Look at the Birdy: 8 of the Best Books About Birding

Bellany is a wildlife biologist and avid birder, and a co-organizer of Black Birders Week. (And her Twitter name is LeVar Birdin!!) This book gives you the basics on what you need to get started watching our feathered friends, and also offers advice that even seasoned birders can use.

I had to include this book because DK books are always the most visually stunning, and this one is no exception. It is filled with beautiful glossy images of over 1,400 colorful birds from all over the world. And it weighs as much as a great horned owl. (Almost six pounds.) It’s one of the most incredible books in my collection. Yes, you can look up any bird on the internet now, but there’s something about holding this hefty tome in your hands that is magic.

Part birding book, part memoir, this is a wonderful look at someone who became a birder as they headed into middle age. At 35, Zarankin was fresh from a divorce and stressed out at her job, so she decided she needed a hobby. Her decision to take up bird watching changed her life. Not only was it a fulfilling way to spend time, she realized she had a lot more in common with birds than she knew.

This is an inspiring and heart-squeezing biography of an avid birder. Phoebe Snetsinger was almost 50 when doctor’s told her she had less than a year to live. As someone who was passionate about birds, she decided to spend that time checking birds around the world off her bird bucket list. Snetsinger’s doctors were wrong, and she lived another 18 years, during which time she saw more different bird species than anyone else in history.

Sibley’s guides and books are considered the most essential contemporary books about birds. They are extremely comprehensive, but also easy to use. This is 16 essays and 200 illustrations from Sibley for birders of all levels. They are great bird watching books for beginners. Be sure to also pick up Sibley’s Guide To Birds and What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing — What Birds Are Doing, and Why.

You have probably heard about how smart crows are, and have seen a parrot talking like a human at some point. But you might be amazed at just how smart most birds really are. So many are capable of mimicry, and have a vast curiosity and intelligence for the world around them. Strycker discusses what humans and birds have in common, and also how our intelligences are very different.

You can find great bird guides specific to your country, your area of the country, or even a specific state. But for people who are beginning birders, this is a great place to start, either for yourself or as a gift. It features many birds common to most of North America. It’s a wonderful jumping (flying?) off point for people who want to start spending more time watching our winged friends.

This spring, I discovered that my neighbors had Baltimore orioles (the birds, not the sports team) in their backyard, and I did not. What was it about my feeders that kept the orioles from traveling another 50 feet to my yard??! It turns out that orioles, like many other kinds of birds, have very specific types of things they like to eat. Once I learned this, I put out a glass full of grape jelly and oranges sliced in half, and the orioles became a daily visitor to my yard the rest of their season. This guide will help you find what specific things you need to attract the birds you are looking for!