The American, Roger Tory Peterson, has been the single most influential figure in the evolution of birding field guides around the world. He was also a major contributor to the awakening of an environmental consciousness among the wider public in the second half of the twentieth century. In Australia, he provided a powerful impetus to the renovation of the field guide genre from the 1960s onward; and his Australian followers, like Peterson himself, were driven by a conviction that field guides are potent contributors to the conservationist cause. This article explores the myriad ways in which Peterson helped shape Australian birding field guides, including an exposition of his personal friendship with one of Australia’s major field guide authors, Graham Pizzey.

美国人罗杰·托里·彼得森 （Roger Tory Peterson） 一直是世界各地观鸟野外向导发展过程中最具影响力的人物。他也是 20 世纪下半叶公众环保意识觉醒的主要贡献者。在澳大利亚，他为 1960 年代以来野外指南类型的革新提供了强大的推动力;他的澳大利亚追随者，就像彼得森本人一样，坚信野外导游是环保事业的有力贡献者。本文探讨了彼得森帮助塑造澳大利亚观鸟野外指南的多种方式，包括阐述他与澳大利亚主要野外指南作者之一格雷厄姆·皮兹 （Graham Pizzey） 的个人友谊。