Oh, to be a bird! Well, if that isn’t possible, then at least you can be a bird watcher, and the Kaufman Field Guide to Bird’s of North America can help you spot all the winged wonders in your own neck of the woods. This user-friendly field guide is chock full of pictures and descriptions and maps that help even the novice bird watcher identify a variety of species in their region. The Kaufman guide is considered the most up-to-date of its kind, with all the latest classifications from the American Ornithologist’s Union.

Kenn Kaufman is the originator of this hugely popular field guide series, and he is a devoted conservationist and protector of nature. He is a field editor for Audobon, and his experience and knowledge is infused in this priceless manual. Species are grouped by similarity, with plenty of info on each bird, along with color-coded maps that show where each bird can be found. On opposite pages of the text are full-color digitally edited images of the birds themselves, to make identifying easier.

There is a useful index of bird names in English, and everything is so easy to find, and so appealing to the eye, it’s no wonder that bird watching has become the widely popular hobby it has, with fans of all ages. With Kaufman’s Field Guide to Birds of North America, even if you aren’t a big bird watcher already, you will soon find yourself hooked once you glance through the pages, and suddenly, you are looking upward every time you hear bird song, wondering if it’s a red-whiskered Bulbul or a white-eyed Vireo, or maybe a worm-eating Warbler…

Families will truly enjoy using this field guide together, exposing children to the joys and wonders of our fine feathered friends and the excitement of spotting a bird and being able to identify it by name. I was enthralled with birds as a child, and seeing this new Kaufman guide has re-awakened that same sense of awe in me, and now in my little boy, who is already learning how to use my old wooden bird-caller.