STEVE N. G. HOWELL is an international bird tour leader with WINGS and a popular speaker and trip leader at birding festivals. He has been watching birds for as long as he can remember. Steve has authored numerous books and articles, mainly about birds, and the common thread to his life is that birding should be fun. He lives in California.
BRIAN SULLIVAN has conducted fieldwork on birds throughout North America for the past 25 years. Birding travels, photography, and field projects have taken him all over the world. He has written and consulted on various books, including popular and scientific literature on North American birds. He is a coauthor of several books and is currently project leader for eBird and photographic editor for the Birds of North America Online at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. He lives in California.

"The birding equivalent of having Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking teach you how to count, add, subtract, multiply, and comprehend quantum mechanics." -Pete Dunne, author of Birds of Prey
Identifying birds can be overwhelming. Where and how do you start? The good news is that most people already know more than they realize about birds, which can greatly simplify the identification process.
Written in a helpful, conversational style and illustrated with numerous photos, this "12-step program" starts with the basics and builds logically into a manageable framework that enables anyone to get into, or get more out of, the world of watching, identifying, and enjoying birds.
"Identifying birds is a science and an art. These leading masters of the craft share a wealth of inside knowledge in this gem of a book. If you're a birder at any level of experience, I guarantee this book will improve your skills in the field." -Kenn Kaufman, author of The Birds That Audubon Missed
"If you are going to have a book-based conversation with bird experts about identification, Howell and Sullivan are going to be at the top of the list. . . . a highly opinionated book reflecting the approach and thoughts of the authors. Which is exactly what makes it a book that all birders should read, consult, and maybe even, like me, read again." -Donna Schulman, 10,000 Birds
"This book is friendly, non-intimidating, and even humorous. New birders can acquire some basics from this handy little book, and experienced birders can pick up some vital pointers, especially useful when helping the uninitiated." -Paul J. Baicich and Wayne Petersen, The Birding Community E-Bulletin