Following in the pattern established with the ground-breaking first edition of The Sibley Guide to Birds (or, as it quickly became known – for obvious reasons – in many birding circles, “The Big Sibley”), David Sibley has now divided his even larger and more extensive second edition of that book into a western and eastern volume to allow for easier portability and use in the field. Thus, on 29 March 2016, Sibley Birds West and Sibley Birds East field guides will be making their debut – likely (if you’re in North America, at least) in a book shop near you.
According to the publisher, the western edition includes “715 bird species, plus regional populations, found west of the Rocky Mountains” while the eastern volume totals a slightly lower “650 bird species, plus regional populations, found east of the Rocky Mountains.” All species citations are, of course, brought up-to-date with the most recent AOU taxonomy and names. The maps are also reported to be updated with current information on species ranges, and a greater number of possible rarities have been included than were in the previous volumes.
