New Book: What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing-What Birds Are Doing, and Why

What It's Like to Be a Bird What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing-What Birds Are Doing, and Why
by David Allen Sibley

From Knopf:

The bird book for birders and nonbirders alike that will excite and inspire by providing a new and deeper understanding of what common, mostly backyard, birds are doing–and why.

“Can birds smell?” “Is this the same cardinal that was at my feeder last year?” “Do robins ‘hear’ worms?” 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.

Gorgeous art and fascinating information come together here. The organization makes it easy to pick up and read whatever strikes your fancy, while the depth of information means that anyone can learn a great deal. And then there’s the art – lots and lots of it. All that makes this book attractive to anyone even remotely interested in birds.

What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing-What Birds Are Doing, and Why
by David Allen Sibley
Hardcover; 240 pages
Knopf; April 14, 2020
ISBN: 9780307957894
$35.00