What it's like to be a bird : what birds are doing, and why -- from flying to nesting, eating to singing

eBook

English language

Published Sept. 12, 2020 by Alfred A. Knopf.

ISBN:: 978-0-307-95789-4
OCLC Number:: 1098231197

(2 reviews)

In What It’s Like to Be a Bird, David Sibley answers the most frequently asked questions about the birds we see most often. This special, large-format volume is geared as much to nonbirders as it is to the out-and-out obsessed, covering more than two hundred species and including more than 330 new illustrations by the author. While its focus is on familiar backyard birds—blue jays, nuthatches, chickadees—it also examines certain species that can be fairly easily observed, such as the seashore-dwelling Atlantic puffin.

David Sibley’s exacting artwork and wide-ranging expertise bring observed behaviors vividly to life. (For most species, the primary illustration is reproduced life-sized.) And while the text is aimed at adults—including fascinating new scientific research on the myriad ways birds have adapted to environmental changes—it is nontechnical, making it the perfect occasion for parents and grandparents to share their love of birds with young children, who will delight …

In What It’s Like to Be a Bird, David Sibley answers the most frequently asked questions about the birds we see most often. This special, large-format volume is geared as much to nonbirders as it is to the out-and-out obsessed, covering more than two hundred species and including more than 330 new illustrations by the author. While its focus is on familiar backyard birds—blue jays, nuthatches, chickadees—it also examines certain species that can be fairly easily observed, such as the seashore-dwelling Atlantic puffin.

David Sibley’s exacting artwork and wide-ranging expertise bring observed behaviors vividly to life. (For most species, the primary illustration is reproduced life-sized.) And while the text is aimed at adults—including fascinating new scientific research on the myriad ways birds have adapted to environmental changes—it is nontechnical, making it the perfect occasion for parents and grandparents to share their love of birds with young children, who will delight in the big, full-color illustrations of birds in action.

Unlike any other book he has written, What It’s Like to Be a Bird is poised to bring a whole new audience to David Sibley’s world of birds.

(source)

1 edition

Pam Phillips reviewed What it's like to be a bird : what birds are doing, and why -- from flying to nesting, eating to singing by David Allen Sibley

A big, beautiful book for browsing birds

5 stars

I read the hardcover version, which features lifesize illustrations of the birds. Even in hard copy, the formatting encourages the reader to skip around. Both the intro and the outro summarize the information in different ways and offer links to the interior. Many of the detail pages about the birds link to other birds. Almost every page has some interesting science to learn about.

Sibley's illustrations shine with the individuality of both the human artists and the birds. The one of Mr. Cardinal offering a seed to Mrs. Cardinal is particularly sweet.

Even so, after hopping about finding frequent rewards, I settled down and read the book from start to back, the old-fashioned way. That gave me the satisfaction of not missing anything.

Kevin Krebs

rated it

June 22, 2020

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