A Field Guide to Warblers of North America (Peterson Guide)

I don’t think the definitive guide to New World Warblers has been published, but this is close. The plates are all together in the front of the guide and they illustrate just about all the different plumages for every species that can be expected in North America. The plates utilize the “Peterson method” of arrows pointing out the best field marks. You will still have to read the captions to know what exactly is being pointed out (for example, is an arrow pointing at the supercilium in order to emphasize its presence, its color, or perhaps its shape?). There are also separate plates that include the under-side of the tail and the undertail coverts for all species. This is incredibly helpful and should be a standard feature of all warbler guides.

The species accounts are very detailed and should answer most questions on distribution, behavior, and biology. The accounts also include some color photos.

My biggest complaint with this guide is the size. The width and height are similar to that of most trade paperbacks. That makes the book very thick. If the dimensions could have been increased (perhaps to those used by the Princeton photographic guides) it would have reduced the thickness and also allowed the plates to be reproduced in a larger size and better quality.

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