Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America (Peterson Field Guides (Hardcover))

Pros: Bigger format, bigger pictures, arrows pointing to major identification characteristics, some subspecies and color variations.
Cons: Some pages too crawded, so it is not obvious which name/description goes to which picture (that might be a problem for a begginer), different order of groups (book starts with geese, most other guides start with loons), few pictures not very accurate (bill shape on some warblers).

Overall, I am happy with this field guide. Being an enthusiastic birder, I've learned that no single guide is the perfect one, so I own about six different guides. But I have always used Peterson's Guide to Western Birds the most. This new one combines both eastern and western which makes it more convenient for use throughout the US. The biggest drawback is that it is both larger and heavier. It has borrowed some ideas from other guides to make it more practical, like showing range maps on the actual bird pages instead of in the back, and added color coding and a quick index in the front. I'll get a lot of use out of this guide, but I'll also keep my other ones for backup.

The Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America contained a lot more information than I had anticipated. I am new to birding and I love the fact that it contains a section to enter a life list of birds that I see. Delivery was punctual as indicated. Thank you. Sue B.

Overall, I am happy with this field guide. Being an enthusiastic birder, I've learned that no single guide is the perfect one, so I own about six different guides. But I have always used Peterson's Guide to Western Birds the most. This new one combines both eastern and western which makes it more convenient for use throughout the US. The biggest drawback is that it is both larger and heavier. It has borrowed some ideas from other guides to make it more practical, like showing range maps on the actual bird pages instead of in the back, and added color coding and a quick index in the front. I'll get a lot of use out of this guide, but I'll also keep my other ones for backup.

The Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America contained a lot more information than I had anticipated. I am new to birding and I love the fact that it contains a section to enter a life list of birds that I see. Delivery was punctual as indicated. Thank you. Sue B.

This book was recommended by the leaders of the Birding class I am taking through OLLI at UNL. It has been a great help in identfying birds out in the locations we travel to for our classes, and in my backyard.

Short and sweet. I've been using this field guide series for over 40 years. Reptiles, amphibians, mushrooms, birds, mammals, and many others in this series. It is unsurpassed for both professionals and the layman. A $27.00 book for about $5.00. Excellent.

The book took awhile to receive but it arrived in good not great shape. The cover is a type of semi-soft material, but it was a little bent on the edges when we got it, But, no marks or pages missing.

My 5-star rating is based entirely on sentiment for Roger Tory Peterson and what his work means to all nature enthusiasts in the US today. Like countless other birders I grew up with an abiding interest in the avian life around me informed almost entirely by RTP's field guides starting with the 1947 Second Edition (still on my library shelf). This new volume almost certainly will be the last published that reproduces King Penguin's incredible art in field guide format, given that it combines birds from both the Eastern and Western guides for the first time, brings taxonomy up to the most recent level, and finally adopts the most up-to-date species order. But this is the ultimate Peterson, perhaps in the most poignant sense, because this volume celebrates the centennial of Peterson's birth, right down to the date it was to be released (but I still thank the store for shipping it a month early). In my humble opinion, anyone and everyone who likes birds even a little bit needs to own this book.

Now I do have a few points to make that are directed at the book's value as a field guide in 2008, and my opinion here is that a rating of 4-stars (or perhaps even 3) is more appropriate. The "trim size" is indeed larger than previous, by about an inch on a side, bringing the height to just one-half inch less than the Sibley Guide (regularly criticized as too large to carry in the field). The art is less crowded for sure, but portability suffers. The paintings are for the most part the exact same as earlier editions, with frequent rearrangements (digitally performed) to account for the East/West combination and taxonomy modifications. New paintings by Michael O'Brien are inserted and are virtually indistinguishable from RTP's own work - a very high compliment to Mr. O'Brien, if you ask me. But quite a few species are no longer illustrated at all - they were previously depicted on plates in the back of either guide labeled "accidentals", "vagrants', or "strays". While these birds are highly unlikely to be seen by the average observer, their inclusion was a sign of thoroughness which is now missing. I had hoped for a major revision in the art of those species shown only by a "head shot", but I am completely disappointed here, as the owls are still mostly missing their beautiful body plumage and gulls and terns still don't stand on pilings or the beach to display their mantles and tails. I haven't yet tried the podcasts, but I'm sure they will be informative, and are certainly a novel inclusion in a field guide.

In conclusion this is a terrific book for one's birding library, but I'm not at all sure that I will be taking the new Peterson to the field with me, as I always did the old ones before the National Geographic Guide came out years ago. Even the more recent photographic guides (National Wildlife Federation last year and Smithsonian this year) are more likely to be carried due to their more compact size. But to be completely honest I have studied the Peterson paintings so often and for so long that the images are permanently recorded in my memory, meaning I really don't need to carry any printed version of them - and what higher praise or better endorsement can I give but that?

Received book seems to be exactly what we wanted. Ordered two, one as a gift but both came with box corners crushed and corners of books damaged. We'll keep the worst one and give the better one as a gift. Surprised me, I thought after all these years the store would know how to protect a book from shipping gorilla's.

This is my first Peterson guide and I love nearly everything about it. No other guide helps differentiate similar species. Unfortunately the maps negate the advantages of the written info. I took this large field guide out over the weekend to the St. Marks NWR near Tallahassee and I noticed a few of the birds I saw do not visit Florida according to maps in this field guide. Once at home I browsed through the book and noticed numerous common birds to Florida that were shown not to visit Florida according to Petersons, however their range was included in the Sibleys and National Geographic guides.

Petersons guide goes into great detail to help readers quickly identify key points to distinguish nearly identical birds. One of the quickest ways to narrow down the identity of a mysterious bird is to check out its range in a field guide. Unfortunately if you refer to the Petersons guide you may not find the bird you saw because a quick glance at the range map would tell you the bird does not visit your area even though it is right in front of you.

This new Petersons guide is a beautiful book and the best way to learn key characteristics of similar birds while at home. However this book does not belong in the field due to the incomplete maps and it's large size.

This guide is a combination of the previously separate Eastern and Western Peterson guides. The look and feel of this guide will be immediately familiar to any users of past editions, especially the latest Eastern. However, every aspect of the book, even the art, has been enhanced and updated. Here is a brief summary of the changes.

The book's size is the first change that will be noticed. It is now probably too large to carry into the field. However, the increased size means that the plates are less crowded, and the art can be reproduced in a larger size. This allows the art to be better appreciated and studied.

Unless you are extremely familiar with Peterson's art, you won't notice many changes on the plates. But there have in fact been many. The most extensive changes have been in the form of digital enhancements to Peterson's art. These are touch-ups and corrections to make the bird on the page look more like the bird in the field. Thankfully, these enhancements have been artfully done, and do not stand out. In virtually every case they have indeed improved the image of every species that I'm familiar with.

There are also entirely new paintings, contributed by Michael O'Brien. Some, like the Himalayan Snowcock, are new species that have never before been included in a Peterson guide. But some previously included birds have been completely replaced by new paintings. These have been done in Peterson's style and some are very difficult to pick out. However, many are fairly obvious. They are not bad by any means, just different, and that difference can be jarring.

Like the art, the text has also been extensively enhanced and updated. For the most part, this consists of editorial changes such as word usage. But there are some significant changes, such as new field marks.

Likewise, the maps are entirely new. They are done in the same format as the previous Eastern edition, but the data they are based on is up-to-date, and supplied by the foremost expert in North American bird distribution. There is an entire section of large range maps in the back of the guide, and each species account includes a small thumbnail map. The thumbnails are much larger, and infinitely more usable, than those included in the Eastern regional guide.

As with the previous reviewer, I feel that although this is a good field guide, it does not reach the mark set by other recent guides. However, I still recommend it because Peterson's art has never looked better in a field guide. The art here looks a little better than in the latest Eastern edition, due to the increased size. Compared to the Western guide, however, it is a revelation. The same paintings in the Western guide are dull and soft. But here they are vibrant, and you can see more of the fine detail.

As a reference, this guide is superior to the previous Peterson regional guides, yet not quite as good as some other North American guides. But for me, the showcasing of Peterson's art makes up for this, and makes it well worth having.

This is apparently the sixth edition, published after Peterson's death. The fourth edition, though now outdated in parts (taxonomy, for example), is still the best field guide. I treasure it! It fits in the pocket, and has all the info you will likely need for birding in the eastern U.S. The fifth edition, the last one that Peterson was fully involved with, is fine too, but as published it is hardly what could be considered a field guide: it's too big and bulky, largely due to the inclusion of Texas birds and increased size of the paintings and maps. None of that was necessary for birding in the northern states, and does not represent an improvement over the contents of the fourth. The descriptive text does not differ substantially from the fourth. Anything after the fifth edition is not worth the money, IMO. You can still find the fourth edition listed on this site. I have a pristine copy that I keep in reserve against the day that my other two, now well-worn, copies give out. Anytime the publisher wants to bring out an updated version of the fourth, in the exact same size format as the original, I will be first in line for it. I'm not holding my breath.

There is no disputing the fact that Roger Tory Peterson did more than any other person in bringing Birdwatching to the attention,passion and popularity of so many people during his lifetime.
It was by using his skills as an artist, and marrying it with his great love of birds and searching for and identifying birds that led him to creating his "Field Guide to the Birds" in 1934, at the young age of 26.What he did was to use his skills to produce a book that took the difficult job of identifying birds in the field (wild),from the domain of textbooks and museums to a simple,easy to use and understand,pocket- sized field guide;that was the "tool" needed to advance the interest in birds, from a few people, into the most popular sport and hobby in America that it is today.
He used these same skills in creating a whole series of "Peterson Field Guides" on other fields of Natural History.For this,he became world famous and was awarded numerous awards and honors.
While this latest edition is a far cry from the original,180 page, black & white guide; the 1934 guide was a major breakthrough that set the standard and direction that field guides would follow ,resulting the numerous wonderful guides we have today.
To really become familiar with America's favorite Birdwatcher;I suggest one get hold of "The World of Roger Tory Peterson" ,An Authorized Biography by John Devlin and Grace Naismith,published in 1977. (Available on the Used Market) or the more recent biography ,"Birdwatcher-The Life of Roger Tory Pterson" by Elizabeth Rosenthal ,and the the store Reviews. Roger Tory Peterson also wrote a wonderful book with James Fisher,"Wild America"in 1955 .Fisher,Britain's most famous Birdwatcher,joined his friend Peterson in a 100 day adventurous experience of "seeing"600 birds in North America.
In spite of his reknowned prominence and huge work output;Peterson was always extremely generous with his time. Anyone who ever met him commented on his friendlness and had a story to tell. I had the honor to meet him in Soccoro,New Mexico.He was the keynote speaker at the first, of what would become the annual "Festival of Cranes" at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.Dr.Peterson also spent the afternoon in a tiny Bookstore in Soccoro meeting Birders,swapping stories and signing copies of his Field Guides.I was flabbergasted when I noticed a lady with a whole box of her field guides for signature. I thought Dr.Peterson would "blow his top";but to everybody's suprise, he welcomed her with a big smile and signed every last one of them and commented on many that were obviously old and well worn from much use. When he signed a copy of his "Eastern Birds" for me;we talked about some Birders he had met in Toronto many before and was pleased to hear that they were still active. When I commented on how carefully he signed my book,rather than just a quick scribble;he said "If people care enough to wait for me to sign their book ;I feel I should be honored and do it properly".When I returned home,I compared his signature with one I had in his "Wild America";I found it to have been just as carefully done,way back in 1955.
Several years ago,I used to draw a sketch of a rare or new bird I was looking to add to my "list" I would get out several of my books to use in my drawings. Without exception,I would always end up using Peterson's illustration because it always gave the best representation of the fine distinctions to look for,especially when trying to differentiate one bird from a similar species.Little wonder,as that was this great Artist's and Birder's talent.
As great as Dr. Peterson was;nobody's perfect.Birders can tend to be a pretty discriminating bunch when it comes to field guides and bird books.
When Peterson's first Field Guide came out in 1934 ,there were only 2000 copies at the first printing. It is a greatly sought copy by birders who have large bird book collections. If you think you have found one;be careful!! The way to confirm a first printing of the First Edition is to check the index.A tyopgraphical error resulted with Bog-pumper being shown as Bob-pumper.Now, how about this booboo by "The Great One" He once did a plate of Woodpeckers showing the Black-backed Woodpecker (3-toes) with four toes. This plate appeared in several publications including "The Birds of Newfoundland" by Peters and Burleigh.Even modern Field Guides are not without slip-ups.The First Edition of the National Geographic "Field Guide to the Birds of North America ",showed the Connecticut Warbler with huge, oversized feet. A check of the Third Edition,showed this corrected corrected somewhat, by covering the feet with leaves;and later, corrected in later Editions.Oh well,something for birders to look for when they can't go birding.

A wonderful book that should be in every Birder's library.