Field Guide to Birds of Western North America

by David Allen Sibley

This field guide covers the avifauna of western North America using detailed artworks, maps and text. Lighter than the original North American Bird Guide", the book is designed to be suitable for regular field use and has a fully integrated format allowing quick and easy reference."

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

474 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Graychin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just written a review for Sibley’s Birding Basics I thought I might as well write a review for his field guide. Our family copy is pretty beat up at this point but it still gets a lot of use. I love this book. Not only for Sibley’s illustrations, which are terrific, but for his field marks and guidance. We’ve used other guides in the past, the Peterson and the Audubon guides, for example. I just prefer ‘The Sibley.” For ease of use and insight, I don’t think there’s a better choice.

In closing, I want to call bullshit on those folks that only want real photographs in their field guides. Don’t be like that. No matter how carefully selected a photo is, it is only a photo of a single individual at a single point in time. As such, it cannot adequately represent an average member of the species in the same way an illustration can. Get it? No two birds are perfectly alike, even when they’re members of the same species. Plus, light and shadow, season, molt, lifestage and other factors necessarily come into play in a photo. These can be in measure controlled for by illustrations.

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the definitive field guides for birds, in my humble opinion. My copy is absolutely in tatters too, with notes and observations on nearly every page. I suppose I need to buy a new one...

[Jim Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be "currently-reading" this masterpiece for years to come. Beautiful field guide, field book. The passion of the author is contagious. Looking forward to many years and countless observations.

[Randal]

We use colored tabs in our copy, when ever we get a new type of visitor in our back yard.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my go to book that I carry with me while out birdwatching. It has great drawings, descriptions and range maps. I purchased this to replace the first edition that had been a staple in my hiking backpack for over ten years.

The reason that I made this decision is that with the first edition I misidentified a bird. I thought I saw a rare Winter Wren but, I had in fact seen a more common Pacific Wren. After 10 years species change. New ones are discovered or change their ranges. It is a good move to stay updated and informed so you can get the most out of your birding experience.

I highly recommend this book to any birder, weather you are new or experienced. The layout is taxonomic so if you are unfamiliar with that all you need to do is flip through the book and read it to learn how the book is laid out. Taxonomic means that is it laid out by bird shape but that hard to explain and better to see with your own eyes by checking it out. It takes some getting used to but once you understand it, the layout is very helpful.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pretty wide variety of bird field guides is available nowadays. Each has its pluses and minuses. Sibley's is my go-to. It is a little more of a reference book than quick identification guide (like Peterson, for example).

Pluses:
Multiple pictures per species - by age, sex, season as needed.
Drawings instead of photos.
Taxonomic order (my preference)
Detailed descriptions of appearance and behavior.

Minus:
Too complete, with every rarity recorded, which is unnecessary and just makes the book thicker (and heavier), and, as a result, is not for beginners who will have trouble navigating.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I always say, photos are better than drawings; however, this series is so beautifully drawn and well notated that one doesn't need actual photos.

Pair it with this site:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/
and you have an excellent resource set for any level of enthusiast.

[Patrick\ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now the top-of-the-line. A terrific book. Still waiting for the recorded calls next to each identifying picture - little mini things, like in the greeting cards, sort of.

[Doranna Durgin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one will always be a "current book." My favorite bird guide--for the illustrations, the information included, and the little mini index in front of each family of birds.

[Stan Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book yet for birding in the West.

[Michael Rowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful creation. My goal was to identify the birds that fly over my home in Northern California.

I could use a more specialized book. This one has so many birds and so many details it's overwhelming. The bird pairings are like those Highlights magazine puzzles where you have to tax your brain: What's different between the illustration of the Northern Flicker and Gilded Flicker?

The book is small but heavy.

[Timothy Werth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been using this for a while, and I always enjoy pulling it out and thumbing through. The book is handsome and sturdy, the illustrations are well-drawn, and the bird descriptions are helpful and terse.

[Kristina Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My chosen favourite bird book as a wildlife biologist! I think everyone needs to figure out what they want to see the most - range map, call description, picture (real vs illustration?) and this book had everything that I needed.

[Audrey June · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favourite field guide to birds. I've spent hours with this in my lap, watching everything from grebes to hummingbirds- always a wealth of straightforward info organized in an accessible, easy to navigate format.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much of a plot

[Laura]

it's a reference book that i've read multiple times in bits and pieces in the first edition. this second edition will likely soon be as worn as my original copy

[Stormy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I refer to this book all the time to identify birds in my yard. It includes drawings of juvenile birds as well as adult male and female birds.

[Benjamin Felser · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone looking to learn about birds of the West

[Mary Willard Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living in the Western US, I use this book almost every day. In my opinion a must have book!

[Jacqueline Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning. Wow. So informative 👏. Seriously though this book is fantastic and super helpful in learning about your local wildlife.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've not just read straight through this book, beginning to end, but have studied it so intently, and I believe completely, in preparation for a trip that I think I can count it as a read book. Sibley is very detailed in his information and yet the book is still very readable. The pictures are small due to the large amount of data and specific info included. It is quite usable as a field guide. I guess I'll know better after this trip. :-)
EDIT: It was a huge help!!

[Nathan Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely essential field guide for anyone interested in really learning more about the birds where they live. If you live in the western parts of North America (everything west of and including montana/wyoming/colorado/new mexico/west texas) then this is the book for you. If you live in the east, be sure to snag a copy of the SIBLEY BIRDS EAST instead (or get both like me!) Almost every species has a unique distribution map, ecology, call description, behavioral notes, and distinguishing field marks accompanied by very accurate scientific illustrations. David Sibley has very obviously put a lot of thought into designing these field guides in a way that gives the astute observer all of the tools they'll need to confidently identify any bird located in the your neck of the woods (if you live in North America). Finally, be sure to read the introduction and follow the advice on how to approach using the field guide.

[lia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to comment on this book, which for many years, I have used almost daily. Before I became a Sibley devotee I was big on the Audubon guide. It's a toss up really, because the Audubon has real photographs and the Sibley has drawings-this made me resistant at first to changing over to the Sibley--but when I moved to New York I bought the East Coast version, and really grew to like it. That said, I really like the Audobon as well, but dislike where Audubon was coming from when he first started cataloging birds since he was essentially killing birds to be able to document them. Luckily for Sibley that kind of work is now not necessary. If you like looking at nature, isn't it great to figure out more about the thing you are admiring? I think so too.

[Ken-ichi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional field guide. Layouts and illustrations are clean and consistent, every species account includes multiple plumages (if relevant), maps, and useful points of identification. The organization is taxonomic, which can be troublesome for beginners, but the illustrations are so nice that the book is highly "flippable," i.e. it's relatively easy to flip through and find something close to what you're seeing. My only real complaint is that the pictorial indexes that lead each family only show non-breading plumage. Those grids of illustrations are useful and unique among the field guides I own, but showing only non-breeding plumage is obviously less than ideal during the breeding season.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 5 out of 5]

While we love our Birds of Oregon book for its specificity and ease of use, we bought one of these for travels to other states. One needs a bit more experience to utilize Sibley's versus the Oregon book, but there are more pictures offering several variations when needed.

The Sibley's app is astounding, and, truth be told, superior to the book (if anyone thought I'd say that, ever, I would've called them an idiot, but there it is). The app not only offers the birds that are in the book and the introductory information on taxonomy, bird descriptions, and general ornithological considerations, but has sounds, a place to record your sightings by location, and much more.

The book is worth your while, sure, but if you have the technology, buy the app.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now my second favorite bird book. We found it at in the gift shop of Arches National Park in Utah. Our favorite bird book is misplaced and we were relying on two others that had severe limitations.
What I like about this guide:
Color coded seasonal migration routes.
Illustrations of both sexes, resting, inflight top and in flight bottom.
Unique flight wing shapes detailed
Subspecies not only mentioned but illustrated.
Con:
This book lacks what most bird books do, a visual size reference. My favorite book shows the size of the bird in relation to the book itself. But, that aside, this book is the best.

[Tattered Cover Book Store]

Anthony H says:

If you're looking for the only and absolute best field guide you'll ever need or want, look no further. Also author/illustrator of the Sibley Guide to birds of Eastern North America. These books are filled with precise field markings, youth to adult renderings, male and female depiction, and more. NOTHING EVEN COMPARES!!!

[Kidsbookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I "grew up reading" the Petersen Guide and the blue Golden Guide to Birds. But David Sibley's guide is so comprehensive, interesting, and filled with wonderful artwork that I had to buy this edition, too.

We love to watch and feed the birds and enjoy seeing new species, like the Painted Bunting, when we travel, so a guide to birds is a necessity.

We also like to identify birds who visit at our feeders during migratory seasons.

[Alastair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my go-to book that I carry with me while out birdwatching during holidays to the western USA. It has good drawings, descriptions and range maps.
I highly recommend this book to any birder, whether you are new or experienced. The layout is taxonomic meaning that is it laid out by bird shape rather than by name. This takes some getting used to for maybe a first time birder but once you understand it, the layout is very helpful.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an excellent field guides with good pictures and descriptions, and ways to distinguish among similar birds; I sometimes have trouble finding a bird that I've seen but that is more due to my lack of general ornithological knowledge. I think a short intro characterizing the different classes of birds or giving some background would be helpful.