That's why I recommend the Golden Guide. It is a little "outdated" for looks but is very easy to use and surprisingly complete. I have tried to assemble here some samples and my uneducated comments in order to facilitate your first steps.
Click on the title to get a sample page for comparison.
| Best intermediate bird guide for the US | |
| Peterson's Field Guide Eastern Birds and Western Birds | Well illustrated. The arrows of the Peterson system and the stylized poses greatly help to focus on important points. Need two guides to cover the US. |
| Birds of North America, a guide to field identification, Golden Press NY | Illustration not as pretty. Useful range maps on same page. Sonograms are present for a lot of birds. Nice comparison pages. I like it better in the field than the Peterson's |
| Best advanced bird guide for the US | |
| National Geographic's Field Guide to the birds of North America | Complete and well illustrated. Useful range maps on same page. A must. Too many birds for the beginning birder though. |
| Other bird guides for the US | |
| Eastern Birds, An Audubon handbook, McGraw & Hill, NY | Nice photos. Focus on size and habitat |
| Western Birds, An Audubon handbook, McGraw & Hill, NY | Same series |
| How to identify birds, An Audubon handbook, McGraw & Hill, NY | Nice systematic approach to bird identification. Completed by the species accounts above. Approach uses habitat, size, behavior, shape and posture, color and pattern, and voice. A great learning tool. |
| The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Eastern Region, Knopf, NY | Good photos. Birds are sorted by families and the perching birds are additionally sorted by color. Description and range is on a different page, which makes the guide cumbersome to use. |
| The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Western Region, Knopf, NY | See above. |
