[.ca] Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behaviour (ISBN 0713662506)

From Amazon.com:
From the creator of the seminal field guide, The Sibley Guide to Birds, comes another indispensable book for bird watchers. This veritable bible to the world of birds is the collaborative effort of 48 expert birders and biologists, who combine scientific accuracy and detail with an easily readable and well-organized format. How does a tiny chickadee survive subzero temperatures? How do flocks of birds synchronize their flights? How can an albatross cross miles of ocean without flapping its wings? Which bird brains are actually intelligent? It's all here in essays giving an overview of avian evolution, biology, and the aerodynamics of flight and in chapters devoted to the 80 bird families of North America, each one detailing taxonomy, habitats, feeding, breeding, vocalizations, migrations, and more. Concerned about declining populations, Sibley also discusses the conservation status of each species and the factors that threaten them. This fascinating source of information is destined to be a well-thumbed companion. -- Lesley Reed

An outstanding resource for birders of all abilities:
It is difficult to imagine a more helpful guide to understanding birds than "The Sibley Guide to Bird Behavior". Illustrated by David Allen Sibley, with contributing text by a host of bird authorities, this work is the ultimate companion to Sibley's field guides. Anyone can gain a greater appreciation for our feathered friends by picking up this book. Crammed with useful information, the guide opens with an understanding of how birds fly, their anatomy, and intellectual capabilities. There are chapters on origins, classification methods, bird behavior, migration, communication, and breeding. Also included are overviews of habitat distinctions, populations, and conservation. This general format is carried over into the largest section of the book - a comprehensive look at all the families of North American avians. For instance, each family of birds (e.g. - Hummingbirds, Vireos) will have chapters within the text providing specific analysis of: *Taxonomy *Adaptations to Lifestyle *Habitats *Food and Foraging *Breeding *Vocalizations *Migration *Conservation *Accidental Species This clear breakdown by sections makes it a simple task to compare the migration strategies of Vireos to that of Hummingbirds, for instance. Given that all these sections exist uniformly for each family, anyone seeking to know more about a particular family of birds can easily find what they are looking for. Even complete families of birds that are merely accidental are listed here (e.g. - Accentors.) "The Sibley Guide to Bird Behavior" benefits not only from its methodical layout, but also a profusion of David Sibley's artwork. And while some have dubbed his illustrations merely functional, I find them to be very good. The superb quality of the guide itself is also a huge plus, making it a sort of "mini-coffeetable" book. Bright, thick pages with clear text and plenty of open space make the guide very easy to read. Because of the layout, it can be read in small chunks, too, so its hefty 587 pages are easily digestible. There is something here for any birder, no matter their level of expertise, as well. I've been birding for more than twenty-five years and yet I still picked up plenty of great facts. Lastly, a word on the conservation sections of the book: they are both heartening and disheartening in their factualness about the survivability of different bird families. Yes, Man has harmed some avian families, but many others have been aided by our encroachments. The guide is balanced in its view, too, that some species of North American birds that are extinct (or close to it) were never that populous to begin with and may have been doomed over time anyway, no matter what Man did to their habitats. Still, it does not shrink from blaming us for devastating some species - the passenger pigeon, for instance - nor does it excuse us from continuing to work to better the plight of all bird species around the world. Absolutely deserving of a five star rating, "The Sibley Guide to Bird Behavior" is a superb book on its own, and even better with the Sibley Field Guide series. Highly recommended to all, particularly bird lovers.

Excellent reference!!!:
I LOVE this book! It has terrific drawings wit great colors for one thing but even more important is the great writing, which is easy to get into, and incredibly informative. The level of detail is at the family level - e.g. "woodpeckers" or "flycatchers" But within the section, individual species are discussed. The level of detail is perfect and subfamilies are addressed. Foraging habits (with drawings in some cases) are discussed, habitat that the birds live in, variations in colors, breeding, vocalizations, the whole nine yards! Its fantastic. I started this review by mentioning the drawings because they really are the icing on the cake - an example is the face of a flycatcher drawn to show the bristles around its mouth. Terrific! I like the Stokes books on bird behavior too but this is one big complete reference!

GREAT REFERENCE:
Very well organized, comprehensive information. It's very useful and actually quite engrossing. I knew nothing about birds and am doing research for a novel. I first encountered this book in the public library and decided to buy myself a copy of this one among all the other bird books I borrowed. I am not a bird watcher and I don't think I'll take it up as a real hobby, but this book has given me a great appreciation of birds. They are fascinating and truly remarkable creatures.

Beautiful and Informative:
This is a wonderful book. I wish I would have bought it when it came out. I might not have bought so many other bird books. This book breaks down the birds into groups and then talks about that group. I have learned so much from it (and I'm not even through reading it). The illustrations are meticulous, and the book setup is much like that of a field guide (content order wise). A must have for anyone interested in birds.

A Must Have for Serious Birders:
THE SIBLEY GUIDE TO BIRD LIFE AND BEHAVIOR is the follow up to Sibley's first book on birding. This book has the same sort of illustrations that make his first book so helpful. This book is more in depth and contains articles on bird biology as well as general information on various species. Though the guide bears Sibley's name, he is the illustrator and the text in the book is written by leading ornithologists. It is an excellent book for those who not only want to identify birds, but know a bit more about the birds that are sighted. This book will be helpful to those who have an idea of the birds likely to be seen on a birding trip. By reading ahead of time, the experience can often be more fruitful, that is if Mother Nature cooperates and supplies the birds one hopes to see.