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Summary: Still the best BNA field guide
Review: Speaking as a professional biologist who has been birding for some time now, I can honestly say that this is, by far, my favoirite field guide and the only one I use. In terms of accuracy of information, ease of use and artwork I have never come across a better guide. While the new Sibley field guide is very nice it will never replace my NGS guide.
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Summary: If you could have only one field guide... This is the one.
Review: The dog-eared cover and pages tell it all. I carry this field guide birding while the others repose on the book shelf at home. The concise description of field marks and the handy range maps make it a most useful tool. The range maps are on the same page, so you don't have to flip around looking for them. I recently bought one as a Christmas gift for my son and daughter-in-law. They are becoming interested in birds and I want them to have the best field guide.
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Summary: What an improvement on something already terrific!
Review: The Nat'l Geo 3rd Edition Field Guide is a MUST-HAVE for all birders and has improved upon the 2nd edition in the following ways: Families captioned at the top of each page (e.g., "Finches"); Page numbers positioned at top of pages and more easily found; Range maps have been updated to reflect almost up-to-the-minute species distribution; Range maps re-keyed by color & easier to understand (more commonality with other field guides in use of colors); 80 new species added and old, suspect records omitted; Bolded key words in descriptions make it easier to find info you are looking for re: description, call, song, habitat, etc. The presentation of the material and the up-to-date information make this my new #1 field guide. Bravo to National Geographic. Sorry, Golden Press, my old friend.
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Summary: Some notes on NG's Field Guide, 3rd edition.
Review: The revised NG Field Guide is good in that it updates new names and splits, etc. but many of the pictures leave a lot to be desired, especially the hummingbirds, which are terrible! We only use it as a back up to Peterson or others. Also for some reason the author decided to re-order the 'natural' order of 'orders' so that this guide does not follow most other guides and is confusing to use occasionally. Maps are good but not entirely accurate or tend to show smaller, more limited ranges than actually is the case. Overall, a very good beginning guide for those new to birding because it is simpler [and less technical] to use. Enjoy! The bird world and the natural world is waiting for you!
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Summary: This is my favorite bird guide. all birds in one volume
Review: This book has fine illustrations and descriptions of nearly every bird found in North America. There are a few Mexican accidentals that will not be found such as flame-colored tanager and white-throated robin. The Golden field guide has some features that this guide lacks ie comparisons of sparrow heads on two facing pages so that you can easily compare all sparrows by looking at two facing pages. The illustrations are better than the Golden field guide. Both are good but this I think is better because covers more birds and has better illustrations. I prefer both of these to the Peterson guides because all birds are in one volume. I also prefer these to the guides with photos of birds because the photos are dependent upon light conditions and the pose of the bird which is not always ideal.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best, but decent
Review: This book is not the best of all the bird guides out there. Firstly, it is too bulky to be practical to bring anywhere. Second, the art work looks fake. The pages of this book are glossy and are difficult to maneuver through when in a rush. This book may be one of the newest out there, but if you are going to buy a bird guide, buy the Blue Golden Book-Birds of North America, or maybe the Peterson guide. My personal favorite is the Golden book and I believe that most experienced birders will agree with me. The artwork in the Golden book is far more accurate than in any other book on the market. If this is your first time buying a field guide, don't buy this one just because it the most popular one on the market, buy one of the other two I mentioned.
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Summary: Absolutely the best bird guide on the market.
Review: This is absolutely the best bird guide on the market. The pictures are contained opposite to the range maps and descriptions, which helps in quick identification.
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Summary: The definitive guide to North-American birds
Review: This is an excellent book and perhaps my most treasured field guide. The book combines full colour illustrations and range maps of both eastern and western species across North America with excellent descriptive passages. It introduced me to the wealth of avifauna in the US and has been my constant companion on trips there ever since. I have since bought the excellent Peterson's guides but this book is where you should start.
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Summary: Don't throw away your Peterson's!
Review: Though I agree with some assessments of the strengths of this guide, it also has weaknesses that make me happy to retain my battered Peterson's guides to Eastern and Western birds. First, the Geographic guide is too big and too heavy to carry around the field. Peterson's fits into a pants pocket. Second,birds with limited eastern, western, Alaskan, or Southwestern ranges are intermixed, so that it is difficult to rapidly eliminate unlikely species. Third, the Geographic guide is missing those helpful little arrows that Peterson includes to rapidly point out the most important field marks. Fourth, the paintings in the Geographic guide are almost hyper-realistic, with shiny overstated colors that don't match very well with what you will see in the field. The sparrows are particularly poor, with the subtle differences among species almost grotesquely exagerrated. Finally, unlike the neatly aligned paintings in Peterson's where all the birds are pointed in more or less the same direction, the birds in the Geographic guide are in all kinds of different poses -- not all flattering or realistic. Again, this stylistic inconsistency makes it difficult to rapidly compare similar species. So, leave the Geographic guide at home or in your car as a back-up and source of more current information, but pack your Peterson's into the field.
Rating:
Summary: Don't throw away your Peterson's!
Review: Though I agree with some assessments of the strengths of this guide, it also has weaknesses that make me happy to retain my battered Peterson's guides to Eastern and Western birds. First, the Geographic guide is too big and too heavy to carry around the field. Peterson's fits into a pants pocket. Second,birds with limited eastern, western, Alaskan, or Southwestern ranges are intermixed, so that it is difficult to rapidly eliminate unlikely species. Third, the Geographic guide is missing those helpful little arrows that Peterson includes to rapidly point out the most important field marks. Fourth, the paintings in the Geographic guide are almost hyper-realistic, with shiny overstated colors that don't match very well with what you will see in the field. The sparrows are particularly poor, with the subtle differences among species almost grotesquely exagerrated. Finally, unlike the neatly aligned paintings in Peterson's where all the birds are pointed in more or less the same direction, the birds in the Geographic guide are in all kinds of different poses -- not all flattering or realistic. Again, this stylistic inconsistency makes it difficult to rapidly compare similar species. So, leave the Geographic guide at home or in your car as a back-up and source of more current information, but pack your Peterson's into the field.
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