Information in the Field Guide

The Field Guide presents a lot of information about each bird. There are two columns per page. Use QuickJump at the top of the page to jump down to other sections. You may also use the scroll bar on the right to move up and down the page.

If you do not see the scroll bar, click the blue square icon in the upper right corner of the Field Guide screen. You can also try dragging and dropping the blue Field Guide title bar to the left.

 

Left Side

Description

Common name
Scientific name
(pronounce)

Click (pronounce) to hear both names pronounced correctly. In Windows, Petey the Parrot will fly in, perch on the window, and pronounce the names. This action word is not available if you are using a language other than English.

Order
Family

 

Click (full description) to display a small text box describing the Order.
image\ebx_-1449256404.gif The Family View is accessible by clicking the View Related button.

Size

This displays the size of the bird from the tip of its beak to the tip of its tail. Wingspan is also shown for some species.

Abundance

Birds are listed as Abundant, Common, Uncommon or Rare. (Very Rare and Accidental birds are not included on this DVD – but they do appear in the Gold edition.) This tells you how likely you are to see this bird when you look in the right habitat and the right location at the right time of the year.

Identification Tips

The list of identification features will help you identify a species. In some cases male and female plumages or breeding and non-breeding plumages are described separately.

Mnemonic

A mnemonic is a written description of the sound the species makes. This is often very subjective. For a few birds, a mnemonic like Kill-deer or Whip-poor-will can be so accurate that the bird actually derives its common name from the mnemonic.

Habitat and Behavior

This describes the habitat of this species: where is this bird likely to be found; does it associate with certain vegetation or trees; does it prefer hot or cold places, wet or dry places. Behavior will highlight any characteristics that may help identify the bird.

Languages

The common name of each species is shown in English, French, German, and Spanish. Change your preference by clicking Tools in the Menu Bar, click Options and then click Names.

Band Codes

The 4-letter code used when banding the species is shown. Band codes are assigned by the U.S. Geologic Survey.

My Sightings

 

My Comments

 

 


Abundance Map

Your sightings of this species are displayed here. Click Add to enter another sighting or click the Sightings button to add a sighting or run a report.

Click Add/Edit to add your own personal comments
. Keep notes about behavior you saw and more. Customize your electronic Field Guide! You may also import images by clicking the image icon (it looks like a mountain and a sun.) These images will then appear in the “My Comments” section. We recommend importing images that are 200 to 300 pixels wide.

If available, this map shows the winter or summer abundance. The legend may be hard to read. You can click the picture or click (zoom) to enlarge the picture to a readable size.

Alternate Photographs

If available, additional photographs of the species are shown. These may be pictures of females, juveniles, alternate plumage, in flight images or pictures at the nest. (With the Gold edition of this software, you can import your own images or images you find on the Internet and they will appear everywhere within the program – just as if they had been included on the DVD.)

 

 

 

Right Side of the Page

 

Description

QuickJump:

Click any of these underlined words to jump farther down the page. To quickly jump back to the top of a page, press CTRL+HOME.

Primary Photograph

This shows the primary photograph with a descriptive caption. Click the picture or click (zoom) to enlarge the picture to full screen. Click Next to see additional enlarged photos. Click the zoomed picture's Close button when you are finished viewing it. To print a zoomed photograph, click File at the top left, and then click Print. In Mac, just click the Print button. All photographs are owned and copyrighted by the photographer. Contact them if you want to use their image on the Internet or for a commercial project.

Sound Recordings

Click (play) to hear the song. Click (loop) to hear the song repeated over and over again. Overall sample refers to the fact that the file could have been spliced from more than one original recording. Click Spectrogram to “see” the bird’s song.

Song files are stored on the DVD under Media. You may use these files for your own personal use only. You may move them to your own iPod. You may play them in the field. You may NOT trade or give these sound files to anyone else. You may NOT use them on the Internet or in a kiosk or a public display of any type without getting permission from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Cornell owns these sound files, not you. Violators will be subject to prosecution.

Range Map

The range map typically shows the breeding and non-breeding or wintering range for the bird. It may also show the year-round range.

Video Recordings

If a video clip is available, click play. Version 4 of this software now lets you drag the corner of the video to enlarge it. The picture may appear “grainy” if you do this. In Windows, you may also click View and Video Size to change the size of the video. Click Stop to pause the video. Click the X in the upper right corner of the Video screen to close the video. In Mac, click the Close button.

Other References

Click to see additional information about the bird. The Birder’s Handbook link will take you to an electronic version of this classic 700+ page book. The Internet online guide will take you to a web site with links to even more information.

Abundance Map

If available, this map shows the summer or winter abundance. The legend is not visible without zooming. You can click the picture or click (zoom) to enlarge the picture to a readable size. Learn how these maps were created.

Alternate Photographs

If available, additional photographs of the species are shown. These may be pictures of females, juveniles, alternate plumage, in flight images or pictures at the nest. You can view all photos by clicking Zoom and then use the <Previous or Next> button to see all the photos for each species.