Pfg Coloring Bk Birds Pa

I looked at nine or ten bird books over the weekend before finally deciding on this one. I like it's compact size, durable cover and it's very complete index. The most important reason for my decision, however, is the fact that it shows pictures of both male and female birds where the female bird's plummage and head differ from that of the male. None of the other books I checked showed female birds or only showed them in very rare instances. I also like this book because it shows most birds in both standing or swimming positions and also in flight. There are also occasional drawings of chicks.The text that accompanies the pictures is necessarily brief but covers: Latin and common names, description, food, range, migratory pattern, habitat, voice and similar species. Also included is a "Systematic Checklist" so you can keep a "life list" of all the birds you've seen. There is a guide to identifying birds by visual categories (swimmers, birds of prey, waders, perching birds, etc), size, tail and wing patterns. The last part of the book contains maps illustrating each bird's range which makes it easy to compare the habitat of, for example, an Olive-Sided Flycatcher with an Acadian Flycatcher.Obviously this is a guidebook and not the type of book you sit down and read through, but I have found myself reading the entries for the often amusing "voice" sections. Here's the one for the Chestnut-Sided Warbler: "Song, similar to Yellow Warbler's; 'see see see see Miss Beech'er' or 'pleased pleased pleased to meet'cha;' penultimate note accented, last note dropping." Hey, someone who knows what "penultimate" really means!

I've got several field guides dealing with the identification of birds. This one from Roger Tory Peterson is the best and most impressive. I first got a copy of it many years ago when I was very young. I've always taken it with me whenever I go birdwatching. I have that much confidence in it. Peterson's drawings are excellent, clear, and in full color. The field guide includes all of the birds of eastern and central North America. This includes accidentals, exotics, and escapes. The field guide also includes roadside and flight silhouettes. These silhouettes really do help in the identification of many species of birds. The book also has a systematic checklist that you can use to mark off the birds that you've seen. Range maps are included, too. All the vital information needed to identify birds in the field is here. Information such as habitat, voice, and length. The range maps have a section of their own in the back of the book. Peterson's method of identifying birds by conspicuous field marks (The "Peterson System") is great. This system has always been a real help. Arrows point to various parts of the bird that most readily help to identify it. There's also a section in the front of the guide that explains how to identify birds. This section is very informative. I've used this field guide for many years. I have other field guides that stay on the shelf whenever I go birdwatching. This guide from Roger Tory Peterson isn't one of those. This is the best field guide on the market. I recommend it.

The Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds is the best such guide you will find. The nice thing about birds and birding is that there are few enough species out there that you can get virtually all of them in one regional guide. This book is outstanding. It relies on illustrations rather than photographs to show markings and other details used to ID birds in the field. I find that photos are often sub-standard, not showing characters essential for identifying birds due to the position of the bird, markings of the individual chosen for inclusion in the book, etc.In this book each entry includes a bird's common and scientific names, a brief physical description of the body and coloration, a drawing(s) of the bird, a brief description of habitats where they are likely to be seen, a blip about their geographic distribution, notes on their song, and reference to similar species (if any). The entry also refers the reader to a map number that shows the summer and winter ranges for each bird. This is "the bird book" to have for birds that live east of the Rockies for the novice and experienced birder alike. If you've never had much luck figuring out which birds you are looking at try this book. 5 stars all the way! Note: if you travel much throughout the USA, you ought to pick up the Peterson Guide to Western Birds as well -- it is the sister book to this one. With both of those books in hand you will be in good birding shape.Alan Holyoak, Dept of Biology, Manchester College, IN

This coloring book has little colored pictures of all the birds in the front and back covers. It also has descriptions of the birds as you color them. Great for little kids- they can color the whole bird one color- up to high schoolers like myslef. I loved using my colored pencils to shade the birds so they look real! Really deserves 5 stars!

For a begining birder I found this book very good as a guide and very easy to use. It has helped me to identify over 50 different birds visiting my back yard feeders.