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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

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

Knopf Publishing Group ·2020 ·240 pages ·Science
Near the Top
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I Index
62/99
Maybe Someday

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Critics

Top of the Pile

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Scholars

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15/99

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Rating

60/99

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About This Book

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 artwork and 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.


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Reviews

"Despite decades of studying these animals, Sibley was still surprised, while working on this book, to learn of the complexity of their lives, leading him to conclude that birds' instincts arise, in part, from humanlike feelings, such as pride and anxiety—a position that he frankly concedes will be rejected by many as anthropomorphic."

Publishers Weekly Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"This title is enthusiastically recommended for both armchair birdwatchers and serious birders and is an excellent choice for public libraries, even those with shelves already brimming with bird guides."

Art Lichtenstein· Booklist Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"Why not devote a line or two to calling out cruelty in these industries?"

Barbara J. King· NPR Read review ↗ Near the Top

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