Top 5 Birding Field Guides

It is always beneficial for birders to own more than one field guide to refer to. We recommend the following field guides for all birders.

1. The Sibley Guide to Birds

Pros: Number of plumages shown, very concise bird illustrations, good descriptions of songs.
Cons: Large size of guide, many rare birds left out, no natural history information of birds.

You can purchase The Sibley Guide to Birds here.

2. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America

Pros: Many comparative plates for identifying difficult species, natural history of most birds.
Cons: Not all plumages shown, many rare birds left out.

You can purchase Peterson Field Guide to Birds here.

3. Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America

Pros: Natural history of most birds, arrows pointing out the field marks, easy to carry around.
Cons: Many plumages not shown, some rare birds left out.

You can purchase Kaufman Field Guide to Birds here.

4. National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America

Pros: Includes all rare birds, natural history of birds included.
Cons: Many plumages not shown.

You can purchase National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America here.

5. Stokes Field Guide to Birds

Pros: Natural history of birds included, photos help show the habitat to find each bird.
Cons: The photo style limits helpfulness when trying to ID birds, many rare birds left out.

You can purchase Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region here.