finding a general group of birds quickly (for example, finches, jays and hawks,)so one doesn't have to spend precious moments looking through the longer, full index for them.

The book is durable, and withstands dampness and even light rain very well. The colors of the birds are very realistic, and they do a wonderful job portraying the different seasonal plumages. It appears that the colors have been modified very slightly from the last edition to look even better than they did.

An excellent book, all around. Naturally, selection of a birding guide is a very personal thing, and while I love this book, others may intensely hate it, preferring photographic guides. My best advice would be to get your hands on as many guides as possible, and see which suits your preferences for size, images, descriptions, and general feel, including portability, ...


My favourite bird book.   February 7, 2005
J. Guild (Toronto,Canada)
35 out of 36 found this review helpful


I have been birding for 18 years and own several hundred bird books.I have used all the common books for North America that have been around during that period .I have built my life list for North America up to 596 species in that time.In my opinion, this is the best all round Field Guide for North America.
Until this book first came out in 1983 the most popular bird guide was Peterson,s; but it came in two volumes,one for the East and one for the West.This book covers all North America.I am frequently asked by people who are just getting started in birding,people who are buying for someone they know who "is interested" in birds and others who have a book ;but want something else;and ask, "What is the best book to buy,there seem to be so many?" My answer is;"You can't go wrong with this book."It is now in its 4th Edition, and I have bought each new edition as they have come out.There have been continual improvements made with each edition.The National Geographic have been a major publisher of all kinds of books for a long time. Personally,I feel their strength has been in photography and high quality printing and construction.In many cases their books are somewhat superficial;but don't let that disuade you .This book is so well done it is the choice of the majority of birders.I can't think of any birder I know who hasn't got a copy of it.
The thing that makes this book such a success is that it was put together by a large number of the best birders in North America.There are several other reviews on this book and they are all worth reading.I just can't imagine anyone regretting that they choose to buy this book;what more is there to say to recommend it?