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David Allen Sibley has become one of the most respected, and most prolific ornithology authors in America. His books cover a broad range of subjects, and have broken new ground in format and quality. Here are just a few of his books.

The Sibley Guide to Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, 2000. 544 pp. Color illustrations by the author. Flexi-binding. $35.00

This field guide to North American birds provides a wealth of new information:

• Captioned illustrations show many previously unpublished field marks and revisions of known marks
• Nearly every species is shown in flight
• Measurements include length, wingspan, and weight for every species
• Subspecies and geographic varients are covered thoroughly
• Complete voice descriptions are included for every species
• Maps show the complete distribution of every species: summer and winter ranges, migration routes, and rare occurrences

Both novice and experienced birders will appreciate these and other innovative features:

• An introductory page for each family or group of related families makes comparisons simple
• Clear and concise labels with pointers identify field marks directly
• Birds are illustrated in similar poses to make comparisons between species quick and easy
• Illustrations emphasize the way birds look in the field

Dimensions: 9.5" x 6.5" x 1.5"

Weight: 2 LB, 10 oz./ 1185 kg

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America. Knopf, 2003. 650 species, maps. 496 pp. Paperback. $19.95

A new portable guide from David Sibley, compact and comprehensive, this new guide features 650 bird species plus regional populations found east of the Rocky Mountains. Accounts include stunningly accurate illustrations - more than 4,200 in total - with descriptive caption text pointing out the most important field marks. Each entry contains new text concerning frequency, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. Accounts also include brand-new maps created from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent.

Dimensions: 7.75" x 5" x 1"

Weight: 1 LB, 3 oz./ 540 kg

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America. Knopf, 2003. 550 species, maps. 432 pp. Paperback. $19.95

Compact and comprehensive, this new guide features 703 bird species plus regional populations found west of the Rocky Mountains. Accounts include stunningly accurate illustrations - more than 4,600 in total - with descriptive caption text pointing out the most important field marks. Each entry contains new text concerning frequency, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. Accounts also include brand-new maps created from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent.

Dimensions: 7.75" x 5" x 1"

Weight: 1 LB, 3 oz./ 540 kg

SIBLEY, David Allen, Chris ELPHICK, and John B. DUNNING, editors. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. Illustrated by SIBLEY. 80 family-by-family chapters describe natural history and behavior. 608 pp. Hardcover. $45.00

Designed to enhance the birding experience and to enrich the popular study of North American birds, this book combines more than 795 of his full-color illustrations with authoritative text by 48 expert birders and biologists. In this new guide Sibley takes us beyond identification, to show us how birds live and what they do.

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.

Dimensions: 7.25" x 4.5" x .75"

Weight: 14 oz./ 395 kg

Sibley's Birding Basics. How to identify birds, using the clues in feathers, habitats, behaviors, and sounds. Alfred A. Knopf, 2002. Color illustrations by the author. 192 pp. Flexi. $15.95

In Birding Basics Sibley is concerned not so much with species as with the general characteristics that influence the appearance of all birds and thus give us the clues to their identity. To create this guide, Sibley thought through all the skills that enable him to identify a bird in the few instants it is visible to him. Now he shares that information, integrating an explanation of the identification process with many painted and drawn images of details (such as a feather) or concepts.

Birding Basics begins by reviewing 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. Using many illustrations, David Sibley reviews all the basic concepts of bird identification and then describes the variations (of shape, size, and color) that can change the appearance of a bird over time or in different settings. And he issues a warning about "illusions and other pitfalls" and advice on avoiding them.

The second part of the book, also plentifully illustrated, deals with another set of clues, the major aspects of avian life that differ from species to species: feathers (color, arrangement, shape, molt), behavior and habitat, and sounds.

This scientifically precise, beautifully illustrated volume distills the essence of David Sibley’s own experience and skills, providing a solid introduction to "naming" the birds. 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.

Dimensions: 8.25" x 5" x .25"

Weight: 12 oz./ 330 kg

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: David Allen Sibley began seriously watching and drawing birds in 1969, at age seven. Since 1980 he has traveled throughout the North American continent studying the natural world, both on his own and as a leader of bird-watching tours. This intensive travel and study culminated in the publication of his comprehensive guide to bird identification, The Sibley Guide to Birds, followed by The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior, Sibley’s Birding Basics, The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America, and The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America. He lives in Concord, Massachusetts.

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