National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fifth Edition

CHUCK FULL OF GREAT PICTURES, RANGE MAPS, QUICK FIND INDEX, AND THUMBNAILS FOR EASY ACCESS. BEING THAT WE LIVE IN A FAIRLY LARGE WOODED PART OF THE OZARKS, WE GET TO SEE MANY SPECIES OF BIRDS RIGHT IN OUR OWN BACKYARD.

I wish this book had more detail in both drawnings and discreptions. As in more possable colorings from juvenile to adult and sex. Color of eggs, what kind of nest, habitat and sounds.

This book is very helpful in figuring out just what bird is outside your window. It does help if you have a general knowledge of birds.

After five revisions, this book is a fine-tuned machine. Absolutely every aspect of the book has been thought out in terms of field-usefulness. Once you use this guide, you won't settle for anything else, not even Sibley's excellent guide.

The only thing that might discourage a beginning birder is: 1. use of scientific jargon, and 2. extensive subspecies coverage.

These two factors can be confusing for neophytes, but on the other hand many veteran birders can't live without them. This is the single NA bird guide that approaches the avocation from a scientific standpoint; all the rest take a more relaxed standpoint. I find the subspecies pictures to be extremely useful when afield; some may view it as a hassle.

Bottom line: you owe it to yourself to buy this book - it may be the best $16 you ever spend. If you are a beginner, you may wish to start out with the Sibley guide, or the Peterson guide.

I finally know what kind of birds i've been feeding for the last twenty years.