BIRDS of North America 2.0

BIRDS of North America 2.0

by Gary Hartman

Because birds are so sensitive to changes in the environment, observing and keeping records of bird sightings is an activity where normal people can contribute to science. The ability to locate birds is frequently not a matter of chance but of applying finely honed auditory and visual observation skills. BIRDS of North America 2.0 provides the right tools for sharpening these skills. This is a wonderful resource! What I would have given to have had a PC and the BIRDS of North America 2.0 CD-ROM when I started birding 30 years ago!

Installation was a snap, but I had to tweak my video settings. Although the minimum video requirement is 256 colors, at this setting on my PC the photos were fuzzy; I got much better results switching to high color (16-bit). BIRDS of North America 2.0 is easy to use through the Windows interface. Although no manual is provided, none is really needed and online help is available.

As the name implies, the “meat” of this product is the extensive database of North American birds, both living and extinct species. All 917 birds known to have been found in the United States and Canada are included, with over 2,700 photos and over 1,200 songs (on 695 birds) from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Although the photos seem to take an eternity (about 6 seconds) to load, they are generally worth the wait (once loaded, they display much faster). Most species have multiple photos demonstrating seasonal and gender variations in plumage. Short action videos are provided for many species. The songs and calls are of high quality and representative for the species; I recognized a lot of familiar sounds. Sonograms are available for each of the songs/calls. Range maps, and winter and summer abundance maps are provided for most species; migratory paths are not shown on the maps (would have been nice). There is a side-by-side comparison feature that is really nice because it allows you to examine differences in similar species, both in appearance and song (you can also "zoom" the photos for a closer look). The “Identify!” feature helps you identify birds by inputting information on habitat type, size, state/province, family, and color.

An online version of The Birder’s Handbook by Paul Ehrlich includes information on breeding, displays, nest, eggs, chick development, diet, conservation, notes, and essays on bird behavior (although there is no discussion on important field marks). Other modules include The Joy of Birding (includes connections to top birding sites on the World Wide Web, checklists for 63 States and Provinces, reviews of binoculars and scopes, addresses for over 1,100 bird clubs, and much more), Avian Jukebox (just plays bird songs; I didn’t get much out of this), and 115 bird quizzes (my favorite!).

The Bird Quiz module, drawing from the complete database of 917 birds, is where BIRDS of North America 2.0 really shines. While some of the quizzes are of questionable value [i.e., Birds Named After Geology Stuff, and West Texas (good topic, but the quiz inadequately includes only four species)], the majority are exceptional. There are quizzes for various parts of North America in different seasons, quizzes for specific bird types (sparrows, warblers, etc.), and quizzes for each state or province. Since each quiz is compiled from the checklist of birds recorded for each specific area, some of the birds shown in the quiz may appear differently than you could expect to see them. For example, the quiz for Tennessee includes a Pacific Loon in breeding plumage (very unlikely). The difficulty level is adjustable and you can choose to display any combination of photos, songs, and range maps, giving this product educational value for all levels of expertise. In contrast to the disparity of species in the West Texas quiz, many of the quizzes are rather long; the Tennessee quiz includes 378 species and you can choose to be tested on the complete database of 917 species. Scoring is accurately tabulated as each answer is submitted and total complete scores may be saved for future comparison. The only problem with the quizzes is that there is no way to save a quiz in the middle once it has been started (you can abort, but your current score is not saved); this is a minor, though frustrating, problem on the long quizzes. Overall, I found the quizzes to be an exceptional tool for learning new bird songs and brushing up before taking a field trip.

Bottom Line: I’m impressed with BIRDS of North America 2.0. Despite a few glitches, this product has a lot to offer birders, from beginner all the way up to expert. The numerous quizzes are particularly outstanding and alone are worth the price. BIRDS of North America 2.0 is highly recommended for any level of birding interest (i.e., if you like birds, you will love this product!).

System Tested On: IBM-compatible PC with a 133Mhz Pentium; Windows 95; 64-bit PCI-bus SVGA video card; 32 Mb of RAM; 8x CD-ROM drive; 16-bit Soundblaster-compatible sound card; mouse

Minimum System: IBM-compatible 486/66 processor; Windows 3.1, Windows 95, or Windows NT; 8 MB RAM; 6 MB hard drive space; double-speed CD-ROM drive; 256 color VGA display; Windows-compatible sound card; Mouse

BIRDS of North America 2.0 can be purchased from Thayer Birding Software for $65. Technical support is available is available by phone (toll number), e-mail, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.thayerbirding.com.

Thayer Birding Software, 809 Walkerbilt Road, Suite #4, Naples, Florida 34110-1511; phone 1-800-865-2473 or 239-596-1637