Identify Yourself: The 50 Most Common Birding Identification Challenges

by Bill Thompson III, Julie Zickefoose (Illustrations), Kenn Kaufman (Foreword)

Written by the experts at Bird Watcher's Digest, Identify Yourself gives beginning and intermediate bird watchers a helping hand with some of the most confounding identification challenges -- birds that are commonly encountered but difficult to tell apart. Combining clear, easy-to-understand text with beautiful illustrations that show key field marks, Identify Yourself is the solution to identifying many of North America's hard-to-distinguish birds..

Genres: Birds, Nature, Reference, Science, Nonfiction, Science Nature, Field Guides

392 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

BILL THOMPSON III is the editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest and the author of the Peterson Field Guide Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of Eastern North America, along with many other books. He lives in Ohio with his wife, the author and illustrator Julie Zickefoose, and their two children.

Reviews

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to own this book! It's invaluable. My only wish is that he'd included the great-tailed grackle in his section on blackbirds. I remain hopelessly confused between those two.

Otherwise it's full of useful information. For instance, I can stop looking at chickadees around here. They're always going to be Carolina.

Black-capped chickadees invade about once a decade, when they can be found south of their normal range. We know this only because bird banders are required to measure the birds to separate the species. Outside of these invasions, they're just not found south of their normal range.

Open any random page and you'll get great advice. And a chuckle.

For most bird watchers the biggest problem in identifying owls is finding one. Owls are nocturnal. Humans are diurnal, and when we are out at night, we can't even see well enough to avoid walking into trees.

Be careful: gaining confidence with the ringed plovers has been known to lead people to look at other shorebirds.

Trying to turn large female kestrels into merlins is a well-established form of entertainment among bird watcher.

[Connie D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been slowly working through this book for over a year and have gained so much from it. I love rereading and checking the pictures and my notes before or after birding to check my memory.

This book is for those of us who have become somewhat bird-obsessed, know the basics, but keep getting some birds mixed up. In learning differences and characteristic traits, I've also learned to be better at seeing and noticing in general.

Anyway, i love it.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, calling out subtle differences in similar birds. Corny jokes to break up the high level identification points, it was an enjoyable read that would be worth referencing again.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great bird identification supplement. Not a field guide but a great field guide companion. Also an educational source since it talks about habitat and habits of birds. These are two of the key messages about identifying difficult to identify bird: habitat and habit are valuable in discerning species that are close in appearance.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Beautifully illustrated, guide to identifying some of the more difficult species to tell apart. The descriptions are easy to read and even a little witty at times. I did not read it cover to cover, but rather meandered through stopping at species native to my area. Would like to add a copy to my own bookshelf one day. This was a library copy.

[David R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unless one is a high powered birder making regular visits across the continent, this book quickly engenders an overwhelming panic attack. This material can only be processed and digested either in reference form or as a long term project. Only for the high end user!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful information, but--I know this is terrible!--I couldn't stand the font choices.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have learned so much from this book. The format is instructive, but very humorous and readable.

[Heidi Marc-Aurele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful book.

[Bookwyrmgyrl]

Great book so far - I just need more time to finish it!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for all those many very confusing look-alikes. Nice illustrations, interesting birding stories, good common sense insights.