Customer Reviews:
 The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior August 8, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Includes all the information our other guides - Audubon, Peterson's, the other Sibley's Guide -- have left undescribed. Devotes many pages for further study of bird species and sub-species.
Instructive, engrossing, delightful May 4, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Have you ever wondered how an owl navigates in the dark? Why the whip-poor-will has bristles around its mouth? How the kingfisher teaches its young to dive for fish? How the woodpecker can keep up all that drumming without getting a concussion?
If you have observed a phoebe building a neat cup-shaped nest on a ledge under a roof overhang, or if you have watched a green heron using bait to attract fish, you must have felt an urge to learn more about these creatures. How intelligent are they? Or do they just "follow their instincts"?
This book will answer most of your questions - whether you are an avid bird watcher or a curious novice; and where there are no definite answers, a number of working hypotheses are suggested.
The beautiful water color illustrations by David Sibley show the birds in characteristic postures and hone in on diagnostically important features; and the individual chapters by various authors on bird biology, evolution, classification, behavior, migration, habitats, populations and conservation are illuminating.
Recent DNA studies have shed new light on hybridization and mating systems and have led to some revisions in species and family classification. There is also a very helpful glossary: if you just want to browse, this may be a good place to start. Before you know it, you will be hooked; and every time you open this book you'll come upon new insights that will astonish and delight you.
Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior February 25, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I purchased this book to be used in several classes in Ornithology I am enrolled in at the Lisle Arboretum. It is very helpful, good organization to materials, and easy to understand.
Very Informative October 10, 2005
Great book! Highly recommended for "Birder's in Training" or someone interested in learning avian behavior. Part I focuses on bird biology explaining the way birds' bodies work, bird evolution, behavior, habitats, and conservation. The second part of the book explains the families of birds that occur in North America and gives an overview of taxonomy, foraging and breeding biology, and conservation status of the family. The book also contains a glossary and checklist at the end.
Great Book! August 30, 2005
Super information for bird lovers! Much needed information we couldn't find elsewhere.....highly recommend!
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