My son loves his library edition of this book so much, I came here to buy him his own copy. Perhaps some of the adults are disappointed because it might be for beginners / new learners rather than seasoned birders.

In 2010 the Stokes published “The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America”. This legendary book has set the standards for complete field guides. The key characteristics of this book are

1. Outstanding photos showing birds in many different plumages and poses
2. A thorough description of shape, which is often a key to identification
3. Identification tips for groups of birds
4. Dates of plumage changes
5. Inclusion of sub-species
6. A thorough compilation of the birds, even the rarities

Unfortunately, by making this book so complete, it is too large to conveniently carry in the field. Thus, the genesis of the two new books – an eastern version and a western version.

The Stokes have drawn the geographic line through popular birding states such as North Dakota, Kansas, and Texas, and have often included the birds found in those states in both books which makes both the eastern and western versions more complete.

Happily, these two volumes have kept the great parts of the first book. To make it more portable, the Stokes have simply removed the very rare birds, and also the birds that don’t appear in either half of the country. The result is a great pair of field guides that people of all skill and knowledge levels can enjoy. While still a little large for some pants pockets, they will fit into most vest pockets.

Bottom line – buy them!
Karl Werner

Having used this book regularly for a few years, I would like to amend my review by making an even stronger recommendation. For decades, birders have debated whether a field guide should be based on artwork (e.g., Peterson, Sibley)or photography (e.g., the old Audubon series, and now Stokes). That debate is now over, and both sides win. Until the new Stokes guides were published, starting in 2010, paintings were always superior to photographs because they emphasized the essential features for identifying the birds. But Don and Lillian Stokes have elevated the quality of the photography and reproduction (plus excellent descriptions) to a level that makes their books very competitive. The advantage is that the photos show what the bird actually looks like, not a stylized representation. For the past two years, I have gone out regularly with the Sibley app on my phone and Stokes in my pocket. It’s a great combination, so why choose only one?
And here is my original review:
The new Stokes regional guides are a must. I have been using Sibley ever since his guides came out, and I will continue to do so – alongside these new books. Sibley uses paintings to highlight each bird’s key features, which is a very useful technique pioneered decades ago by Roger Tory Peterson. But paintings do not show what a bird actually looks like, and that is where the Stokes guides excel. They use very clear and representative photos–several for each species–so that you can compare what you’re seeing in the field with what the species looks like. Subtle differences in shape or color become clear. If you can carry two field guides, make this one of them. If you’re only going to carry one, then you’ll probably continue to use Sibley, but the Stokes guides (either the new regional ones or the larger book that covers all of North America) will still be very useful to have at home for post-trip verifications.