Editorial Reviews
Product Description:Essential, comprehensive, and easy to use,
National Geographic Complete Book of Birds is an astonishing resource that covers every bird species in North America, as well as all the migrants that fly through. The entries are organized by family groups-an incredible 82 are included-according to the American Ornithological Union guidelines. Within a family, each separate bird entry has dozens of tips and illustrations on species' genders, age groups, behavior, habitats, nesting and feeding habits, and migration routes. Readers will also find unique features, such as:A quick-find index for the most common bird groups and a full glossaryStraightforward, accessible text by numerous birding experts, including National Geographic's resident birding consultant Jonathan AlderferHundreds of range and migration maps from renowned ornithologist Paul Lehman with National Geographic cartographersState-of-the-art, updated bird illustrations by expert artists, including Jonathan AlderferNew and original photographs from well-known bird photographers Kevin Karlson and Brian Small
Perfect for novice or experienced birders alike,
National Geographic Complete Book of Birds is a definitive, must-have resource. Quite simply, there is no other volume like it.
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
Excellent content, unacceptale binding., July 1, 2007
By
Henry B. WilliamsThis book has excellent content, but the first printing had the stiff binding that wouldn't allow the book to open fully, making it very difficult to read. The second printing has a more flexible spine where the pages are just stuck to it. After four months of very casual use, the pages began falling out. This is the poorest bound book that I have ever seen.
Alex's bird review, July 1, 2007
By
Birdwatchers,hello! I am an 8-year old birder. If you love birds and need some good information 'Nat Geo's Complete Birds of North America' has great info on behavior, identification and other important bird stuff! It is the first book I look at if my family or a friend describes a bird they saw today.
I reccomend this highly, and you can buy it at almost every bookstore or library.
Great Content, Terrible Presentation, June 9, 2006
By
J. Clark (Fairfax, VA United States)
The single most noticeable thing about this book is how poorly it was manufactured. The spine seems to be made from steel making it impossible to ever fully open the book and an exercise in frustration to read. This problem is greatly exacerbated by the fact that the text runs way down into the deep dark recesses of the crevasse created by the horrible binding. The actaully printing however is very good. The pictures are clear with good color and the paper is of high quality. This makes it even more of a shame that the binding is so bad.
The actual content of the book is quite good. Most of the illustrations were taken from the National Geographic Field Guide as were the maps. The maps have been increased in size which is a definite help. Every species accepted by the ABA is covered with its own write-up. Not surprisingly, some of the rarer species receive much less of a write-up then the regular ones.
In the end I believe that the poor production qualities fatally flaw the book and can only recommend to the bird book obsessed like myself.
Terrific information, March 7, 2006
By
R. WebbWell written, good information, well organized. Not a field guide but one of the best reference books I've seen.
Best Bird Book Available, March 2, 2006
By
E. Dietze (Long Island, NY)
In typical National Geographic fashion, this book is excellent. It is extremely comprehensive with outstanding artwork. This is a must have for anyone who enjoys birding. You should also buy the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America as an easy to carry companion.
