A Field Guide to Field Guides: Which Guide?

Below is a list of characteristics to consider when selecting a guide.

• Portability: This might not seem intuitive, but not all "field guides" are easy to carry! Some guides, like comprehensive keys, can even be several volumes long. If you are sitting at your window or walking around your yard, this might not be a problem, but if you are headed into the back country,  you might be concerned about all that weight! Just remember, what you give up in size you may also give up in detail. Smaller guides, while easier to carry, may cut details, ID organisms to the family or genus only, or cut entire families altogether. Make sure to flip through to ensure that the guide you carry has what you need before you go!
• Special and localized guides: Are you just interested in spotting birds of prey? Just exploring you backyard here in Michigan? Then you might not need a guide that covers all birds or the entire US or North American continent. Instead, look for specialized guides that focus on a particular type of organism (lichens, ferns, freshwater fish, type of bird, etc), or a specific area (such as Michigan, the Great Lakes, the Midwest, or the Eastern US, etc).
• Photos, Illustrations, or None of the Above: Different guides use different techniques for identification. Keys, for example, tend to have very few illustrations, and any illustrations are meant only to show you a specific section of anatomy, not necessarily the characteristics of an individual species. Other guides use color photographs, and still others use drawn or painted illustrations. For example, Peterson guides tend to use photographs of species, while Sibley includes many painted/drawn illustrations from a variety of angles. Flip through a variety of guides to find a style you prefer, and don't hesitate to try a different style if you find yourself struggling with an ID.
• Included Information: As mentioned previously, different guides contain different amounts of information. If you are out in the field for a class assignment, make sure the guide you choose will give you all the information needed to complete that assignment. If you are in the field to improve your recognition of different species, make sure that the guide clearly outlines different characteristics of individual species, as well as potential look-a-likes or closely related species.
• Identification Layout: Not all guides ID organisms in the same way. If you are a casual observer, it might be easier for you to identify plants or birds by color or by other physical traits. If you are interested in learning more about the world around you, finding a guide that breaks organisms into families (investigating taxonomic relationships) and provides characteristics of each family might be more useful. Keys provide a very detailed way of identifying species and require you to identify a plant by family or order first.

Remember, the above are meant as guidance to help you start thinking about field guides, but it is by no means a comprehensive list! Ultimately, it's helpful to try a variety of guides and find one that you like. And don't be afraid to mix it up now and then! Come back, find a new guide and test it out in the field!

This might seem likely a silly thing to state, but make sure to read your guide! Most guides are designed not only to help you ID an organism, but also to give you a general introduction to that group of organisms. Some may introduce you to important terminology that they use and that may differ from what you are familiar with, or introduce you to new terminology. They also help you understand how to use that specific guide. Each guide is very different, both in terms of layout, design, and ease of use. Reading the guide will help you use the guide more effectively and become better at identifying that group of organisms. They may also help you learn how to read:

• Anatomy charts or topography of an organism
• Range charts showing native range, invasive range, or migration
• Variation among individuals in the same species

The #1 Rule of field guide use is look at the organism not the book! While field guides are meant to help with ID, you have to know the characteristics of the individual you are looking at before you can find it in the book. This is a notorious problem for people working with fast organisms, like arthropods or birds.

Reading your field guide before you get to the field ensures that you know what to look for. Should you look for wing bars or eye rings? Do you count the stripes on a bees back or the placement of antennae? Becoming familiar with the guide before you get to the field prepares you to see the organism in a way that will allow for identification once it's zoomed on it's way!

Naming of organisms can be fraught. It's important to note that taxonomy is constantly changing and evolving based on our understanding of taxonomic relationships, new information, and how quickly organisms evolve. Older field guides may be out of date or list older names (especially scientific names). On the other hand, one species may be known by very different common names depending on the region. Make sure to check your ID with a newer guide or app!