Having previously reviewed two prior versions of this product (versions 2.0 and 2.5), I was very interested to see the changes rolled-into this new version 3. I'll have to admit that I was somewhat apprehensive since Version 3 is the first edition of a combined effort between Thayer Birding Software and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and I was afraid that major changes would adversely affect this exceptional product…I needn't have worried. On almost all fronts, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Guide to Birds of North America Version 3 (BNA 3) exceeds previous versions in speed, scope, and usefulness.

BNA 3 ships on a single CD-ROM that autoplays for installation. Online help is available through the intuitive Windows interface.

BNA 3 includes all 930 bird species found in continental North America, including the United States and Canada but excluding Hawaii. Extirpated and presumed extinct species are also included (e.g., Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, Carolina Parakeet, Great Auk, Bachman's Warbler, etc.) for completeness. BNA 3 contains 2,683 color photos, 90 video clips, and more than 1,200 songs, calls, and chip notes from the extensive collection at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. As with previous versions, the songs and calls are of excellent quality and include sonograms for each sound.

Of the new material added for version 3, over 1,475 of the photos are new, and 19 new songs have been added. The most obvious visual change is the new "Field Guide" appearance which puts most of the information about individual species on a single page…this is pretty handy, and a nice way to represent species information. Compared to previous editions, BNA 3 simply flies (i.e., it is very fast…the speed with which photos load is much improved over earlier versions). The addition of Petey the Parrot, an animated parrot that will fly into the corner of the screen to pronounce species names, seemed a little corny and I could easily have done without it. The module designed for help with identification has also been expanded to include field marks (i.e., wing bars, etc.) and is a good addition. Some of the new photos have been added to represent plumage variations, and these can be zoomed for close inspection (one minor gripe here…WHY can you not play the bird song when the image is in zoom mode?). Bird family descriptions have been expanded, and include up to twelve photos for each family. Over 200 new quizzes have been added, including Christmas Bird Count quizzes (more on this later). Also, BNA 3 includes a "lite" version of their Birder's Diary listing software for keeping track of birds seen in North America. Lastly (but definitely not least), individual species pages contain Internet links to additional online information about bird species with additional links to related web-sites…this was a very cool addition, and I hope they maintain the Internet links for this valuable resource. And did I mention that BNA 3 is FAST!
As with previous versions, BNA 3 contains an online version of The Birder's Handbook by Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin, and Darryl Wheye seamlessly integrated into the program, which includes information on breeding, displays, nest, eggs, chick development, diet, conservation, notes, and essays on bird behavior.

My favorite part of the program is the Bird Quiz module, which is alone worth the cost of the product. I was pleased to see that corrections had been made to some of the quizzes, and the addition of 200 new quizzes adds to the value. I was also pleased to see that Christmas bird count quizzes have been added to BNA 3. Although a few of the quizzes were obviously included only for fun [i.e., Birds Named After Geology Stuff, Birds Named After Continents, etc.], the majority of the quizzes are useful, educational, and very helpful in preparing for field trips. There are quizzes for almost anything you can imagine, including seasonal North American regional quizzes, specific bird family (flycatchers, woodpeckers, warblers, sparrows, etc.), state/province quizzes, favorite bird list quizzes from birding celebrities, and more. In addition, each quiz can be customized by the user to specify level of difficulty, repetition of species, and whether you want the quiz to show photos and range maps along with songs and calls…if you're really bold, try this with songs only! You can even create your own quiz (an invaluable tool for field trip preparation). Overall, the quiz module is a fantastic tool to improve both sight identification and your ability to recognize bird songs in the field.

Bottom Line: An already exceptional product has been made even better…no self-respecting birder should be without The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Guide to Birds of North America Version 3…you will learn much, and have a lot of fun doing it.  Highly recommended.

System Tested On: IBM-compatible PC with an AMD-Athlon 600 Mhz CPU; Windows 98; Nvidia Geforce 256 graphics accelerator; 128 Mb of RAM; 40x CD-ROM drive; Sound Blaster Live! Value sound card; mouse

Minimum System: Windows 98, ME, 2000 Pro, or XP; Pentium 233 processor or equivalent, 64 MB RAM, 16x CD-ROM drive, 30 MB available hard drive space, hardware and software required to support multimedia applications, Internet connection (to access some features on CD-ROM).

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Guide to Birds of North America Version 3 can be purchased from Thayer Birding Software for $69.95. Technical support is available is available by phone (toll-free 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; phone 1-800-865-2473