"Golden Field Guides -- Birds of North America"

There are Golden guides for everything from bats, birds and butterflies to weeds, whales and wildflowers. At about 4½ x 8 inches, all are compact, comprehensive and convenient to carry outdoors. I bought a Golden Field Guide to birds in 1972 for $3.95, and its pages are only now beginning to fall out, requiring the rubber-band remedy.

The page count on the new version of this guide remains about 360, preventing the weight problems of other guides whose larger formats and clearer photographs are easier to see but a pain to lug around.

I liked the range maps, Sonagrams (songs), descriptions and illustrations on facing pages. Some maps are quite faded, however, and avid birders may be unhappy with the uneven clarity of Arthur Singer's "classic" paintings. It's been my experience, though, that birders collect field guides the way magnets attract iron, meaning alternate views in other books can easily supplement these.

From joining a local online bird-watching group, I've learned that some species have new common names. What my ancient trusty volume calls an Oldsquaw, the politically correct new edition calls the Long-tailed Duck. The foreword also notes that "the latest information about birds found in North America north of Mexico" is included along with "recent changes in bird classification and common and scientific names."

As before, the introduction offers information about using the book, how birds are grouped, an explanation of migratory ranges, tips on identification, a bird with its parts labeled, as well as lists of resources including local clubs, national organizations, magazines, Web sites and about a dozen particularly useful books.

Birds are presented in the standard American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) order, with a few changes. At the beginning of most family sections, silhouettes at the top of the page aid identification; birds of that group are black, while species easily confused with them are blue. Comparison plates are also helpful.

While changes to this edition may not be striking, the guide meets its original aims of being handy and easy to use.

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