| | |  | Keyword Search: Marimba Orq. Corona De Tapachula | Home » The Sibley Guide to Birds | | | | | | | 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—Captioned illustrations show many previously unpublished field marks and revisions of known marks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. | | | Features: | |
• ISBN13: 9780679451228
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| David Allen Sibley | | Paperback:
| 544 pages | | Publisher:
| Knopf | | Publication Date:
| October 03, 2000 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0679451226 | | Product Weight:
| 3.0 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.5 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.4 inches | | Package Weight:
| 2.65 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 143 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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 Useful guide, range maps too smallSep 08, 2010
I've used this guide --note that it's not titled a "FIELD" guide-- since it first came out, but not often in the field. It's too large for the largest pocket, too heavy and cumbersome to add to the binoculars and, often, camera gear and be comfortable walking. My paperback copy has a well-sewn binding and lies flat when open, which makes it tremendously useful for:
Identifying birds in your backyard, if you live in a place where there is still habitat and cover for more than House (English) sparrows and can sit at a table and study the book with the birds. A house or patio makes a good blind.
Identifying birds in a reserve or park where you are basically driving to an observation deck pier, or blind.
Keeping in the car in case you happen on a rest stop or a park or a good road shoulder with birds, and these are many. The car is a great blind -- birds tend to stay put, and an open window makes a good binocular (or camera) brace if the motor is turned off. The size and heft of the book is perhaps useful here -- it stays put on the car seat and stays open.
My biggest problem with the Sibley guide is that the range maps are tiny, really too small for using to decide "which species." Range maps can be the quickest way to pin down a species before it flies away, especially for the less than expert of us, who take a long time to zero in on the defining detail -- the "fine print" -- for each type. And I rather agree with the reviewer who bewails the lack of mention of eggs -- a few paragraphs on lifestyle (Ground feeders? Hole nesters?) and egg and nest type for each group would have made the book more useful -- and more interesting. (To be fair, Sibley has taken up the lives of birds in a separate volume, "The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior," and it's one of the best I know of, with his love of birds shining through every page and fascinating detail along with the general overview of the ways birds live.)
And speaking of groups, why were order names omitted? A sense of order characteristics is one of the most useful things a new birder can acquire. It seems silly to deny the book's users this easy rationalization of the groups, and any aspiring birder who has had -- as is likely-- a course or workshop in Natural History, birds or birding, or basic biology at the vertebrate level should appreciate the usefulness of taxonomic hierarchy. The book is in taxonomic sequence but does not in any way other than by a page of thumbnails attempt to separate the larger (ordinal level) groups.
Because of size and weight of the Sibley guide, the near microscopic range maps, the sometimes skimpy habitat and lifestyle material, I use this book together with the Golden guide (Robbins, Zim, and others), which has a good-sized range map with the text for almost every species, and many sonograms of calls or songs, also with the text. While the sonograms may seem daunting at first, they are far better than attempts at spelling out calls once you get the hang of them -- which is not at all hard if you look at a sonogram or two while listening to a familiar bird singing. The older editions, boards with sewn bindings, were also of a size to go into a large jacket pocket, and after some use opened flat easily -- that field guides might actually go into the field is increasingly overlooked in the current style of book design!
 Best Birder BookJul 10, 2010
The Peterson's Field Guide was always the favorite of our Field Guide collection, until we purchased The Sibley Guide to Birds. It is the best!!! We do have Tree Guides, but will purchase Sibley`s Tree Guide next!
 condition of bookJun 10, 2010
Though I am pleased with the book and the price, the book was not in 'new' condition as was stated by the seller. There was water damage on the bottom 1/4 of the first 230 pages. I am only glad that I did not send this book as a gift but planned to keep it for myself.This vendor needs to be a little more careful with it's representation of condition.
Very pleased - Excellent ToolMay 13, 2010
I must agree with the 5 and 4 star reviews of the Sibley Guide. It is the best tool I have discovered for bird identification for a lay naturalist in hard print. I use it along with the Thayer Guide of North American Birds, an automated (DVD) birding program which generates a list of target birds displaying several characteristics including location that I enter on a pick list. Sibley closes down on the bird I viewed by giving me a complete set of illustrations showing profile, above and below views, flight patterns and other features of each species in a range of possible candidates. The aerial views are particularly valuable to me because I live on a wide fall line river in the Carolinas which attracts a large range of soaring birds. While I do not consider myself an expert birder, I have many years of experience with the natural world including 500 miles on the Appalachian Trail and several courses including bird identification with the USDA's training courses in natural history in Washington. The Sibley and Thayer Guides are two tools in my toolbox. I also go to the web to obtain detailed information on species I have identified. Another tool is my new 15 x 70 Orion binoculars from Amazon. While heavy, I use them primarily from my seated location on the river with my 65+ year hands holding them from the front tubes against my eyes. They are a very easy to use in this manner and anything smaller and lighter would not be effective in viewing birds and wildlife 300 to 2500 feet away. Another tool is my 8 x 30 binocular lightweight. These are best under the forest canopy where distances are not as great or on long hikes.
Remember, in any activity there is rarely a tool that does everything. Consider your immediate needs and get the tools for the job. As your experience and interest grow, you can add additional items to your tool box. I am sure the Sibley Guide is not going to satisfy scientists and very experienced birders. But they too had a beginning and middle to their learning curve. I am very satisfied with the Sibley and have not found anything comparable for my purposes. I also own several other excellent for their purpose birding guides including The Little Golden Book of Birds that I received when I was ten years old - I still enjoy it.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Wildlife Biologist's ratingApr 30, 2010
I am a 61 year old Wildlife Biologist. I have not read any of the other reviews. Here is mine......after skimming this book. I received it 3 days ago and have had time to get a good idea of what it has to offer. At a later time I will go back to this review and update my comments.
First, it is not a field guide....although it does not claim to be. I would rather have a bird book that fits in a large pocket so that I can take it into the field.
This book does not have information on the niches and habits of the birds. That disappoints me. Mr. Sibley, why do you not tell us the habits of the birds? At least give me some new information.
Mr. Sibley does go into great detail to describe the morphology of the birds. And that is the primary function of a bird guide. But I already have a very good idea of what the birds look like and the skill to identify most of them in the field. Ok....I will admit to not being able to quickly ID some of the passerines and many of the shore birds. And again, Mr. Sibly goes to great detail to explain the "fine points" of identification.
But I want at least some information about the bird's life. For my needs, here is a book that I have depended on through the decades in the field....and I still do: A GUIDE TO FIELD IDENTIFICATION, BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA (A GOLDEN FIELD GUIDE), by ROBBINS, BRUUN AND ZIM.....illustrations by ZIMMER. I love this little book. I have several copies. One of them my Grandmother had!
Mr. Sibley.......you have done an exhaustive piece of work. I will keep your book in my collection and I will also buy one or two more or your books for my collection. Good job.
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