Peterson field guides have been around for many years and are still favorites with nature lovers of all kinds. The bird guides have an especially good reputation, and justly so.
What makes the Peterson bird guides so useful?
- Color plates that point out key differences between similar birds.
- Plates devoted to special identification challenges, such as birds in flight and differences between juvenile and adult plumage.
- To-the-point descriptions with emphasis on key characteristics (field marks).
- Detailed range maps in the back.
- Convenient size.
There are several Peterson field guides to birds available—an eastern/central guide, a western guide, and a larger guide covering all of North America. Birdwatchers tend to be picky about the size of their field guides, however—a cumbersome book is not likely to be appreciated outdoors. Therefore, it is often helpful to buy either the eastern/central or the western guide, depending on where you live. The map below shows the area covered by the eastern/central guide.
Area covered by eastern/central guide
Additional features include a regional life list of birds, a comparison of bird silhouettes, birdwatching tips, and diagrams showing the parts of a bird.
The Peterson bird guides make identification easy:
- Quickly locate the correct color plate.
- Compare important field marks.
- Check the bird off on the life list in the back of the book.
Fun and simple!
