This is my favorite of the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Handbooks and I would venture to guess that it's probably the best bird handbook you can find. Hundreds of birds, from doves and swallows, to hawks and falcons and tropical birds are included with clear photos, a small map of where they can be found, an icon showing how large they are in comparison to the book, and other basic information about their habitat, migration, etc. Our family has used this guide extensively in identifying and learning more about the substantial variety of birds we find in our own backyard. It's also interesting to see pictures of the sorts of birds we probably won't see in our backyard, such as penguins, turkeys, and eagles. The information appears to be limited to facts about different species of birds, rather than getting into more theoretical and philosophical (not to mention controversial) areas such as evolution and the environment.