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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

A behavior-focused guide to the birds people see most often

Regular price $27.02 USD
Regular price $45.04 USD Sale price $27.02 USD
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Hardcover New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A behavior-focused guide to the birds people see most often

David Allen Sibley organizes this large-format bird guide around everyday questions about avian behavior: how birds use their senses, return to familiar places, feed, sing, nest, and respond to changing environments. Its emphasis falls on common backyard species such as blue jays, nuthatches, chickadees, and cardinals, while also extending to readily observed birds including the Atlantic puffin. More than 200 species are covered through concise, nontechnical text and over 330 illustrations by Sibley; for most entries, the main image appears at life size. The book presents birdwatching as an opportunity to notice the purposes behind familiar actions, connecting close observation with scientific research on adaptation.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Birders seeking context for commonly observed bird behavior
  • Beginning birdwatchers who prefer a nontechnical reference
  • Families interested in sharing bird observation with children

Themes

Bird behaviorBackyard birdsBird senses and communicationNesting and feedingEnvironmental adaptation

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

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.
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