While pursuing the hobby of birding and bird watching, it is very important to invest in a good pair of binoculars and, of course, a good bird book. A bird book is one of the most important things for a bird enthusiast has to have at all times.

A bird book, referred to as a field guide, is the basic reference book of birding. It is usually a little book, but it contains an abundance of information about birds. There are descriptions and pictures of different birds; the book even tells you what specific details one has to look for while bird watching. It tells you the different colors of birds, special characteristics of birds that help you distinguish among birds and also the specific habitat they can be found in. In fact, it can be considered as the next best thing to a friendly expert birder at your side!

Bird books are found regionally, which means that a particular area may have bird books that cater to the birds found only in that area. Usually, it is okay to start with only one bird book, but soon you may feel that you have to have more than one field guide. This need arises mainly because no one book actually contains all the information of all birds in an area. The information found in one book may not be available in another book. And, while you have two or more books handy, it would be wise to compare the different illustrations and descriptions of the same bird from both books. In this way, you may learn how to locate the bird from different vantage points! Then, you will be ready when you do unexpectedly encounter the bird you were waiting for!