The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior

by David Allen Sibley

F rom the  New York Times  best selling author of the peerless bird identification guide  The Sibley Guide to Birds,  a landmark exploration of how birds live and what they do. 

Designed to enhance the birding experience and to enrich the popular study of North American birds, The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior combines more than 795 of Sibley's beautiful full-color illustrations with authoritative text by 48 expert birders and biologists. 

Introductory essays outline the principles of avian evolution, life cycle, body structure, flight dynamics, and more. The 80 family-by-family chapters describe the amazing range of behavior dictated by birds’ biology and environment. Among the subjects covered and illustrated

--molts and plumages
--habitats
--food and foraging
--vocalizations and displays
--courtship and breeding
--rearing of young
--migration and movements
--scientific groupings
--introduced species
--accidental species
--anatomy
--flight patterns
--nests and eggs
--conservation
--global distribution

Accessibly written, superbly designed and organized, and brilliantly illustrated, The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior is an indispensable source of information on the avian life around us.

Genres: Birds, Nature, Reference, Science, Nonfiction, Ornithology, Animals

608 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2001

Reviews

[Dan Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible. The first few chapters discusses general bird anatomy, behavior, etc. (which were fascinating). The book then goes into details on North American bird groups (Hawks, Kingfishers, Grebes, Wood-Warblers, etc.) and in each chapter includes most of the following sub-chapters for each bird group: Taxonomy, Variation, Plumage, Vocalizations, Habitats, Food and Foraging, Flight, Breeding, Movements, Conservation, and Accidental Species.

Took me a while to get through the book because it was so long and had a TON of information but I enjoyed every page and would highly recommend for anyone interested in learning about North American birds.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good standard resource for anyone who is curious about birds. Have found informed and observant thoughts about why Blue Jays are so gutsy and aggressive, nesting habits of golden eagles, how hummingbirds protect themselves (aggressive birds!), and much more. A wonderful book to have on hand if you tend to find yourself with your head in the clouds, the trees, and the movement taking place between....

[maryanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like that every time I see my friend who likes birds I can give them a new fact from this

[Baca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of stories, mythology, poems and illustrations all about ... birds. Some were entertaining; some were sad in describing man's cruelty to these creatures, the closest to angels on earth. I was shocked to learn that James Audubon killed thousands of birds in order to get just the right poses for his drawings! This was before photography and high-resolution binoculars provided a more-humane method.

Other entries were too long or not of interest to me so I did not feel guilty to flit through the pages. I think it was a bit heavy to be a bedside book as it was hard to hold up when slightly reclined and dozing off, allowing gravity to make a literal connection with my head!

Graeme's introductions at each chapter's beginning were insightful and entertaining as well. I laughed at the rooster entries and shared some with co-workers in the "poultry-related" field. I was inspired by his description of bird watching: "At its heightened moments, birdwatching can encourage a state of being close to rapture. It is an ecstasy that is said to accompany the writing of poetry; sometimes it comes when we’re listening to music."

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This very detailed book about birds tends to be a bit confusing at times because of the textbook style and language; but does provide a lot of important information for bird lovers. I wish that there were more pictures so that the different species of sparrows for example, could be visualized more clearly. There are sections on Taxonomy, Habitats, Food and Foraging, Breeding, Conservation, etc. which is very useful. I had no idea so many different birds existed in North America. A most helpful book!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is something of a reference book. The first part gives a global overview of bird behavior, the second part addresses the same for specific bird groups. I’m continuing to read the second part as I identify species within those specific families. This is outstanding mass of information on birds with great illustrations.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive, but dense. Best book on bird ecology and behavior I've come across. Must read for birders. It's important for a border to not only want to see birds, but to understand the way each species fits into the landscape.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read this cover-to-cover, but I flip through it and read sections when I'm wondering about certain birds. I love this book.

[Dale Sabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Not an easy read and worth the effort. Read off and on for nearly a year. A section on general bird behavior well worth the price of the book, followed by the remaining 75% of the book dealing with each of the bird families of the US. You may feel ignorant of birds until you realize the book has 48 individual authors, so as to have experts on each bird family.

Much deeper and wider than the field guides in terms of lifestyles and behaviors, and so a great companion to the field guide of your choice. Neither an amateur birder nor an ornithologist academic will be disappointed, though I think both will find the book challenging in places.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reference for bird behavior. Every bird enthusiast needs to own this book.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Sibley's natural history books. His illustrations are accurate. They show the specific details to look for when identifying a bird.

[David R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Birding master Sibley has prepared an information-rich repository of detailed information on birds to complement his field guides. This is a pre- and post-field reference only! As the bulk of the work is organized around orders and families, it would be difficult to use as a field reference even if one made the attempt. It is also probably more than beginners and even intermediate birders are prepared to work with. For advanced birders, this would be a valuable addition to the reference library.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm getting sick of my bird factoids and am on a quest to find new ones.

This took forever to get through. I got lots of new factoids, so many that I can't recall a single one. But I'm confident having read this that the factoids are lodged somewhere in my brain and may be able to be recalled if needed.

This is a great book for a bird-nerd, but I would not attempt it cover to cover otherwise.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

The go-to book for all of your questions about birds! His field guides are equally excellent, so if you don't want a tome about the life histories of all bird families, you can get those. I saw Sibley speak once: these books become more impressive when you realize that some of his drawings are the result of literal years of observation.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great reference, but it is pretty textbook-y. I think the general chapters at the front are good information, but the family chapters have various authors and some are better than others. If you only want to know about a specific bird you have to search through the whole family chapter.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very factual, almost textbook like, full of knowledge and very useful knowledge too. Not just about birds, but about everything about birds of North America. Including new behavioral traits and possible updates in taxonomy. Great for the birder and for the student of ornithology alike.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice info on each species. With additional info on bird populations, habitat, and challenges facing species.
Linked habitat and habitat degradation are a big problem. Quantity, quality and abuse of wetland also effecting species.

[Orrin]

Not a field guide to individual species. More a guide to behavior of genera and families. More of a reference book than a cover-to-cover read.

Today 3/25/12 I read the chapter on Chickadees and Titmice. Very good.

[A.D. Morel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unparalleled companion to the unparalleled field guide, though I don't put either of them in my pack. I don't want to wreck them. I especially like the illustrations by the talented Mr. Sibley. He has answered so many questions! I turn to this again and again.

[ALX · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I could give this book ten stars! Fascinating. Exceptional illustrations and descriptive detail. Definitely want to have this on my shelves as a reference tool. I could read the whole thing over again easily.

[adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent reference on life histories of north american birds. birds are treated by family, with specific species examples. a good supplement to the field guide by same author.

[Bob Peru · Rating 5 out of 5]

all ya need to know 'bout our fine-feathered friends!

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no other book like this. An excellent reference when investigating both individual species and general bird behavior alike.

[Scott]

fun to cruise through every now and then; pick a section and learn something.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent thorough introduction to the subject.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! A extremely thorough guide for beginning bird watchers or advanced. Info on birds in general and then a more detailed section for individual families.

[Maia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The essential bird book!

[Monte · Rating 3 out of 5]

a lot of really cool stuff and also that if you damage a bird's brain the bird is then brain-damaged.

[Mrs · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far I love all the information that is jammed into this book!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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