Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America, Second Edition (Peterson Field Guides)

Gorgeous, perfect size! I have impatiently waited for this book to arrive! It is spring here in Michigan, and so much bird activity going on. I wanted to purchase another copy of the one I currently own (1987) because mine has been through a lot of wear. When I looked on amazon, it said a new addition was being released. I ordered this book back in January. Hmmm, did I want to wait??? No, not really. If it was anything like the college textbooks with “New Edition “ emblazoned on it’s cover, I was thinking it could only mean a professor somewhere needed more cash in their pockets and added a few new sentences and called it “Newly Revised, 12th edition. Ok. I waited, hoping my gut would prove me right for once. Well, I can, with utmost enthusiasm, say I am beyond delighted and excited to have this baby in my hands! The format is easy to read, informative, the drawings excellent! So much improved, I am ordering a second and third for friends who will be equally as excited when this shows up on their doorstep. I will also order another for my home in Florida. Excellent purchase. Order yours now!!! I love this book. A MUST HAVE for any casual watcher/researcher.

Being fairly new to bird watching I wanted to get a book for reference / ID'ing birds. I had heard the Peterson's Field Guide mentioned by many other birders. So when I was checking on Amazon I saw the new second edition of Peterson's Field Guide of Birds of North America. I live in Mexico....my disappointment came after I got the book and realized that Mexico was not included in this publication! Seems that the Peterson's people need a good lesson in geography! Mexico IS INCLUDED in North America. The correct name for this publication should be Peterson's Field Guide of the USA & Canada. I will say the illustrations / info for the coverage areas are good. But don't let them deceive you as I was deceived by the title....THIS BOOK DOES NOT COVER NORTH AMERICA!!!!!!!!! Peterson's advertising this publication as a book of birds of North America is totally false and misleading....intentionally deceiving people. Peterson people......why can't you just be honest and up front with what areas the book covers instead of misleading people!?!?!?!?

The Peterson Field Guide to Birds has always been my favorite bird guide, and I treated myself to this edition. Some ranges and some bird names have changed, so I thought it was past time to replace my 1983 version. This edition is much larger than expected. It's about twice the size as my old one, which makes it a little unwieldy for a field book. I always appreciated the inclusion of the range maps right with the description and picture of each species, and the arrows pointing to the most useful features for proper identification, and this edition keeps those features white the larger the size makes everything easier to see. This edition also retains the extra pages showing some species in flight, making the identification of raptors, shorebirds, gulls and others even easier. In this time of accessible internet bird identification resources, it's still often useful to have an actual book in hand. I'm glad I decided to purchase this.

I have used Peterson's bird field guides for many years. This volume is an excellent upgrade of my old guides. It combines the Eastern and Western North America guides into one volume, and adds the bonus of birds in the Hawaiian Islands. It is published in a larger format, so that the pictures are more stunning and beautiful. There are a few places where it modernizes species classifications and names. In some cases, what formerly were considered two species, have been reclassified into one. This can be confusing if you are looking for the old names. In other cases what were formerly considered one species have been divided into two subspecies. Also some names were changed in a few cases to substitute new monikers for ones which would now would be considered insensitive or politically incorrect. In my experience there are relatively infrequent, but nevertheless significant, cases of flocks of feral birds or perhaps instances of domestic/wild hybridizations, especially among waterfowl, which might be given a little more attention. Also, again rare, there are more wild/wild hybrids, which might be briefly described. Nevertheless, this is an excellent contribution to those of us who enjoy observing nature.

First I should say I use this to ID birds that I see around our home and not as a true "field guide". The organization is very easy to use and understand and actually aids in identification. The drawings and arrow points to distinctions to look for are another quick useful tool. The binding is terrific and appears not only to be durable but allows the book to lie flat -- no more propping open a book while look through the binoculars. Putting the range map color code legend on the inside of the front cover is brilliant -- quick flip to remind me what it all means. I have multiple "bird books" but this is the one I grab first for identifying what I'm seeing or when I come home from a morning walk, what I thought I might have seen! But it really is designed for identification. If you want more in depth information about behavior, nesting, etc you need to use it in combination with other guides.

The content of the book is fine, but it arrived with one corner of the cover badly bent. I won’t return it because it is still completely useable, but I’m only giving it 4 stars because I expected it to arrive in brand new condition. Looks like it’s already been used.

Overall this is the best bird book around. It is not a cookie cutter book. It is reminiscent of older style bird books that provide lots of additional information specific to a particular bird or group of birds. Examples are the treatment of aging gulls, the Empidonax Flycatchers, separate sections on overhead views of raptors, shorebirds, and gulls for ease of comparison, and of course, the fall warblers. The silhouettes have been retained which are of particular interest to me since often a silhouette is the only view available in the field. Bird topography, which many field guides recently have dismissed, and a nice introductory section on how to identify birds is great for beginning birders. A huge bonus is the section on birds of Hawaii. The way these birds have been grouped into endemic and introduced species really drives home the effect of non-native specie introduction. Remarks about food, habitat, voice, and mannerisms are invaluable to birders of all levels of proficiency. I also like having an index at both back and front so its always available fast where ever you are. Where appropriate the Latin subspecies names are included which I really like. The order of the families is just perfect for me. It seems like every time I buy a new bird book or look at a checklist the taxonomic order has changed. This book just happens to stick with the order that I am used to so it is a breeze for me to find a bird just by quickly flipping through. It is helpful to have a life list included in the book and this one is different in that it is a very large format. I think there is enough room to write a date and/or location in the entry. Overall I think that the thing I like most about all the Peterson bird books is that the illustrations look like real birds. The arrow system and select parts highlighted where appropriate (e.g. gull leg color) make finding the key field marks swift which is so important in field identification. The book is a larger format than the Eastern or Western editions which I love because the text and the illustrations are just so much easier to see but then on the other hand I am not sure if the extra weight will be a negative in the field. The reason I am giving this book a 4 rating instead of a 5 is due to the range maps. I think they are a little too small. And, I have not checked every single map so I don't know about how many are inaccurate but I did notice that the range map for Broad-tailed Hummingbird is wrong. In fact, it is the same map as the one for Broad-billed Hummingbird; the actual ranges of these two species are very different.

I absolutely love that this version has the map on the opposite page from the bird's description. This is the first Peterson guide I have had that covers all birds in North America, which is great to have when traveling. The Lifelist is also great to have. I am very happy with this Peterson Guide.

I have two 1980 versions of this guide but for several years have been seeing birds in my area that the distribution maps say should not be here. I decided to get the new edition for more current maps. Unfortunately the maps are 1" x 0.75", only a bit bigger than a postage stamp! Some of these maps have the entire continental U.S. in that space. There is no way to distinguish if the range includes my area which is 100 miles from the coast or just the coast line. Same for along the mountains. I foolishly assumed the maps would be larger since the pages themselves are larger. So now I have a larger format book, which is cumbersome to carry, and smaller maps that are worthless.

Excellent guide. This one has the area maps right next to the bird descriptions, which I really like. Also has great illustrations and highlights important markings on the birds. Not sure this would be a good book to carry around in the field (due to the larger size), but it's perfect to use at home.

Gorgeous, perfect size! I have impatiently waited for this book to arrive! It is spring here in Michigan, and so much bird activity going on. I wanted to purchase another copy of the one I currently own (1987) because mine has been through a lot of wear. When I looked on amazon, it said a new addition was being released. I ordered this book back in January. Hmmm, did I want to wait??? No, not really. If it was anything like the college textbooks with “New Edition “ emblazoned on it’s cover, I was thinking it could only mean a professor somewhere needed more cash in their pockets and added a few new sentences and called it “Newly Revised, 12th edition. Ok. I waited, hoping my gut would prove me right for once. Well, I can, with utmost enthusiasm, say I am beyond delighted and excited to have this baby in my hands! The format is easy to read, informative, the drawings excellent! So much improved, I am ordering a second and third for friends who will be equally as excited when this shows up on their doorstep. I will also order another for my home in Florida. Excellent purchase. Order yours now!!! I love this book. A MUST HAVE for any casual watcher/researcher.

Being fairly new to bird watching I wanted to get a book for reference / ID'ing birds. I had heard the Peterson's Field Guide mentioned by many other birders. So when I was checking on Amazon I saw the new second edition of Peterson's Field Guide of Birds of North America. I live in Mexico....my disappointment came after I got the book and realized that Mexico was not included in this publication! Seems that the Peterson's people need a good lesson in geography! Mexico IS INCLUDED in North America. The correct name for this publication should be Peterson's Field Guide of the USA & Canada. I will say the illustrations / info for the coverage areas are good. But don't let them deceive you as I was deceived by the title....THIS BOOK DOES NOT COVER NORTH AMERICA!!!!!!!!! Peterson's advertising this publication as a book of birds of North America is totally false and misleading....intentionally deceiving people. Peterson people......why can't you just be honest and up front with what areas the book covers instead of misleading people!?!?!?!?

The Peterson Field Guide to Birds has always been my favorite bird guide, and I treated myself to this edition. Some ranges and some bird names have changed, so I thought it was past time to replace my 1983 version. This edition is much larger than expected. It's about twice the size as my old one, which makes it a little unwieldy for a field book. I always appreciated the inclusion of the range maps right with the description and picture of each species, and the arrows pointing to the most useful features for proper identification, and this edition keeps those features white the larger the size makes everything easier to see. This edition also retains the extra pages showing some species in flight, making the identification of raptors, shorebirds, gulls and others even easier. In this time of accessible internet bird identification resources, it's still often useful to have an actual book in hand. I'm glad I decided to purchase this.

I have used Peterson's bird field guides for many years. This volume is an excellent upgrade of my old guides. It combines the Eastern and Western North America guides into one volume, and adds the bonus of birds in the Hawaiian Islands. It is published in a larger format, so that the pictures are more stunning and beautiful. There are a few places where it modernizes species classifications and names. In some cases, what formerly were considered two species, have been reclassified into one. This can be confusing if you are looking for the old names. In other cases what were formerly considered one species have been divided into two subspecies. Also some names were changed in a few cases to substitute new monikers for ones which would now would be considered insensitive or politically incorrect. In my experience there are relatively infrequent, but nevertheless significant, cases of flocks of feral birds or perhaps instances of domestic/wild hybridizations, especially among waterfowl, which might be given a little more attention. Also, again rare, there are more wild/wild hybrids, which might be briefly described. Nevertheless, this is an excellent contribution to those of us who enjoy observing nature.

First I should say I use this to ID birds that I see around our home and not as a true "field guide". The organization is very easy to use and understand and actually aids in identification. The drawings and arrow points to distinctions to look for are another quick useful tool. The binding is terrific and appears not only to be durable but allows the book to lie flat -- no more propping open a book while look through the binoculars. Putting the range map color code legend on the inside of the front cover is brilliant -- quick flip to remind me what it all means. I have multiple "bird books" but this is the one I grab first for identifying what I'm seeing or when I come home from a morning walk, what I thought I might have seen! But it really is designed for identification. If you want more in depth information about behavior, nesting, etc you need to use it in combination with other guides.

The content of the book is fine, but it arrived with one corner of the cover badly bent. I won’t return it because it is still completely useable, but I’m only giving it 4 stars because I expected it to arrive in brand new condition. Looks like it’s already been used.

Overall this is the best bird book around. It is not a cookie cutter book. It is reminiscent of older style bird books that provide lots of additional information specific to a particular bird or group of birds. Examples are the treatment of aging gulls, the Empidonax Flycatchers, separate sections on overhead views of raptors, shorebirds, and gulls for ease of comparison, and of course, the fall warblers. The silhouettes have been retained which are of particular interest to me since often a silhouette is the only view available in the field. Bird topography, which many field guides recently have dismissed, and a nice introductory section on how to identify birds is great for beginning birders. A huge bonus is the section on birds of Hawaii. The way these birds have been grouped into endemic and introduced species really drives home the effect of non-native specie introduction. Remarks about food, habitat, voice, and mannerisms are invaluable to birders of all levels of proficiency. I also like having an index at both back and front so its always available fast where ever you are. Where appropriate the Latin subspecies names are included which I really like. The order of the families is just perfect for me. It seems like every time I buy a new bird book or look at a checklist the taxonomic order has changed. This book just happens to stick with the order that I am used to so it is a breeze for me to find a bird just by quickly flipping through. It is helpful to have a life list included in the book and this one is different in that it is a very large format. I think there is enough room to write a date and/or location in the entry. Overall I think that the thing I like most about all the Peterson bird books is that the illustrations look like real birds. The arrow system and select parts highlighted where appropriate (e.g. gull leg color) make finding the key field marks swift which is so important in field identification. The book is a larger format than the Eastern or Western editions which I love because the text and the illustrations are just so much easier to see but then on the other hand I am not sure if the extra weight will be a negative in the field. The reason I am giving this book a 4 rating instead of a 5 is due to the range maps. I think they are a little too small. And, I have not checked every single map so I don't know about how many are inaccurate but I did notice that the range map for Broad-tailed Hummingbird is wrong. In fact, it is the same map as the one for Broad-billed Hummingbird; the actual ranges of these two species are very different.

I absolutely love that this version has the map on the opposite page from the bird's description. This is the first Peterson guide I have had that covers all birds in North America, which is great to have when traveling. The Lifelist is also great to have. I am very happy with this Peterson Guide.

I have two 1980 versions of this guide but for several years have been seeing birds in my area that the distribution maps say should not be here. I decided to get the new edition for more current maps. Unfortunately the maps are 1" x 0.75", only a bit bigger than a postage stamp! Some of these maps have the entire continental U.S. in that space. There is no way to distinguish if the range includes my area which is 100 miles from the coast or just the coast line. Same for along the mountains. I foolishly assumed the maps would be larger since the pages themselves are larger. So now I have a larger format book, which is cumbersome to carry, and smaller maps that are worthless.

Excellent guide. This one has the area maps right next to the bird descriptions, which I really like. Also has great illustrations and highlights important markings on the birds. Not sure this would be a good book to carry around in the field (due to the larger size), but it's perfect to use at home.

The book has been inconvenient to use from the start and sometimes difficult. Today (3-7-21) I tried to bring up Mr. Peterson's book and it is absent from both of my Fire tablets. $18.00 and change wasted - if you want to have a reference book like this to use I would recommend buying a hard copy that won't let you down.

Arrived earlier than estimated and love it

I'm no ornithologist, just somebody who wants to know who's visiting my back yard. For me, it's great because the paper quality and quality of drawings and the occasional photo is high, and the descriptions helpful without being overwhelming. It would be too heavy to take hiking, but it's fine for a tabletop reference in the home.

Great reference for my feeder birds! This field guide has colorful pictures for each bird. It is a little larger than most pocket field guides and is made with quality material.

Still the best Field guide for novice birders or the pros !!!!

Wonderful pictures, insightful ways to identify birds and an easy index makes this book a great resource to identify birds. I love the book but Amazon didn’t package it correctly. The box was crushed on one corner and there was damage to the front and back cover.

Great book for identifying birds, great pictures, descriptions and especially - ease of use. Vinyl type cover is nice as it allows flexibility and durability. The size is okay, tried to find the pocket size but was unable to locate one.

This is maybe my third or fourth Peterson Field Guide book. I love it. The illustrations and colors are perfect and the descriptions are so helpful! It arrived as expected and was nicely packaged.

In the past I have always used Peterson's Field Guide to North American Birds but needed an updated version as mine was published quite a while ago. I love all the plates which are done beautifully but was disappointed because unlike my older version it did not state the "wingspan" and "weight" of the birds. When I birdwatch I always take into account this information as I feel it is a must for identification. If I would known this I would have looked into other publications

This mature guide is easy to use and to see the most important field marks on all the birds of North America. There are lots of good field guide and I own many, including phone apps, but Petersons guide has been my favorite since I started serious birding 35 years ago. I prefer the older smaller versions that are easier to carry in the field though.

I love this guide. Of course you can never have just one but Ivlove how detailed the drawings are of birds. There are some descriptions that other field guides don’t show.

One of the best field guides ever published. Heard him a a small lecture more than fifty years ago. He is still the "Best" decades after his death.

Like the additional birds; don't like less habitat, nesting and food text.

This book has more information than my older book I've been using. Really nice book.

The classic in bird manuals. If you were to buy one bird book this is it.

Best bird book ever! Good info plus clear photos!

A great reference book about the birds of this country.

Has good descriptions that makes it easier to identify birds.

Best bird book at a great price, hands down.

Well written. Great color illustrations.

I think this is the best there is !!

This book was a gift. He loves it!

My father enjoys reading this book

Perfect

Beautiful pictures, great maps. Easy to use

Replaced my old one

Fantastic illustrations and wonderful information about each bird

Lovely pictures

Replacement for one, gift for another

I expected more improvement, ore pictures etc.

Found the names of the birds I watch every day. Very informative and easy to use.

Excellent guide

Since back in the mid 60s, my mother always had her copy of the Peterson guide on the coffee table to I.D. birds in our yard and I picked up the interest from her. I find the paintings in this book vastly superior to books with photos of birds. As wonderful as the photos may be, they cannot compare to the paintings, which highlight the subtle nuances that allow you to distinguish similar birds from one another, nuances that cannot be captured with outdoor photography. I kept 40 years of records of my bird sightings from travels and camping in my own copy, until tragically, I LOST IT! I am buying another volume and starting over. I will write my name in this one.