New Features in Version 4.5
that were not in version 3.1
(version 4.5 was released on February 21, 2012)
(version 3.1 was released on March 31, 2002)
(version 3.0 was released on December 7, 2001)
See Feature Comparison Chart
1. Version 4.5 is Vista compatible and Windows 7 and Windows 8 compatible. It will also run on Windows XP. Version 4.5 runs on 32-bit and 64-bit computers.
2. Version 4.5 will run on Mac computers running Mountain Lion (10.8), Lion (10.7), Snow Leopard (10.6), Leopard (10.5) and Tiger (10.4)
3. Registration and passwords are no longer required.
4. You can download songs and photos to an iPod.
5. A new "Pick One" Quiz lets you see four photos at once and select the correct bird.
6. The State/Province DVD now include The Birder's Handbook in electronic format. This is a 700 page reference book with 250 essays on bird behavior as well as detailed information on well over 600 species.
7. There are now 275 video clips, rather than 90.
8. Zoomed photos will now fill the screen - and you can scroll through all photos for each bird.
9. Detailed Range Maps now show Central and South American winter ranges as well as detailed outlines of states and provinces and major rivers. Animated range maps are avialable for over 50 species.
10. The ID Wizard now displays birds in the Photo Gallery in two different ways - the primary view shows males in breeding plumage and the secondary view shows females, immatures or birds in flight.
11. The ID Wizard now lets you identify birds by sound and song patterns.
12. You can now sort by Banding Codes.
13. You can now take quizzes that display Range maps as the answer, rather than the bird's image. You can also show band codes, rather than common name, as the answer.
14. It is easier to find a bird. Accidental and very rare birds have been moved to the Gold edition - version 5.5. There are now 753 species in Guide to Birds of North America. The State/Province version include all species on the "official" checklist (excluding very rare and accidental birds.)
14. The My Comments section now lets you add your own comments about each species.
15. Users running Windows can easily open multiple eField Guide tabs to see more than one species at a time. (Notice the tabs for four species at the top of the eField Guide in this link).
16. It is now much easier to see which state or province filter you have turned on.
17. Users can easily jump to the next species or the previous species-- as well as the first or last species on the list.
18. All birds from the same family can now be seen at once - making comparisons easier.
19. State and province checklists have been updated. The ID Wizard will show more "common" birds for each location.
20. Share Custom Lists with friends via email or via the Internet - a new Swap Forum is available at www.ThayerBirding.com.
21. The bird's common and scientific names as well as taxonomic sort order have been updated to match the American Ornithologist's Union 52nd update. The 53rd update is included with the free v4.5.1 update.
22. The program has a new Look & Feel including color coded icons which are much easier to use.
23. You can view videos at 1x, 2x or 3x normal size or drag the corner to enlarge.
24. The buttons and links in the program have been updated so that they all now behave like a typical Windows or Mac installation. The Windows mouse scroll wheel now behaves as expected in all parts of the program.
25. Your sightings and custom lists can be copied into version 4.5.
26. Five new Quick Links to online resources were added to show bird images and more.
27. Over 550 new photos have been added, including over 500 photos of bird's eggs and nests.
28. Exports to iTunes can now display bird's names in English, Spanish, French or German.
29. Minor changes have been made throughout the program to make it easier and more intuitive to use. The User's Manual has been revised and the Help file is easier to use.
30. The program is easier to use in school labs and on multiple account computers. The underlying code has been rewritten in .NET rather than VB6. (That's tech talk for "New and Improved")
Version 3.1 runs on Windows XP and 2000 computers.
Version 4.5 runs on Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista and XP computers as well as Mac OS X 10.8, 10.7, 10.6, 10.5 and 10.4.
Order version 4.5 Now
See all the things you can do with version 4.5