About.com Rating

The Bottom Line:

Colorful, comprehensive and convenient, the American Museum of Natural History Birds of North America Eastern and Western Regions are ideal field guides for beginning birders. While it is not necessary to own both guides because each sufficiently covers species in overlapping areas, either guide is a worthwhile addition to a birder's library. These guides are filled not only with pertinent identification information, but also with other details that will help birders learn more about their favorite birds.

Pros:

• Richly illustrated with crisp, clear photos, in-flight illustrations and habitat photos.
• Profiles include a notes section for dates and locations of sightings.
• Relatively portable size, comfortable to hold and suitable for frequent field use, with durable covers and sturdy binding.

Cons:

• Text, while clear, is very small and can be difficult to read, particularly for anyone with vision problems.
• Less common species have only abbreviated profiles, lacking range maps and extra information, but still include photos and basic notes.

Description:

• Title: American Museum of Natural History Birds of North America: Eastern Region and Western Region (separate volumes)
• Editor: Francois Vuilleumier
• Publisher: DK Publishing
• Publication Date: January 2011
• Format: Softcover (eBook formats also available)
• Bird Artwork: Photographs and illustrations
• Dimensions: 8.75" (22.1 cm) tall, 5.2" (13.5 cm) wide, 1" (2.5 cm) thick
• Page Count: 480 (either guide)
• ISBN: 978-0-7566-5867-0 (Eastern Region); 978-0-7566-5868-7 (Western Region)

• Price: $19.95 (USD)

Field Guide Review – Birds of North America, Eastern and Western Regions

For a colorful, beautifully illustrated field guide crammed with useful information, birders won't go wrong with the American Museum of Natural History Birds of North America, either the Eastern Region or Western Region volumes (the division between the two corresponds roughly with the 100th meridian). Both guides share attractive design, comfortable size and thorough information ideal for either beginning or casual intermediate birders. The introduction includes instructions for guide use, a range map key and basic birding tips, including:

• Bird evolution and scientific classification
• Anatomy, including a parts of a bird diagram
• Wing aerodynamics
• Migration details, with a flyway map
• Courtship and mating behavior, as well as nest and egg descriptions
• Identification from bird jizz and bill types to tail shapes and foot types

The individual bird profiles are where these guides truly shine, however, with beautifully comprehensive information in compact but readable formats. Birds are organized by general types and related families, with basic family details at the beginning of each section. The majority of the covered birds have full-page profiles, including details such as:

• Common and scientific bird names and family classification
• General length, wingspan and weight measurements
• Multiple photos of dimorphic genders, juveniles and subadult birds as needed
• Illustration of the bird in flight
• Single habitat or behavioral photo
• Pointers illustrating key field marks for identification
• General voice and song
• Similar species with notes on distinguishing between them
• Nesting and reproductive behavior, with brood sizes and breeding season
• Food preferences and foraging style
• General conservation status

In addition to these basic details, additional information not found in many field guides is included, such as the general lifespan of each species and a wing beat diagram that can help identify birds in flight. The short paragraphs that accompany each species highlight diagnostic markings and characteristics. Another exceptional feature of these guides is the inclusion of note-taking space on each species page, ideal for birders to keep track of sightings and add their own observations.

With so much information to include, the text is small and can be difficult to read, though the contrast between the text and the page helps legibility and the printing is clear. Bold headings, tables and thoughtful organization keep these guides very usable.

When comparing the two guides, birds that are widespread in both the eastern and western regions, such as the most common backyard birds in North America, have identical accounts. This is to be expected, but can make owning both guides redundant unless a birder extensively travels between the east and west.

The majority of the bird profiles are full-page accounts, but additional birds – less common species or those with very limited ranges – are only treated to one-quarter page accounts with greatly abbreviated details, a single photo and no range maps. In the Eastern Region, these brief profiles cover 108 species, and in the Western Region, 204 species. This is disappointing to a degree, particularly when the species may be ones birders are eager to see – such as the Florida scrub-jay, which is only given this cursory treatment in the Eastern Region guide, despite being a regional endemic. The same applies to many specialty birds of southern Texas, such as the green jay. Because of this, these guides are better for beginning birders who are less likely to be seeking specific target birds or regional specialties. Birders who want full accounts of every regional species would be better served with a more comprehensive guide that does not abbreviate species.

After the full and abbreviated species accounts, a list of accidental and vagrant sightings is provided, and includes the probable origins of those sightings. Though sighting dates are not provided, the general classifications of rare, casual and accidental sightings are defined for appropriate context.

A detailed glossary is included (pages 473-474 in the Eastern Region; pages 472-473 in the Western Region), and the index includes both common and scientific names for easy reference.

The American Museum of Natural History Birds of North America: Eastern Region and Western Region field guides are superb volumes, surprisingly detailed and visually appealing. While the abbreviated accounts for a number of species may be disappointing to some birders, these books are more than adequate as a casual reference suitable for both beginning and intermediate birders, and make a fine addition to any field guide collection.

Interested in these guides? Browse shopping for the Eastern Region or Western Region guide!

Photo – Wood Duck © nigel

Disclosure: Review copies were provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.