The Sibley Guide to Birds

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The Sibley Guide to Birds is a guide for the identification of birds found in the North American region as defined by the American Birding Association. The region consists of the continent of North America north of Mexico, including the United States, Canada, and all adjacent islands, but excluding Hawaii, Bermuda, and Greenland. The region also includes offshore waters that are either within 200 miles (320 kilometers), or halfway to the nearest land that is not part of the North American region, whichever is closer.

The guide was written and illustrated by David Allen Sibley, who is unrelated to ornithologist Charles Sibley. It was published (ISBN 0-679-45122-6) in October 2000. It includes 810 species with 350 regional forms.

The National Audubon Society calls it "The new standard of excellence in bird identification guides" [1].

In 2003, the Sibley Guide was re-released as two separate books, "The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (ISBN 978-0679451204)," and "The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America (ISBN 978-0679451211)." These books use the same material in the original Sibley Guide, but have been made smaller and more portable by focusing only on the birds usually found in one half of North America or the other. Any of these three books are commonly referred to by birders as "Sibley" or "the Sibley."