Sibley's Birding Basics

by David Allen Sibley

Published 1 October 2002
From the renowned author of the New York Times best seller The Sibley Guide to Birds, a comprehensive, beautifully illustrated guide to identifying birds in the field--an essential companion for birders of all skill and experience levels.

The Sibley Guide to Birds and The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior are both universally acclaimed as the new standard source of species information. And now David Sibley, America’s premier birder and best-known bird artist, turns his attention to the general characteristics that influence the appearance of all birds, unlocking the clues to their identity.

In 200 beautifully rendered illustrations and 16 essays, this scientifically precise volume distills the essence of Sibley’s own experience and skills, providing a solid introduction to “naming” the birds. Birding Basics reviews how one can get started as a birder--the equipment necessary, where and when to go birding, and perhaps most important, the essential things to look for when birds appear in the field--as well as the basic concepts of bird identification and the variations that can change the appearance of a bird over time or in different settings. Sibley also provides critical information on the aspects of avian life that differ from species to species: feathers (color, arrangement, shape, molt), behavior and habitat, and sounds.

With Sibley as your guide, when you learn how to interpret what the feathers, the anatomical structure, the sounds of a bird tell you—when you know the clues that show you why there’s no such thing as “just a duck”—birding will be more fun, and more meaningful. An essential addition to the Sibley shelf!

The bird book for birders and nonbirders alike that will excite and inspire by providing a new and deeper understanding of what common, mostly backyard, birds are doing—and why: "Can birds smell?"; "Is this the same cardinal that was at my feeder last year?"; "Do robins 'hear' worms?"

"The book's beauty mirrors the beauty of birds it describes so marvelously." —NPR


In What It's Like to Be a Bird, David Sibley answers the most frequently asked questions about the birds we see most often. This special, large-format volume is geared as much to nonbirders as it is to the out-and-out obsessed, covering more than two hundred species and including more than 330 new illustrations by the author. While its focus is on familiar backyard birds—blue jays, nuthatches, chickadees—it also examines certain species that can be fairly easily observed, such as the seashore-dwelling Atlantic puffin.

David Sibley's exacting artwork and wide-ranging expertise bring observed behaviors vividly to life. (For most species, the primary illustration is reproduced life-sized.) And while the text is aimed at adults—including fascinating new scientific research on the myriad ways birds have adapted to environmental changes—it is nontechnical, making it the perfect occasion for parents and grandparents to share their love of birds with young children, who will delight in the big, full-color illustrations of birds in action.

Unlike any other book he has written, What It's Like to Be a Bird is poised to bring a whole new audience to David Sibley's world of birds.

From the New York Times best selling author of the peerless bird identification guide The Sibley Guide to Birds, a landmark exploration of how birds live and what they do. 

Designed to enhance the birding experience and to enrich the popular study of North American birds, The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior combines more than 795 of Sibley's beautiful full-color illustrations with authoritative text by 48 expert birders and biologists. 

Introductory essays outline the principles of avian evolution, life cycle, body structure, flight dynamics, and more. The 80 family-by-family chapters describe the amazing range of behavior dictated by birds’ biology and environment. Among the subjects covered and illustrated are:

--molts and plumages
--habitats
--food and foraging
--vocalizations and displays
--courtship and breeding
--rearing of young
--migration and movements
--scientific groupings
--introduced species
--accidental species
--anatomy
--flight patterns
--nests and eggs
--conservation
--global distribution

Accessibly written, superbly designed and organized, and brilliantly illustrated, The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior is an indispensable source of information on the avian life around us.

Now completely revised and updated, the authoritative guide to over 700 birds of the American West from renowned birder, illustrator, and New York Times bestselling author David Sibley

Compact and comprehensive, this guide features 715 bird species, plus regional populations, found west of the Rocky Mountains. Entries include stunningly accurate illustrations—more than 5,046 in total—with descriptive captions pointing out the most important field marks. Each entry also  includes the most current information concerning frequency, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. 

This improved edition includes:
• Updated habitat, description, behavior, and conservation text for each species account and all family pages.
• New and revised illustrations of species and regional forms.
• New design featuring species accounts in columns, allowing for better comparison and more illustrations and text.
• Current taxonomic order and up-to-date common names.
• All maps revised to reflect the most current range information.
• More species and rarities included.
 
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America contains more than 652 updated maps drawn from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent, and shows winter, summer, year-round, migration, and rare ranges.

The Sibley Guide to Trees

by David Allen Sibley

Published 15 September 2009
The definitive field guide to the trees of North America, featuring maps, detailed illustrations, and information on more than 600 species of trees, from the preeminent, bestselling author and illustrator

“A beautiful, masterful, and much-needed work that will henceforth be our guide to the North American trees.”—Edward O. Wilson

The Sibley Guide to Trees is an astonishingly elegant guide to a complex subject. It condenses a huge amount of information about tree identification—more than has ever been collected in a single book—into a logical, accessible, easy-to-use format.

With more than 4,100 meticulous, exquisitely detailed paintings, the Guide highlights the often subtle similarities and distinctions between more than 600 tree species—native trees as well as many introduced species. More than 500 maps show the complete range, both natural and cultivated, for nearly all species. No other guide has ever made field identification so clear.

Highlighted features include:
• leaves (including multiple leaf shapes and fall leaf color)
• bark
• needles
• cones
• flowers
• fruit
• twigs
• silhouettes


Trees are arranged taxonomically, with all related species grouped together. By focusing on the fundamental characteristics of, for example, oaks or chestnuts or hickories, the Guide helps the user recognize these basic species groups the same way birders recognize thrushes, warblers, or sparrows. In addition, there are essays on taxonomy, on the cultivation of trees, and on conservation issues, reflecting Sibley’s deep concern with habitat preservation and environmental health.

An important contribution to our understanding of the natural world, The Sibley Guide to Trees is a necessity for every tree lover, traveler, and naturalist.

COMPLETELY REVISED AND UPDATED: From renowned birder, illustrator, and New York Times best selling author David Sibley, the most authoritative guide to the birds of the East, in a portable format that is perfect for the field.

Compact and comprehensive, this guide features 650 bird species, plus regional populations, found east of the Rocky Mountains. Entries include stunningly accurate illustrations--more than 4,600 in total--with descriptive captions pointing out the most important field marks. Each entry has been updated to include the most current information concerning frequency, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. Here too are more than 600 updated maps drawn from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent, and showing winter, summer, year-round, migration, and rare ranges.

This new and improved edition includes:

   •   Updated habitat, description, behavior, and conservation text for each species account and all family pages.

   •   New and revised illustrations of species and regional forms.

   •   New design featuring species accounts in columns, allowing for better comparison and more illustrations and text. 

   •   Current taxonomic order and up-to-date common names. 

   •   All maps revised to reflect the most current range information. 

   •   More species and rarities included.

A thoroughly updated and expanded edition of David Allen Sibley’s classic guide to birding.
 
“Undoubtedly the finest guide to North American birds.”—Guy McCaskie, Birding

The publication of The Sibley Guide to Birds, First Edition quickly established David Allen Sibley as the author and illustrator of the nation’s supreme and most comprehensive guide to birds. Used by millions of birders from novices to the most expert, The Sibley Guide became the standard by which natural history guides are measured. The second edition builds on this foundation of excellence, offering massively expanded and updated information, new paintings, new and rare species, and a new, elegant design.

The second edition of this handsome, flexibound volume offers a wealth of improvements and updates:

• All illustrations reproduced 15 to 20 percent larger for better detail.
• Includes nearly 7,000 paintings digitally remastered from original art for enhanced print quality.
• Expanded text includes habitat information and voice description for every species and more tips on finding birds in the field.
• More than 600 new paintings, including illustrations of 115 rare species and additional paintings of common species and regional populations.
• More than 700 updated maps of ranges, showing winter, summer, year-round, migration, and rare ranges.
• 85 bird family pages now cross-referenced to species accounts.
• Revised taxonomic order and most current common names for every species.

The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition, brings the genius of David Allen Sibley to the world once again in a volume that every birder must own.