This stunningly illustrated book from acclaimed birder and photographer Richard Crossley revolutionizes birding by providing the first real-life approach to identification. Whether you are a beginner, expert, or anywhere in between,The Crossley ID Guidewill vastly improve your ability to identify birds.Unlike other guides, which provide isolated individual photographs or illustrations, this is the first book to feature large, lifelike scenes for each species. These scenes--680 in all--are each composed of 12-20 color images showing the bird in a wide range of views--near and far, from different angles, in various plumages and behaviors, including flight, and in the habitat in which they live. These beautiful compositions show how a bird's appearance changes with distance, and give equal emphasis to characteristics experts use to identify birds: size, structure and shape, behavior, probability, and color. This is the first book to convey all of these features visually--and in a single image--and to reinforce them with accurate, concise text. Each scene provides a wealth of detailed visual information that invites and rewards careful study, but the most important identification features can be grasped instantly by anyone.By making identification easier, more accurate, and more fun than ever before,The Crossley ID Guidewill completely redefine how readers look at birds. Essential for all birders, it also promises to make new birders of many people who have despaired of using traditional guides. The Crossley ID Guiderevolutionizes birding and field guides Lifelike scenes composed from multiple color photos of the same species--seen near and far, from different angles, and in various plumages and behaviors, including flight Highlights the most important identification characteristics: size, structure and shape, behavior, probability, and color Most comprehensive guide available, with 680 scenes incorporating more than 8,000 of the author's images An interactive Web site that includes videos-- www.crossleybirds.com --helps readers further sharpen and test their identification skills