Sibley's Birding Basics

by David Allen Sibley

David Sibley, America's premier birder and best-known bird artist, takes a new direction - in Sibley's Birding Basics he is concerned not so much with species as with the general characteristics that influence the appearance of all birds and thus give us the clues to their identity.

To create this guide, avid Sibley thought through all the skills that enable him to identify a bird in the few instants it is visible to him. Now he shares that information, integrating an explanation for the identification process with many painted and drawn images of details (such as a feather) or concepts.

Genres: Birds, Nature, Nonfiction, Reference, Science, Ornithology, Animals

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

2014: More info than I need for my level of birding skill, but now I'll be alert for clues that I otherwise might have missed. I should re-read this in a couple of years.

2020: When I read this a third time (at some distant date in the future), I'll start with Chapter 3; it begins:
Bird identification is like a matching game with a time limit. On one side you have images in a book or in your head, and on the other side you have a bunch of flitting, skulking real birds.

Interesting snippets

p 14: The sight of a distant "starling ball" is often the first clue to the presence of a hawk.
Back in the '70s and '80s we used to see "rivers" of starlings flying in the N-S directions, but I've never seen anything I'd call a 'starling ball.' We don't see many starlings any more.

p 61: Robins flying onto a lawn swoop to a landing and hop two or three times before stopping; starlings fly down and land heavily, 'sticking' to the ground.
Sometimes it's helpful to have someone state the obvious. I've noticed this behavior, but never thought to use it as an identifying characteristic. Now I wonder, do robins never 'stick' upon landing?

p 76: Numbers of feathers on an individual bird range from a minimum of 940 on a Ruby-throated hummingbird to more than 25,000 on a tundra swan.
Trivia can be interesting. Who would have thought that most birds have over 1,000 feathers!

p. 85: drawing of the head of a song sparrow showing details of head feather arrangement. I need to pay attention to coloring of the auricular and malar areas (both are below the eyes).

I often pick up feathers when a hawk takes one of the birds at my feeders. I want to remember that there are usually 9 or 10 feathers on a wing and 12 in a tail.

[Mr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that deserves multiple close readings rather than a single perusal, Sibley's guide to birding for beginners is an indispensable text for anyone interested in birding, or birdwatching. I learned more than enough required to discern the birds in my backyard. I also discovered the complexities of avian anatomy, the process of molt, migratory patterns, feather varieties, and how all of these bits of information are necessary to glean an understanding of birds, as well as identify them in the field. Many sections will require careful reading and rereading; the anatomical structures of different birds is necessary to know, and a cursory observation of the diagrams found in the book will only help so much. I plan on rereading a few sections to fully understand birds and their behavior. Overall, this compendium is perfect for neophyte birders and those who wish to know a little more about their backyard companions.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent little book, full of tips that will improve my birding. The title "Birding Basics" may be slightly misleading, though. This is not a book for true beginners. Some of the discussions in here will go over true beginners' heads and may even deter them from birding, thinking it is too hard or overwhelming. Rather, I think this book is better suited for those birders transitioning from beginner to intermediate birding.

[Tim Hoiland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sibley's Birding Basics is a book for people like me – those who aren't birders but who like the idea of becoming birders. I'm not yet able to identify a Dark-eyed Junco in the wild, nor am I likely to pinpoint where in the molt cycle a particular Western Sandpiper is. To do that I'll need a lot more experience and probably a few other books. But what this book has given me, I think, are the tools I need to begin the process of becoming a birder.

[Carly Philpott · Rating 3 out of 5]

definitely a lot to learn from this book (as i did) but it’s not all super accessibly written. best if used in conjunction with the sibley north america guide, though i do like the classic difficult-to-distinguish birds getting highlighted here. should have more on ethics

[Thrasymachus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sibley emphasizes that bird watching is about practicing and studying to get better at drawing conclusions from flawed and incomplete perceptions.

[Avary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read to begin the year. As an inexperienced birder, this text was overwhelming in the most delightful sense. Although a small book and a mere 150 pages, I learned far more than I imagined I possible could. As other reviews have mentioned, this book deserves several readings at the deliberately slow pace. I found myself reading and rereading sections to cement the information in my mind. The most exciting part of reading this book was that immediately afterward, I was able to use the elements of feather anatomy and molt to identify species that had foiled me in the past. I plan to return to this book for years to come! I’m so grateful for the incredible research and art of David Allen Sibley.

[andré crombie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Possessed by all birds but by no other living thing in earth, feathers give birds their brilliant colors and patterns, while also providing a lightweight, streamlined coat that protects, insulates, and waterproofs… Feathers are the feature allowing birds to exploit so many diverse habitats and lifestyles, from deserts to arctic regions to open oceans.”

Notes: A rich, rewarding guide to…the basics of birding! Densely packed with knowledge (it’s a relatively short book but a slow read because every paragraph is chock full of info), with just the right number of beautiful drawings to illustrate concepts. I’ll definitely be revisiting this one as I continue my attempt to become a birder.

[Linda]

Good, helpful. I got really bogged down in the chapter on molting and I don’t think I understood a lot of it, but that might be a chapter to re-read sometime later.

[Adi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend using this book as a supplement to time spent in the field. This book tells you about all the subtle markers to look for when birding and has excellent illustrations. The sections on molting and feather wear were a little difficult to follow but I will definitely be coming back to these sections periodically. Time to check out other books by Sibley.

[Moon Captain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone interested in birding should read this, but don't stress out about it. Learn the method of birding and it will be much easier than going out with a guide and binoculars and not really knowing what to look for.

[Graychin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My nine-year-old daughter and I are the primary birders in the family. I had some credit at the local bookshop and picked this up for her, but I read it first. We use a Sibley field guide and I frankly wondered if this would offer me anything new. It did. I learned things I didn’t know about molting, for example, that are bound to come in handy. I’ll also be much better at differentiating feathers: coverts from scapulars, lores from supercilium, malar from auriculars, etc. You don’t get a taste for Sibley’s voice in the field guide, of course, but it turns out that he writes well. He clearly draws from a deep well of bird lore.

[Connie D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sibley's Birding Basics is a great reference guide for birders going beyond the basics. It would have been overwhelming/incomprehensible to me reading about birds for the first time, but it's perfect for me now...answering the questions and really clarifying things I have heard of but haven't understood, with great illustrations that explain the details.

David Sibley is a remarkable artist, a very clear writer, and the combination is perfect. His knowledge of the nature of birds is profound.

I'm very happy to own a copy of this so I can keep perusing and referring to it. I haven't managed to remember everything yet. :-)

[Usako · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an interesting and informative book. I learned things about birds that I never suspected before. I may have to re-read this one should I decide to go birdwatching this fall. Seems very relaxing.

[Guy]

Pretty good basic information. Very good advice on how to get started keeping track of your list.

[Annette Kenyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure who else wants to read this one--- besides amateur and wannabe birders! But I liked it for the "basics" . Need an actual Bird Atlas though.

[Kalena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful and short book for the beginning birder. It made me feel more at ease at starting out in this new hobby. Great book--definitely recommend for those new to the birding community.

[Patrick Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to really know how to rate a book like this. It is exactly what it purports to be: a brief but thorough and extremely detailed explanation of the process of bird identification. There's very little in the way of 'where to' or 'how to' engage in the activity of birding, and this is definitely NOT a field guide; if you want a reference book that will tell you about a specific bird species, this isn't it. The illustrations (all done by the author) are gorgeous and no doubt there are many people who find the textbook-style instruction on avian biology to be incredibly useful; I certainly feel that I know a lot more about birds than I did before reading it. But if you're looking for a little poetry thrown in with your prose, you might find the dry conveyance of information somewhat tough to push through even despite the book's brief length. Still, you may find this a useful introduction to a pursuit that a lot of people obviously find extremely rewarding, especially if you are a very analytical person.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good information but a little frustrating.

First, this book addresses how to identify birds in a general sense, so it is an overview of characteristics to consider (e.g. feathers, voice, behavior) but without delving into the specifics to differentiate one bird from another. The frustrating part was that it sometimes was an overwhelming amount of information, but other times, I felt like I was just continuously reading, "An experienced birder can identify a bird by X," but without giving any information or examples on how I could learn to do that.

That said, it contains interesting tidbits here and there, lovely quotes, nice illustrations, basic terminology, and explanations on everything from ethics to molt patterns.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of what Sibley shares in this book is obvious to a regular birder, but other things are not. For instance, he suggests that it's important to know not only what particular features can be used to identify a particular bird among other similar birds, but also know how easily it is to observe that feature in a given moment. For instance, "I know that the Green-winged Teal has that bright green speculum feathers, but they're too far away to see. So I can't tell."

Also, the focused and purposeful attention to the act of birdwatching presented here is appreciated. If you want to jump up from casual birding to more series birding, this is an excellent book to get you there.

[Jessy Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for someone wanting to learn more about birds. However, I wouldn’t classify it as a birding book for a beginner. Many of the concepts covered in the book are taught in ornithology courses. I’m assuming most beginner birders won’t have great binoculars and therefore won’t be able to identify which feathers are in molt in the field. They’ll probably just be comparing what they see to a list of regional birds. I was hoping to learn more about techniques to spot harder birds such as warblers, or methods to memorizing bird calls. Regardless, I learned a few things. For example, Sibley mentions that certain pigments in feathers wear faster than others. That was new to me!

[Tom Bentley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Were I a more experienced birder, I likely would have given this a bigger boost, but I was somewhat overwhelmed by the degree of technical information in the book, much as I love observing birds. The distinctions between types of feathers alone were considerable, and after re-reading them, I was not able to absorb all of the specifics. I think more illustrations would be useful.

I have a number of field guides that are helpful, and because I consult them in small bursts, I retain the info better. So this is likely less a criticism of the book than my learning patterns.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took up birding when my daughter was born, rather, I took up watching birds. Birding is a much more involved, specific activity that involves, as this book details, time, dedication, and perseverance. Not to mention a significant amount of study. That’s where this book comes in. Sibley is, in my estimation, the gold standard for birding and if you wanted to know more than you ever wanted to know about how to identify birds, this is the book for you.

[Jessica Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I certainly didn't *absorb* every word of this book, it was a great introduction to birding and one I imagine I might refer back to in the future.
It got me thinking that what I think I really want is a book that focuses on the most common birds I might see here in the Methow Valley, with text that isn't too dry, and fun little stories about each bird, as well as some pointers on key identifying characteristics, all in "laymen's language" (not a ton of jargon/technical language).

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between a 3 and 4 here. This book is chock full of information, and undoubtedly an excellent resource for birders, but as an introductory text, it was a bit dense. I definitely picked up on some nice tidbits and feel more knowledgeable than I did before reading it, but I had to concede a large portion of this book is too advanced for an absolute beginner. It will be a good resource to return to when I have some more experience.

[Tom Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guide won't teach you to recognized any particular bird. Instead it teaches you what to look for to help you identify a bird. I read it after a few months of birding, which seems to me to be the perfect time to read it. There's a lot to learn and I imagine I'll consult this guide often to clarify my knowledge. If you're not interested in birding this book will be of no use to you.

[Edward Correa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bastante básico y bastante técnico, aunque ya lo esperaba. Quizás está escrito desde una posición de experto hablándole a un inexperto amateur, pero a veces paternalista demasiado la información. Para ser el primer acercamiento a un libro de este tipo está interesante, ahora toca buscar uno donde las especies mencionadas sean propias de nuestras tierras.

[Marie-Pierre Paradis-Claes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed and well-researched. Reads more like a field guide and sometimes had too much information to process. It made me realize how vast and confusing bird identification can be. I enjoyed the drawings and identification points of each species, as well as the information on behavior. I will go back to it to answer specific questions. Highly recommend if you are getting started in birding.

[Sally Monaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was excellent, but still too detailed for a beginning birder. As a beginning birder, I was hoping the book would help me with strategies to identify birds when you catch only a fleeting glance, or best strategies for finding birds. The book was incredibly informative and helpful, but probably still too advanced for my needs.

[Madie Cheyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great guide for beginner birders. Sibley goes in depth about multiple ways to identify birds in the field, as well as common areas of misidentification and general information about birds that is helpful to the birding novice. I learned a lot and am excited to use this knowledge to identify birds this year!