How to Identify Birds

This is a great book for people interested in amateur/recreational birdwatching and need a basic foundation of knowledge. It is organized in a way to help one identify clues when birdwatching, starting with habitat and bird size, thus avoiding rote memorization of hundreds of bird species. This book is a perfect companion to a regional bird guide or similar publication to aid the amateur birdwatcher.

The key to using this book and its companion field guides is to regard it as a learning tool, not as your primary field guide. The book teaches a methodology for identifying birds aimed at people with an analytical thinking style. No book can replace an experienced birder at your side for learning the basics, but no other book teaches you how to systematically observe several bird characteristics as this one does. Yes, Sibley is much better on feather patterns, and the new National Geographic guide is more comprehensive and up-to-date, but these don't teach you how to classify characterisics of bird appearance, behavior, and habitat. Sibley's new Birding Basics covers some of this ground, but not in systematic fashion. Use Farrand's companion field guides to see how his system is applied, then use the more popular guides in the field.