In this new edition a miniature range map is printed next to the description of each bird on the page opposite the picture. (Full-sized maps are still located in the back of the book.) The new format is very helpful to those of us who don't already know the ranges of most birds. This very good field guide is now great.


A review for beginning birders (from one, gulp!)   June 13, 2004
 25 out of 26 found this review helpful

When starting this hobby, there are an immense number of guides and (often expensive) resources to choose from.

This book should be the first one you buy (well, if you are in the eastern half of the US).

But it should not be the last. The Peterson Guide uses drawings (important -- NOT photos) to show you the typical features of the birds around you. Other great guides -- like the Audubon series -- use photos, but photos are harder for a beginner to use for a sure-fire identification. Or this beginner anyway...

No bird in the field looks exactly like the lovely Peterson drawing, but no two bird photos are ever alike, either (even of the same bird). Use the Peterson to get to know the bird species around you, and maybe next buy a guide like the Audubon Society Field Guide (just because -- I dunno, they seem like a one-two punch to me)! It's great to go looking with both, but if I had to choose one, it would be Peterson.

To learn more about birding in general, Sibley has a nice, shortish overview book called "Sibley's Birding Basics."

I'm only getting started, but this is some advice about what's helped in beginning to learn all this wonderful stuff about the living world all 'round.


The field guide that started it all   February 15, 2003
 24 out of 25 found this review helpful

If you're getting into birding, or want a good field guide to see what birds are at your cabin or in your yard, this is it.

It's got the bird listed opposite from the description and has arrows to show field marks of a species. New in the 5th edition are:

Maps on the same page as the description (maps improved too!)
The description mentions how common the bird is in the east.
The area covered doesn't take a sharp turn and leave out the tip of texas

If you're getting more into birding I'd highly recommend David Sibley's guide, it has many more views and plumages of each bird, but is a bit large to take in the field.


Best Bird Guide For Eastern North America   August 22, 2005
 20 out of 20 found this review helpful

The Peterson Field Guide to BIRDS OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH AMERICA (5th Edition) is excellent for study and very practical for use in the field. Roger Tory Peterson's paintings have a unique charm to them that makes them enjoyable to view and easy to memorize. They combine detailed accuracy with an unsurpassed sensitivity that gives the illustrated birds that elusive life-like quality found in their living counterparts. The arrangement and number of birds on each page (ranging from around four to twelve species) provides for easy comparison between birds of the same family. This arrangement along with the arrows pointing to key field marks makes it relatively easy to pinpoint the exact bird you are looking at. For each bird there is also an easy to understand description of its song or call, a list of key identification features and a thumbnail sized range map (unfortunately limited to eastern North America). In the back of the book there are much larger and more detailed range maps (2x2 inches) for each species although they are still only of the eastern region. I own many bird guides and they are all useful but I find myself bringing my Peterson Guide to BIRDS OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH AMERICA (5th Edition) into the field most often.

Strengths:

* Beautiful artwork
* Lightweight with a durable cover making it easy to carry into the field
* One of the few guides to show the rare Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
* Practical layout (Easily confused birds shown side by side)
* Key field marks shown with arrows
* Range maps are opposite to the pictures and large detailed maps are in the back
* Easy to memorize and useful descriptions of bird calls

Weaknesses:

* Species accounts limited to eastern North America
* Range maps only show eastern North America
* Some of the art is not up to the standards set by the majority of the book (i.e. Owls and Buteos).
* Arrangement of birds by families is not as easy for beginners as Kaufman's Focus Guide to Birds
* Not all birds are shown in flight or with juvenile plumage as in the Sibley Guide to Eastern Birds




Probably the best of the field guides   November 20, 2002
 18 out of 19 found this review helpful

The 5th edition of Peterson's field guide is an improvement over previous edtions. The maps are included in the front with the birds now, in addition to having a separate more detailed map in the back of the guide.
These range maps are the best of all current guides because the details are easiest to see because their so big.
Sibly's is great also but because of it's size(the guide itself) I wouldn't recommend it for the field, more as a reference for back home.
So if your going to own just one field guide the 5th edtion Peterson's is the best all around guide out there.