Uncategorized – Sibley Guides

Identification of Eastern and Western Warbling Vireos

November 10, 2025 / David Sibley / Leave a Comment

Summary: In practice virtually all will be identified presumptively by range. Positive identification depends on careful analysis of details of song (but questions remain about variation in song). Positive identification of silent birds is not possible on current knowledge. The Warbling Vireos were considered a single continent-wide species until 2025, when two species – Eastern […]

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My Facebook page hijacked

October 13, 2025 / David Sibley / Leave a Comment

This morning (Oct 13, 2025) my Facebook page was hijacked and is being filled with spam AI videos. I am waiting for Facebook to restore control to me. In the meantime please spread the word to ignore those posts, and check back in a few days. Thanks for your support and patience. Stay healthy and

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Test your skills at estimating numbers with a new course

December 12, 2023 / David Sibley / Leave a Comment

Estimating numbers of birds in flocks is a skill that we use a lot while birding, but something we rarely get to practice. And – it turns out – something we are really not very good at! I’ve put together a course that explains some of the science behind the challenge, offers lots of quizzes

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New original art for sale in the Sibley Guides shop!

November 30, 2023 / David Sibley / 3 Comments

I’ve just posted about 30 original gouache paintings for sale in the shop. Most of these were painted in 2016 for the app Song Sleuth, and show portraits of common birds singing. The rest are from the early 2000s and were painted for the NY Times syndicated newspaper column “Sibley on Birds” that was

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Two species of Cattle Egrets?

October 26, 2023 / David Sibley / 1 Comment

The 2023 Clements/eBird taxonomy update has just been announced, and the biggest surprise is that Cattle Egret will now be considered two species! Few people are familiar with variation in Cattle Egret, and while the split won’t have much impact on North American birders I thought it would be helpful to describe the differences. At

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Mew Gull is now two species! How to identify Common Gull and Short-billed Gull

July 3, 2021 / David Sibley / 10 Comments

For North American birders the most consequential change in the 2021 AOS Checklist supplement is the split of Mew Gull into two species – Short-billed Gull and Common Gull. For most birders this simply means changing the name of the species on your list from Mew Gull to Short-billed Gull. The North American population, common

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Common and Roseate Terns high overhead

June 24, 2021 / David Sibley / 3 Comments

I was fortunate to be able to spend ten days in mid May 2021 on Great Gull Island, an American Museum of Natural History research site at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, New York. The island is occupied in summer by a very large colony of Common and Roseate Terns (among the largest

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A new puzzle for 2020!

November 16, 2020 / David Sibley / Leave a Comment

On sale 17 November 2020 from Clarkson Potter – a new Backyard Birds Jigsaw Puzzle for $19.99 A 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle featuring 49 species of familiar North American birds, with original artwork by David Sibley. A fold-out poster of the puzzle image is also included!

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New Product – A ten pack of greeting cards with art and text from my newest book

November 12, 2020 / David Sibley / Leave a Comment

A brand new line of greeting cards is now available from Earth Sky + Water. These 5 by 7 inch cards (blank inside, with envelopes) feature art and text from my newest book What It’s Like To Be A Bird, with a large image on the front and brief text from the book on the back.

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Another update of coming events

April 29, 2020 / David Sibley / Leave a Comment

I will be appearing at several virtual events in the next few weeks, celebrating the publication of my new book “What It’s Like to Be a Bird“. I hope you can connect with one or more of these! WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 at 7pmPittsburgh Arts & Lectures, Pittsburgh, PALink: https://pittsburghlectures.org/lectures/david-sibley/ THURSDAY, MAY 7 at 8pmMagic City Books/BookSmart

Another update of coming events Read More »