Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification

by Chandler S. Robbins, Bertel Bruun, Herbert S. Zim

Vintage hardcover

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

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Allie Traestar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best bird book ever. It is in a order in which it is easy to find the bird you seek. You can see all the defining marks on the bird in full color, without any individual oddities like you get with pictures. The bird paintings also have all the plumage variations, and are usually grouped with other birds of similar color, within reason (example; all the grey warblers with yellow bellies are together.) I have yet to find a book it's equal that has both it's practical use and beauty.

[Andria Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly excellent field guide for beginners or experts. Full of details, bright drawings, and facts about birds. This edition is from 1966, and I highly recommend it. A fun read for all ages. 5 ⭐

[Jim Minick · Rating 5 out of 5]

First birding book I ever owned.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

At age 10, I read it cover-to-cover during the long hours of cross-country driving between national parks on a family camping vacation. More than any other thing, this book turned me into a lifelong birder, so it obviously has a special place in my heart.
It was a huge improvement over the mostly black-and-white Peterson edition of that time, co-locating the text & range maps w/ the pictures, and using the color for the range maps like the Golden Guide.
Also it covers east & west and sticks to strict taxonomic order, so it's a great teaching tool as well.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

of all the bird books out there, i feel this is the best you can get.

[Jeff Shaner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the bird books this is one of the best, seek it, find it!

[Lucie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the updated most recent release.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought Birds of North America, popularly known as the Golden Guide, the year it came out, when I was 6, and it's still my go-to guide.

This edition - illustrated by Arthur Singer - has been out of print for several years, and in the birding world it has been out of fashion for considerably longer. From an ornithological perspective it is indeed a little bit out-of-date. Several species (though not too many) have changed names or been split or clumped together since 1966. Standard species order has shifted a little. And some of today's power birders want to see more species or plumage variations depicted.

For general use, though, this book is still very useful. It is also, in my opinion, the most pleasing bird book to use. Arthur Singer was easily one of the very best ornithological artists of the 20th century, and, for my money, unmatched in the consistency, finesse, and artfulness of his field guide illustrations. The birds he paints are identifiable - carefully simplified and posed - but "feel" real and present in a way the birds in other field guides just don't.

Singer's birds have been something close to living companions for most of my life - I still enjoy seeing them when I open up the book. Peterson, Sibley, and many of the other illustrators have done excellent work, but their birds do not have the magic that inspires fondness. I have of course used other field guides, but I've never seen them as anything but supplementary.

This book can still be found used, often in good condition. It makes a great first guide for any beginner or low-key birder and also belongs in the collection of any serious lover of birds and bird art.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compact, revolutionary when published. I still like it for:
-sonagrams which picture the songs as they would appear on an oscilloscope - an aid to remembering, when you don't have a device to play the songs/calls or don't want to take the time
- isochronal lines on range maps to show migration timing.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great starter ID guide. Includes migration schedules, song transcriptions, and juvenile identification. There may be stronger guides out there but this has served me well for many years.

[Alison]

My talisman! Unfortunately I've had to stop taking it out into the field, because the edition I have is now too out of date, but I will always keep this one.

[Staci · Rating 5 out of 5]

We absolutely love this guide! Birds of North America has been such a valuable resource in our homeschool. It’s well-organized, easy to use, and packed with information that’s both educational and engaging.

My son especially enjoys flipping through it to identify birds we see in our yard or on walks—he gets so excited when he can match a bird to the pictures in the book. Speaking of the pictures, they’re fantastic: clear, detailed, and super helpful for spotting key features like color patterns and size.

The range of species covered is impressive, and the descriptions include just enough detail without being overwhelming. It’s been a great tool for encouraging curiosity about nature and learning more about the world around us.

If you’re looking for a reliable, user-friendly bird guide for your home or homeschool, I highly recommend this one!

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book just cause when I went to Colorado I had that book to help me find out the different kinds of birds that were local there! Another thing that I like about this book is it is just helpful when your bird watching it’s easy access and understandable to read .I recommend this book to bird lovers and bird watchers!

[Gale Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a gift from my folks, my first birding book. I’ve been hooked on birds ever since! Read it so much the binding cracked and the book fell apart. My current bird book receives the same TLC and has lasted much longer. This is out of print, or otherwise I would highly recommend this edition, but every home should have at least one bird guide!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love birds and this book has really helped me identify and learn about the birds in my neighborhood. The size allows you to pack it into your purse or bag so that you always have it handy. This is my Bird Bible!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great guide for identifying your backyard feathered friends.

[Robin Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my go to bird book of all time!

[Moira Mackinnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always preferred this this to the Petersen Field Guide, I found it much easier to use.

[Belle Meade School]

598.2

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used this book extensively during a year-long naturalist’s course, and for the rest of my life. A great compact guide, important if you have to carry a pack!

[Neill Vanhinsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the previous edition, best North American bird guide, rivaled only by the Nat Geo guide which I believe was first published in 1983 as well. Both better than Peterson.

[2Tall · Rating 5 out of 5]

My go-to bird book. Comprehensive enough, great size for carrying along, and easy to find things in.

[Joe Archer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat and compact, but differentiating similar species is difficult with the given illustrations and information.

[Brett Silv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional illustrations

[zoe k]

Reading this and seeing birds that are now extinct 💔💔💔💔

[Sheri Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I had used library copies of A Field Guide to the Birds of Texas: and Adjacent States, this is was the first field guide that I actually owned. Its user-friendly format, combining illustrations, text, and maps in two-page spreads, set a new visual standard that most field guides follow to this day.

Not all of the authors' innovations have been as widely adopted, which is a shame. None of the current crop of bird guides includes sonograms to help users visualize songs and calls, and only A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America includes migration maps inspired by the spring isochron lines on many of the Golden Guide's range maps.

I used the original Golden Guide and its second edition (blue cover) until the general-release edition of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. Later editions of the Golden Guide couldn't keep up with the increasingly high standards in either information or illustrations, but the original holds a prominent place in the history of field guides.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who would have thought the publishers of the Little Golden Books that I read as a child also publishes a fantastic field guide for bird identification?

I use many field guides for work and play and this is one of the best I have come across. It gives detailed descriptions about the birds, maps of their ranges (including migration, etc.), and beautiful, accurate illustrations of male, female, and young (where there are differences). This book also gives information that is key to many bird identifications: silhouettes of the birds in flight or in standing/walking profile (aligned with those that have a similar shape), and so on.

An added bonus, despite being a sturdy hardcover book, this guide is fairly light to have in you pack.

Overall, a good resource for beginners and seasoned bird watchers.

[Diane Fogel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love and cherish this book! It is copyright dated 1966. It was passed down to me by my grandmother before she moved to Ohio. I love looking up birds in it to this day. I think of her every time I look through it. She bough it in May 1978 brand new. It is one of the things I have that I have that she wrote her name and address on, (other than cherished letters). She wrote the month and year she bought the book on it as well. When I was a child growing up and went to visit her, she would tell me what the birds at the bird feeder where named. So if I saw something new I would ask her what it was called, if she didn't know she would pull out her bird books and we would look it up together.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't say I have READ this book so much as used it to identify birds. It is a field guide to identification. Much more useful anywhere but Houston. I say it belongs under gardening only because that is when you might have the most chance of seeing a bird here. Otherwise I should create a birding shelf.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the bird book that my Father had next to the window that overlooked all of his bird feeders. It is guide that taught me many of basics of bird identification. It is not my favorite guide at this point in my life, but it will always have a place on my bookshelf, and I do take it out every now and them to cross reference a bird.

I owe a lot to this guide.