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Birding in an Age of Extinctions
by Martin Painter

From Whittles Publishing:

This is a book about what it’s like being a birder in an age of natural decline. It is part autobiographical – tales of spell-binding birding encounters that left indelible memories – and it is part reflective. The travellers’ tales of birding adventures are about places and events that were variously entertaining, amusing, captivating, inspiring, exciting and awesome, literally. They also feature the amazing, eccentric, dedicated, inspiring people in the birding community. There is birding in the Himalayas, in the Australian outback, on the Southern Oceans and in hotel gardens and city parks and there are tales of the ‘big-listers’, ‘big-lensers’, professional guides, and local conservation workers who try to keep their habitats safe for us.

Martin’s experiences in becoming a birder late in life revealed some strange behaviour which he soon learnt to take for granted as a member of the birding community. Why tear off chasing the next tick when we were having such a good time in the forest we were already exploring? Why was seeing a rare parrot in a cage less significant than seeing a ‘wild’ one that was being hand-fed in a nature reserve?

There are chapters about all of these puzzles and oddities, and more – their origins and, in some cases, how they shape our behaviour in somewhat perverse ways. All these tales and reflections are shaped by birding during an extinction crisis and the growing biodiversity crisis. As he observed trashed habitats and vanishing bird populations during his travels, Martin’s growing dismay and alarm about these issues coloured everything. There is the paradox of ‘extinction birding’ – it is not difficult today to see some vanishingly rare birds because they are hanging on in reserved, fenced spaces, kept alive by artifices such as captive breeding. Because our visits to these places provide funds, we are among these species’ last hopes for survival. Is this the best we can do? Faced with the growing crisis, we can all do better.

In this book, the author asks some challenging questions about birding and our behavior as birders. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking book about birding, or enjoy birding narratives/memoirs but are starting to get tired of their usual formula, give this one a read.

Birding in an Age of Extinctions
by Martin Painter
Paperback; 224 pages
Whittles Publishing; January 15, 2021
ISBN: 9781849954877
$24.95

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Nightingale
by Bethan Roberts

From Reaktion Books:

A melodious paean to the natural history and symbolic meaning of the most prized, poetized, and mythologized of songbirds.

The nightingale has a unique place in cultural history: the most prized of songbirds, it has inspired more poems than any other creature, and it is also the most mythologized of birds. Nightingale juxtaposes the bird of poetry, music, myth, and lore with the living bird of wood and scrubland, unpicking the entangled relationship between them. Covering a huge range of poets, musicians, artists, nature writers, and natural historians—from Aristotle, Keats, and Vera Lynn to Bob Dylan—Nightingale charts our fascination through history with this nondescript yet melodious little brown bird. It also documents the nightingale’s disappearance from British breeding grounds and the implications this has for nightingale conservation.

I’ve never seen or heard a Nightingale for myself, unfortunately. Whether you’re like me or are lucky enough to hear this renowned songster every year, this new book is the perfect introduction to the bird itself and its place in literature and the arts.

Nightingale
by Bethan Roberts
Paperback; 224 pages
Reaktion Books; November 26, 2021
ISBN: 9781789144741
$19.95

Looking for something to get for the birdwatcher in your life? You can never go wrong with a good bird book. Here are a few suggestions.

Disclosure: I get a small commission for purchases made through links in this post.

Every bird in the world in one book

Any birder would love to have one of these tomes on their shelf, as they’re the only books that have all of the world’s birds in one volume. Those who do a lot of birding around the globe would get more use out of the more expensive All the Birds of the World. But The Complete Birds of the World is a great way to simply browse through all the birds there are to see.

Field guides

Great reads

Awesome reference guides

The Complete Birds of the World: Every Species Illustrated
by Norman Arlott, Ber van Perlo, Jorge R. Rodriguez Mata, Gustavo Carrizo, Aldo A. Chiappe, and Luis Huber

From Princeton University Press:

This is a book like no other―the only truly comprehensive, one-volume illustrated guide to all of the world’s birds, covering the complete International Ornithological Congress World Bird List. Featuring more than 300 stunning large-format, full-color plates, this accessible and authoritative encyclopedic reference presents incredibly detailed, accurate, and beautiful paintings of more than 10,700 species by some of the world’s best bird artists, led by the legendary Norman Arlott and Ber van Perlo. In addition, The Complete Birds of the World provides detailed but concise identification information about each species on facing pages―including facts about voice, habitat, and geographic distribution. The result is a visual and verbal feast that captures the astonishing variety of bird life around the planet―and that will be cherished by any birder.

• Illustrates more than 10,700 species, covering the complete International Ornithological Congress World Bird List, and including all major adult plumages for each
• Features more than 300 stunning large-format, full-color plates by some of the world’s leading bird artists
• Presents detailed but concise identification information about each species on facing pages―including facts about voice, habitat, and geographic distribution

It’s so much fun just to flip through this book and discover all the birds out there to be seen. However, there are two things that must be mentioned. First, the illustrations vary widely in quality. Most of them are provided by Arlott and van Perlo. The former’s work is excellent, I really enjoy it. The latter’s is not nearly as good and suffers from appearing on the same plates as the others. The second thing that must be mentioned is that, despite the claim in the press copy above, this is not the only “one-volume illustrated guide to all of the world’s birds” – Lynx Edicions’ All the Birds of the World preceded this one by a year. Lynx’s book is arguably better, depending on what you are looking for and how you will be using it. But if you just want a convenient way to browse and compare all the birds of the world (and what birder wouldn’t?) – The Complete Birds of the World works well and is a relative bargain.

The Complete Birds of the World: Every Species Illustrated
by Norman Arlott, Ber van Perlo, Jorge R. Rodriguez Mata, Gustavo Carrizo, Aldo A. Chiappe, and Luis Huber
Hardcover; 640 pages
Princeton University Press; September 7, 2021
ISBN: 9780691193922
$65.00

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Habitats of the World: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists, and Ecologists
by Iain Campbell, Ken Behrens, Charley Hesse, and Phil Chaon

From Princeton University Press:

The first field guide to all of the world’s major land habitats―richly illustrated and packed with essential information to help you get the most out of your outdoor adventures.

Accurately identifying and understanding habitats in detail is essential to any birder, naturalist, outdoor enthusiast, or ecologist who wants to get the most out of their experiences in the field. Habitats of the World is the first field guide to the world’s major land habitats―189 in all. Using the format of a natural history field guide, this compact, accessible, and comprehensive book features concise identification descriptions and is richly illustrated―including more than 650 color photographs of habitats and their wildlife, 150 distribution maps, 200 diagrams, and 150 silhouettes depicting each habitat alongside a human figure, providing an immediate grasp of its look and scale. Each major habitat has an illustrated “climate box” that allows easy comparisons between habitats. Thirty other illustrated boxes present clear explanations of complex phenomena affecting habitats―from plate tectonics and mountain formation to fire regimes and climate change. Requiring no scientific background, Habitats of the World offers quick and reliable information for anyone who wants a deeper understanding and appreciation of the habitats around them, whether in their own backyard or while travelling anywhere in the world.

• Covers 189 of the world’s major land habitats
• Provides all the information you need to quickly and accurately identify and understand habitats anywhere in the world
• Features concise text, more than 650 color photographs of habitats and their wildlife, an up-to-date distribution map for each habitat, and hundreds of helpful diagrams and illustrations

I can’t believe this is the first field guide such as this. Anyone who travels for birding, or any other kind of nature travel, should have this book. It will be a great help in understanding what kind of habitats you may travel through, including what birds and other animals you can expect to find there.

Habitats of the World: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists, and Ecologists
by Iain Campbell, Ken Behrens, Charley Hesse, and Phil Chaon
Flexicover; 568 pages
Princeton University Press; September 28, 2021
ISBN: 9780691197562
$35.00

Disclosure: I get a small commission for purchases made through links in this post.

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Bird Families of North America
by Pete Dunne and Kevin T. Karlson

From Mariner Books:

This guide takes readers beyond merely identifying birds to understanding them. Many birders can tell the difference between a White-eyed and Bell’s Vireo but cannot begin to describe a vireo and what distinguishes members of this family from warblers or flycatchers. The “species by species” approach makes it difficult to appreciate birds for what they are: members of well-organized groupings united by common traits. Putting the focus on families, and their shared characteristics, makes bird identification easier and more meaningful. More than 150 color photos illustrate the 81 bird families of the United States and Canada.

This book, from two noted birders/authors, provides a succinct introduction to learning these birds apart from identification. Despite the title, though, the vast majority of this book is species accounts. While this could be helpful to beginners, I can’t help but feel that one of Karlson’s previous books – Peterson Reference Guide to Birding by Impression – is actually a better family-level guide than this book.

Bird Families of North America
by Pete Dunne and Kevin T. Karlson
Hardcover; 288 pages
Mariner Books; August 3, 2021
ISBN: 9780358164074
$26.00

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(based in the U.K.)