Peterson Birds app review: a full guide to North American birds

Introduction

Peterson Birds by gWhiz, LLC is a comprehensive guide to every bird species in North America. If you’re an avid bird watcher this app is exactly what you’re looking for. In the past the only option for bird watchers was to buy a thick guide book, which was pretty cumbersome to carry around. Having a guide available in app form is extremely convenient. Now you can have access to a catalog of all the bird species in North America right on your iPhone, which is quite a bit easier to carry around with you than a book.  This app is available for purchase from the App Store at a cost of $14.99 and it’s compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

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A Definitive Guide to North American Birds

There are a couple of other bird guide apps available for the IOS platform, but they don’t have the depth of detail that the Peterson Birds app offers. This app features page after page of full-colored bird photos with detailed information on each one. It’s a comprehensive guide which you can browse through the alphabetical index or you can search by a specific name. If there’s a bird that keeps popping up in your backyard and you really want to know what species it is you’ll more than likely find it with this app.

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There are a couple of minor issues with the app though. It does have a tendency to pause when loading certain pages, but they will load eventually so it’s more of a minor annoyance than anything else. The other issue is the price, at $14.99 it’s a little more expensive than the average app, but when compared to the cost of a similar guide in book form it compares favorably so this won’t be a major concern for the serious bird enthusiast. This app will require 363 MB of available space on your iOS device.

The Essentials

When you open the app you’ll be presented with two options, you can search by a specific bird name if you know it or you can browse through the index. Tapping on the logo in the top left corner will also bring up a menu on the left side with these same options as well as several other features, including a section where you can record your personal sightings of bird species in your area.

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When you find the bird you‘re looking for you can tap on its picture to bring up a detailed description of the bird and its characteristics. Each profile also includes a recording of the bird’s voice so that you can compare it against the sound of the bird you are observing. There’s also a map of each bird's habitat, which shows its migratory patterns for each season, and links to related birds for each species.  

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Over 800 bird species included
• Can search by name or by scrolling through the index
• Each bird profile includes pictures and descriptive information
• Provides maps of birds habitats and migratory patterns

Cons

• Some pages load slowly
• The price is a little higher than the average app

Final Words

If you consider yourself to be an avid birdwatcher you’ll want to make the Peterson Birds app part of your collection. This app includes detailed descriptions of over 800 North American bird species. It’s full of great information and it’s definitely worth the price if you’re serious about your hobby.