Since its first publication in October 2000, the Kaufman Guide has been widely hailed as the best field guide to recommend to new birders. Everything about its compact size, straightforward layout, clear illustrations, detailed maps, and engaging text has been consciously designed to make the first steps in bird identification as easy as possible, so that beginners can get straight to the enjoyment of birds.

• Compact but complete, covering every species of bird found regularly in North America
• Clear, vibrant pictures, in digital images based on photos, for the most accurate and lifelike illustrations available
• Species are arranged by appearance, not by scientific sequence, so that similar birds are close together for easy comparison
• Lively, informative text describes the habitat, behavior, and identification of every bird
• Detailed range maps show where each bird is common or rare
• Illustrations, maps, and text are all visible at a glance in facing-page format
• "Pictorial Table of Contents" makes it easy for even first-time birders to put each bird in the right group
• Color tabs help with navigating to the right section
• Quick one-page index in the back makes it easy to look things up quickly
• Full index doubles as a checklist for tallying your life list