David Sibley, Chris Elphick, John B. Dunning - The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior

Pros: Great pictures and illustrations

Cons: the birds are not in alphabetical order in the book

The Bottom Line: everything you would want to know on identifying birds is in this wonderfully illustrated book.

Review: Birds, as well as birdhouses, have always fascinated me. Since my husband and I have been semi-retired and doing a lot of traveling, we have found ourselves being exposed to more and more birds that are not native to our area of the United States. ...

Pros: great illustrations, excellent for beginners

Cons: the format could be smaller to fit in a daypack easier

The Bottom Line: It is an excellent book. It's probably the one to own if you're going to only own one!

Review: This book is an excellent resource. This is the first book that I have come across which has several views of the birds (flying, perched, from below) and also seasonal changes in plumage coloring.

It is well organized into sections that help...