Nearly every bird is displayed in flight, both from above and below, showing how the top and bottom of the wings look. No other American field guide has ever done that. And while most field guides show birds only in profile, this book shows, in addition, many birds perched nearly head-on to the viewer, especially sparrows and other small birds that we often see from that position. David has done something wonderful here, for while all his pictures are rich in information, each one is also a work of art. Each account includes a good-sized map of where the bird is found in all seasons and a detailed description of its songs and calls.
Small silhouettes show how a bird's wings change shape in flight.
Notes next to the illustrations point out the birds' identifying characteristics. As in all good field guides, the author groups similar and related birds for easy reference. Furthermore, David begins every family of birds with an overview page, showing all the members of the family together and to the same scale. The ability to recognize what group a bird belongs to is a primary skill in identifying birds, and this book does the best job I've ever seen at helping a new birdwatcher form a concept of each bird family. That might be more than I want to carry in a pocket, assuming it would fit in a pocket at all, but I'd be tempted.