Field Guide to the Birds of North America

Over the years we have had a wide choice of field guides to North American birds, although at any one time there was always a clear leader followed by several runners up. Some guides have used photographs, but many, like this one, have used art. Right from the early days of the Peterson field guides, there has been a mix of books that focus on either the west or east of North America and others that cover the whole continent. This is a crowded marketplace into which to launch a field guide with already at least six current titles to choose from. That said, with a recent estimate that in the USA alone there are 96 million people who claim to watch birds. Even if you persuade 1% of them to buy your book you are onto a winner.

Miles McMullan will be known to some through his Field Guide of the Birds of Colombia (published by Proaves in 2010 and 2014), although he has produced many other books that are more widely available overseas. His illustrations are shown across all pages with a distribution map and minimal text that mentions the main features to look for. To take Double-crested Cormorant as an example there are eight illustrations, around 70 words of text and five maps in an area 10 cm × 11 cm. It takes some skill to get all of that into such a small space – but at what cost? The truth is that the text is too small for me (and I would argue for most people, given that this is for use in the field). There are around 1,100 species in this guide in 350 pages of identification text. The 6000 illustrations are therefore at the rate of 17 per page. There are some comparisons on the tricky Empidonax flycatchers, and here in a special extra page we have 23 part-illustrations. It’s just too much in a small space.

The main illustrations all show the birds facing right, which is helpful. The maps, that measure 3 cm × 3 cm use eight different colours to show seasonal variations. The colours for resident, summer and winter are far easier to see than for others, which is a shame. Shading or stippling with a bold colour might have been a better option for these. Without a doubt, everyone warms to different types of field guide art. Some may warm to Miles McMullan’s illustrations because they feel a bit more lifelike than those used in some other field guides. Personally, I am more inclined to the less-dynamic art of David Allen Sibley in his guides (now in their second edition). I find them easier to assess against what I am seeing. Others may prefer the more solid style of the twenty artists used to illustrate the National Geographic guide (now in its seventh edition).

One big question I would ask is whether it really makes sense to treat all the birds of a continent in one book that weighs just 650g. Most birders are either going to the west or the east, and so in a combined book, particularly if you are visiting the west, maybe 50% are not even likely to be near you. So, for me the best option is a regional guide that can have a slightly longer text, larger maps and illustrations.