What It's Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing--What Birds Are Doing, and Why (Sibley Guides)
Product ID: 140237206
Desertcart purchases this item on your behalf and handles shipping, customs, and support to Slovakia.
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?" "The book's beauty mirrors the beauty of birds it describes so marvelously." —NPR 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.
| Dimensions | 8.86 x 1.02 x 11.26 inches |
| Edition | Illustrated |
| Isbn 10 | 0307957896 |
| Isbn 13 | 978-0307957894 |
| Item Weight | 3.17 pounds |
| Language | English |
| Part Of Series | Sibley Guides |
| Print Length | 240 pages |
| Publication Date | April 14, 2020 |
| Publisher | Knopf |
User
Very winning layout and writing
I bought this book for an elderly bird-loving relative in cognitive decline. I ask her to pick a bird and we read about it aloud and examine the GORGEOUS drawings together . The birds heads are drawn life size which is lovely for people who don’t see so well. It’s a very easy book to pick up and put down and there’s always one amazing fact in every spread.
User
Superb book, loaded with interesting information
Such an enjoyable book. I've learned so much about birds that I didn't know. So much in fact that I'm reading it a second time to try to absorb better. It's also very attractive, a very nice presentation, lots of great artwork. Those that complain that it doesn't cover all birds, well maybe that's because it wasn't intended to do that. It's 203 pages as it is, with a nice assortment of species to focus on. But it also contains a lot of information that is applicable to birds in general. This is done in the Introduction, which is 32 pages. It includes sections on bird senses, physiology, movement, social behavior, and many others.Hard to imagine any birder wouldn't love this book.
User
Delightful!
This book is wonderful. It is not one to read from cover to cover. It’s one to explore. Pick a topic and meander through. On top of that, the pictures are great!
User
Great book for a big time birder.
My dad is a huge birder. He has 500 birds on his list at 90 years old and has traveled all over the world birding. It isnt easy finding the gift that he doesn't alreay have. He was so happy to receive and said he has been wanting to read thi, yet he hasn't yet. Glad to have stumbled across this.
User
I have enjoyed this product both in print and audio formats.
I have enjoyed this product both in print and audio formats. The audio book is especially nice to listen to while sitting on my deck or porch, watching birds, and sipping on a favorite beverage.
User
Pretty pictures
I love the pictures and drawing and information about common attracted to bird feeders. I was disappointed that the information about the birds was not more extensive. The book would be best for people just beginning to learn about birds. Might be very attractive to children who show an interest in birds because of the beautiful illustrations.
User
What a Wonderful Learning tool !!!!
Thankyou !!!!, Absolutely Love this Bird Book, ( I'll be a Pro in no time ) LOL !!!!. I'm really enjoying being out and around the Birds. Packaged very Nicely, Speedy Shipping, Very, Very, Satisfied !!!!. Thankyou, and Sincerely, Ron Martino-Meuret
User
The images will engage the attention of children from age 2 to 100 and beyond. And stories, too!.
David Sibley’s bird identification books for North America are considered by bird watchers as the best. Not just good or good enough, but the BEST.David and his wife were on the National Geographic Explorer with us in 2018 on a trip to The Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Soft spoken, modest guy. He continues his life doing what was his passion since early childhood. That is: observing and drawing birds. Information and art. Based on hearing and observing him I think I can say that a near perfect day for him would be 6 hours watching and sketching every detail of a Scarlett Tanager eating elderberries followed by a an evening into night adding color and finally arriving at the image in his vision. As he explained, when he creates an image it is NOT a photo reproduction. He captures the essence of a bird so that it is more recognizable to the beholder than either the real thing or a photo.This just published What It’s Like to Be a Bird is a break with Sibley’s past in that it is NOT a bird identification book. It is NOT an ornithology text book. Also, it is NOT a sit on the coffee table art book although the images are captivating. It is a book meant to be held and read. Just let it fall open and read and let the images speak to you. And I pick it up again and again. I have not bothered to add a bookmark. I just go here and there. Beautiful pictures and vignettes on bird biology. What are the feather types? Why do bird heads appear to bob? How can Surf Scoters open and eat clams? Who knew?The images will engage the attention of children from age 2 to 100 and beyond. The age old wish to fly like a bird is still deep in our brains. Yet there is much more to birds than just flying.The overall impression brings to my mind the last sentence in Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. (Yes, it is a huge Victorian sentence!) “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”
User
Just amazing!
A great book about birds with fantastic illustrations and wonderful quality edition!
User
A great read!
A great book telling you everything you need to know about birds, with some lovely illustrations. I enjoyed finding out lots of new things! Recommended.
User
Informative
Worth having this book in your library
User
Great book for young nature enthusiasts
I bought this for my 13 year old daughter who is very keen on nature and birds. She read the whole thing from cover to cover and loves it - she's now full of appreciation of the beautiful birds we have in our backyard.
User
Interesting read about a wide variety of birds
Great for bird lovers who want to explore and expand their knowledge of birds
Trustpilot
1 month ago
5 days ago