Best European Bird Guide (1 Viewer)

[Cognitive_Ethology]

I may soon be moving to the Netherlands or Austria and was wondering which bird guide I should purchase beforehand. My favorite guide is the Sibleys (north american) and was looking for something along those lines for Europe. What do you think is the best bird guide for Europe?

 

[Dave B Smith]

The Collin's Guide to the Birds of Europe by Mullarney, Svensson, Zetterstrom, & Grant (also published in the US by Princeton Field Guides and titled 'Birds of Europe')

It's available in field guide or desktop size.

 

[martinf]

The Collin's Guide to the Birds of Europe by Mullarney, Svensson, Zetterstrom, & Grant (also published in the US by Princeton Field Guides and titled 'Birds of Europe')

It's available in field guide or desktop size.

Have to second that. I think the best by far

 

[DavidP]

I'd go along with the other recommendations as well, certainly the illustrations are by far the best.

However be aware that the Collins guide covers quite a large area

to quote
"All bird species which breed or regularly occur in Europe, North Africa north of 30 N, and Israel, Palestine,Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, that is in a large part of the Middle East. Also included are the Canary islands, Madeira and the Sinai peninsula."

The result of this is that there are 722 species described, which entails that quite often the excellent illustrations and text are sometimes on the small side. Often there are 3 or 4 or more species on one page. The large A4 version of this guide is quite spectacular but very much an at home coffee table book. The two other versions either come as an everyday hardback (non bendable) or paperback version. The hardback opens out flat quite nicely but I find the paperbak because of its binding doesn't open out as well and certainly not in the style of the Sibley with its binding.


The other book I would check out which I think is more field pocketable is

"The Pocket guide to Birds of Britain and north west Europe" by Kightley, Madge and Nurney

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pocket-Brit...0434846?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173865604&sr=1-1

The illustrations are not up to scratch of the Collins but still quite good and it obviously has a more limited geographical distribution but one that includes both the Netherlands and Austria. It has a total of 384 species which allows it to have clear open text and drawings with usually just 1 or 2 species per page. Its very much in the vogue of the Sibley eastern or western version. It shares with it a bend-able soft/hard back which makes it more durable for field use and also a quick index and is definitely more pocketable than the Collins.
The Collins was designed I think to fit the often prevailing opinion in at least UK birding circles that field guides should be kept at home and you should take notes and look it up at home or in the car.

The Collins is generally thought of as the definive guide to Europe and it is a stunning guide but I think at least for my use (beginner and predominantly UK based) its not ideal and could be a little easier to use.

Comparing the dimensions of all three to the Western Sibley which is what I suppose you are using in Montana then the Collins would be the largest, nearly the same height as the Sibley but defintely wider. The Kightley madge is a little smaller than the Sibley western and about 2/3rds the width, whereas the Collins and Sibley will be nearly equal in width with if anthing the Sibley being thicker which is suggested by the fact that the Sibley has 470 pages, the Collins 395 and the Kightley 296.

I would suggest you get both but the Kightley Madge in my opinion is definitely nearer the Sibley if you're talking about the Eastern and Western field guide versions of the guide.

 

[Hotspur]

I believe that the Collins Guide is the leading field guide for europe- its pretty much all you will need, just be aware as mentioned it covers a large amount of species from other areas but a great many of these will occur as vagrants to holland/ belgium anyway. I would suggest a more localised guide if you are fairly new to birding but if you have a degree of experience then Collins is the way forward.

 

[jurek]

Collins Bird Guide by Mullarney et al. - simply the best.

However, there is also another (much inferior) Collins- bird book by different authors, be careful because some Americans were mistaken.

 

[nctexasbirder]

i thought there was an american version?

 

[Capercaillie71]

However, there is also another (much inferior) Collins- bird book by different authors, be careful because some Americans were mistaken.

This is the good one:

http://www.amazon.com/Collins-Bird-...2567905?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173902983&sr=8-3

and this is the same book with a different cover (the Princeton version that Dave refers to in Post #2):

http://www.amazon.com/Birds-Europe-...2567905?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173903202&sr=8-1


These are the inferior guides, also published by Collins but probably best avoided:

http://www.amazon.com/Collins-Pocke...2567905?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173903303&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Birds-Britain...2567905?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173903303&sr=8-6

 

[John Cantelo]

I'd also put in a word for the 'Birdwatcher's Pocket Guide' by Peter Hayman (the recent edition, not the old one). In some respects the plates are more accurate than the collins guide and it has the huge advantage of only describing/illustrating the 'core' European species. It is also much smaller and handier. However, it has disadvantages (eg no maps) so get both. If you're based in Holland also look out for 'Vogel Mitteleuropas' (if still in print) which is the Dutch version of the old British 'Shell Guide' - even if your linguistic skills aren't up to it (mine aren't!) then the larger scale distribution maps will give you a better idea of what's where! John

 

[Hubert]

I've heard that Collins BG is going to be issued with additional illustrations, but i'm not sure if it's true. Does any one know sth about it?

 

[John Cantelo]

Umm! Rumours regularly trickle round about these things. However, it's clearly time for an update/review. I doubt whether any such review will have many new illustrations - it's not easy to improve on perfection! However, I think the Herring Gull complex badly needs a makeover as do the less than scintilating illustrations of vagrant American passerines. A couple of now regular extralimital species need more treatment too, but the rmarkable thing is how little needs changing. However, bearing in mind the caveats & warnings about the number of species included it's a shame a 'Europe only' version isn't available. Perhaps they're waiting for new technology to come down in price so they can add 'bar codes' to allow a 'pen type' device to play music. The PDA version allows this but has too many other disadvantages over a paper guide to be entirely viable. Incidentally a maker of a device called 'birdvoice' (www.birdvoice.com I think) does this but only for a limited number of species, John

 

[sandrinhalee]

Does anyone recommend either the Collins or Princeton version over the other? I notice that one is 12 pages longer and $2 more expensive...just wondering what the difference was.

 

[Richard Klim]

I've heard that Collins BG is going to be issued with additional illustrations, but i'm not sure if it's true. Does any one know sth about it?

From the HarperCollins website [http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Contents/Title/Pages/default.aspx?objId=36363]:

"With expanded text and additional colour illustrations, the second edition of the hugely successful Collins Bird Guide is a must for every birdwatcher...
Pub. Date: 08.06.09"

Amazon UK describes the 2nd edition as having 416 pages (cf 1st edition 400pp).

Richard

 

[John Cantelo]

From the HarperCollins website [http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Contents/Title/Pages/default.aspx?objId=36363]:

"With expanded text and additional colour illustrations, the second edition of the hugely successful Collins Bird Guide is a must for every birdwatcher...
Pub. Date: 08.06.09"

Amazon UK describes the 2nd edition as having 416 pages (cf 1st edition 400pp).

Richard

Having originally been promised in 2008 and then put off to March 2009, I now see the second edition's been put back to June. Everytime the proposed publication date draws near, it retreats further into the unknowable future. Very frustrating! I can't see it appearing before the autumn!

 

[colonelboris]

I'd go for Collins. And if you're going to either country there's a certain book that ties in with the guide and translates the birds names into those languages, which may or may not be in my signiture...

 

[DavidP]

I see on the harper collins site the new edition is limited to Britain and Ireland, at least that is what it says on the cover. Hopefully there will more room and better layout with fewer species. I would hope that there would be room for this new edition, more British isles based and an updated more Europe wide edition, perhaps edition 3.
Don't know how that qualifies as a second edition though as it would be quite different from the existing edition that covers Europe, North Africa and large parts of the Middle east.

 

[Richard Klim]

I see on the harper collins site the new edition is limited to Britain and Ireland, at least that is what it says on the cover.

Even though HarperCollins has chosen to emphasise Britain & Ireland (rather than Britain & Europe) in the cover title of the 2nd edition (presumably for local marketing purposes), I'm quite sure that the geographical scope (actually Europe plus North Africa and much of the Middle East) will be unchanged from the 1st edition.

Richard

 

[Glosbirder]

I hope they revise the distribution maps; they have been substantially out of date for much of the first edition's currency.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the expanded text amounts to. We go to Canada regularly and use the Sibley Guide and the companion Birds and Behaviour Guide is really useful and a good read

From the HarperCollins website [http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Contents/Title/Pages/default.aspx?objId=36363]:

"With expanded text and additional colour illustrations, the second edition of the hugely successful Collins Bird Guide is a must for every birdwatcher...
Pub. Date: 08.06.09"

Amazon UK describes the 2nd edition as having 416 pages (cf 1st edition 400pp).

Richard

 

[Acanthis]

I love the collins guide and only have a few minor quibbles. Has anyone else noticed that the print smudges onto the opposite pages after it has been used for a while? Maybe it's just my copy but this has kind of spoiled the look of the book for me. Won't stop me buying the next edition though! :t:
Hopefully some of the latest taxonomic and phylogenetic findings will be incorporated too.

 

[colonelboris]

I know what you mean about the print smudging. Can't complain about the binding, though - after fou years of pretty heavy use at home and in the field (even by my kids), it's still holding together well.