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Bird-Watcher's Bible: A Complete Treasury: Science, Know-How, Beauty, Lore
A lighthearted and broadly cultural and visual approach to learning everything there is to know about birds, bird-watching, birds in history and the arts, and life on the wing. Short narrative pieces are interspersed with sidebars, quotes, top-ten lists, and how-to instructions. Illustrated with photographs, contemporary and archival art, maps, and diagrams, the book has lots of cross-references and riches to find on every page.
Chapters include:
I. The Birds in your World
A lively introduction featuring the joys of birds and bird-watching, how birds are everywhere you look, why people enjoy and appreciate them, why they are so amazing and so beloved, and why they have been important to every culture throughout history.
II. The Anatomy of a Bird
A lyrical dissection of the parts of a bird, including digressions on feathers, color, beaks, wings, talons. Size and shape variations and how they respond to environment and evolution. What birds eat and how they eat it.
III. Birds Through the Ages
Birds in ancient and native cultures. Bird myths, legends, and superstitions. Bird gods and goddesses. Famous birds in history such as Caesar's death foretold, St. Francis's Sermon to the Birds, Poe's Raven, Mao Tse Tung's sparrow campaign. Birds as pets, birds as hunting aids, birds as food.
IV. The Life of a Bird
The life cycle of birds, starting with mating behaviors of all sorts of species. Nesting behaviors. Varieties of nests, varieties of eggs.
V. Science Discovers the Bird
Early ornithologists. Catesby, Darwin, Audubon, Peterson. Famous bird artists. Famous bird quests. Bird evolution: birds and dinosaurs.
VI. Birds on the Wing
Flight and how it works. Migration -- how, why, when, where. Maps and amazing facts about bird migrations.
VII. To Be a Birder
Basics including bird-watching, bird taxonomy, how to use a field guide. Simple bird-watching rules of thumb. Where to go, when to go. Equipment needed. Keeping a life list.
VIII. Bringing the Birds Back Home
Attraction and conservation. Birdhouses, bird feeders, bird baths, bird seed choices, protecting birds from predator animals in your neighborhood. National and international conservation efforts. The future of birds.
Chapters include:
I. The Birds in your World
A lively introduction featuring the joys of birds and bird-watching, how birds are everywhere you look, why people enjoy and appreciate them, why they are so amazing and so beloved, and why they have been important to every culture throughout history.
II. The Anatomy of a Bird
A lyrical dissection of the parts of a bird, including digressions on feathers, color, beaks, wings, talons. Size and shape variations and how they respond to environment and evolution. What birds eat and how they eat it.
III. Birds Through the Ages
Birds in ancient and native cultures. Bird myths, legends, and superstitions. Bird gods and goddesses. Famous birds in history such as Caesar's death foretold, St. Francis's Sermon to the Birds, Poe's Raven, Mao Tse Tung's sparrow campaign. Birds as pets, birds as hunting aids, birds as food.
IV. The Life of a Bird
The life cycle of birds, starting with mating behaviors of all sorts of species. Nesting behaviors. Varieties of nests, varieties of eggs.
V. Science Discovers the Bird
Early ornithologists. Catesby, Darwin, Audubon, Peterson. Famous bird artists. Famous bird quests. Bird evolution: birds and dinosaurs.
VI. Birds on the Wing
Flight and how it works. Migration -- how, why, when, where. Maps and amazing facts about bird migrations.
VII. To Be a Birder
Basics including bird-watching, bird taxonomy, how to use a field guide. Simple bird-watching rules of thumb. Where to go, when to go. Equipment needed. Keeping a life list.
VIII. Bringing the Birds Back Home
Attraction and conservation. Birdhouses, bird feeders, bird baths, bird seed choices, protecting birds from predator animals in your neighborhood. National and international conservation efforts. The future of birds.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published October 2, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 9, 2019
A lovely book of birds. It's not the type of book that I would sit down and read cover-to-cover at one sitting. Each page has artwork or a photo and factoids that make it enjoyable to just sit down and pick a page to read whenever one feels like it. Some of my favourites:
We all know a murder of crows, but here are the rest of the "Top 10 Words for Bird Congregations"
A piteousness of doves
A charm of finches
A siege of herons
An exaltation of larks
Tidings of magpies
A parliament of owls
A muster of peacocks
An unkindness of ravens
A murmuration of starlings
"At one time, moon-watching was cutting-edge migration science. Pick a night with a full moon, just after dark during spring or fall migration. Focus on the face of the moon, and wait. You should see the crisp, momentary silhouettes of migrant birds passing across the white disk." This sounds magical to me.
"I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance than I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn." Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854
We all know a murder of crows, but here are the rest of the "Top 10 Words for Bird Congregations"
A piteousness of doves
A charm of finches
A siege of herons
An exaltation of larks
Tidings of magpies
A parliament of owls
A muster of peacocks
An unkindness of ravens
A murmuration of starlings
"At one time, moon-watching was cutting-edge migration science. Pick a night with a full moon, just after dark during spring or fall migration. Focus on the face of the moon, and wait. You should see the crisp, momentary silhouettes of migrant birds passing across the white disk." This sounds magical to me.
February 19, 2013
Well, I don't know if this is really a COMPLETE treasury. It isn't, and doesn't really intend to be, a field guide or a birding guide. What it is is a lovely, exquisitely illustrated book of fascinating material about everything bird. Biology, evolution, lifestyle, beginning birding information, fascinating facts on birds all over the world, accompanied by fine bird artwork and stunning photographs. Lovely, lovely book. This is definitely a book for bird lovers, whether the casual backyard kind, the nutty life-list kind, or somewhere in between. It's really worth it just for the pictures.
September 28, 2021
A beautiful book with lots of good information. Each section dealt with a different bird topic, migration, anatomy, nests, citizen science, etc. I felt they could have written smoother transitions from one topic to the next, but it probably wasn’t really intended as a cover to cover read
March 8, 2013
One of my favorite birding field guides is published by National Geographic so it’s no surprise I thoroughly enjoyed paging through the recently published Bird Watcher’s Bible. Natural history writers and bird experts have joined together to share their knowledge in this beautiful volume.
The book presents a variety of information laid out in an attractive, enticing format, perfect for browsing through the pages. This is not intended as a field guide to identify birds. It is more like a modern-day encyclopedia with a wealth of information. The artwork is gorgeous with beautiful color photos and illustrations. The text consists of brief narratives and, scattered throughout, numerous sidebars containing interesting facts, anecdotes and lists.
One of the recurring sidebar factoids I enjoyed was a series on the derivation of a bird’s name. If you listen closely, some birds will tell you their names. For example, the eastern Phoebe calls out fee-be, the Eastern Wood Pewee says pee-a-wee, and the Blue Jay shrieks a piercing jay, jay jay.
Enjoyable, entertaining and at times amusing, this very readable book is not just for bird enthusiasts. Highly recommended for readers of all ages and levels who enjoy nature and the wonder and joy of birds.
The book presents a variety of information laid out in an attractive, enticing format, perfect for browsing through the pages. This is not intended as a field guide to identify birds. It is more like a modern-day encyclopedia with a wealth of information. The artwork is gorgeous with beautiful color photos and illustrations. The text consists of brief narratives and, scattered throughout, numerous sidebars containing interesting facts, anecdotes and lists.
One of the recurring sidebar factoids I enjoyed was a series on the derivation of a bird’s name. If you listen closely, some birds will tell you their names. For example, the eastern Phoebe calls out fee-be, the Eastern Wood Pewee says pee-a-wee, and the Blue Jay shrieks a piercing jay, jay jay.
Enjoyable, entertaining and at times amusing, this very readable book is not just for bird enthusiasts. Highly recommended for readers of all ages and levels who enjoy nature and the wonder and joy of birds.
September 17, 2015
I found this book an excellent move for me as an intermediate birder who would like to keep my knowledge fresh and learn new things along the way. Learning about the origin of birds and their evolution and the vast array of their diversity is spellbinding. Written extremely well and includes beautiful photographs. A must-have for every birder and armature ornithologist.
April 16, 2018
This book is a great introduction to the world of birds for the casual birder. This book seeks to cover a lot of topics to get you acquainted with ornithology, mostly for the purposes of birding. However it does cover a lot of things your typical bird guide does, and is filled with fun facts and well rounded history of birds and what we know of them. Enjoyable to read, designed a lot like a high school textbook without the homework. Definitely recommend this book.
August 6, 2023
An excellent book, full of information but not intended to replace your Field Guide. The information is presented in a way that holds the reader’s interest. An excellent reference book, not meant to sit on the shelf!
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March 31, 2022Inhaled it. Cool trivia.
January 17, 2023
A wonderful book with lots of beautiful pictures and outstanding facts on our feathered friends.
April 16, 2026
Published in 2012, this book is a bit dated in some parts of it, but overall a very informative and attractive book. Well written text.
February 3, 2019
I was given this book when I started going birdwatching more often a few years ago, and it's been a good way to introduce myself to the basics of bird anatomy, evolution, and behavior. It skews heavily North American but does include examples of birds from around the world. I particularly appreciated the amount of artwork that is included featuring birds from around the world and throughout history. All in all, a good resource for a beginner bird enthusiast.
April 15, 2024
“National Geographic Bird Watcher’s Bible: A complete treasury - science - know how - beauty - lore” edited by Jonathan Alderfer. This is a beautifully illustrated book. (I’m still in process writing up my review.)
The introduction “The Birds in your world” by Scott Weidensaul.
“We humans have woven birds into the fabric of every culture—sometimes literally into the fabric, like the stunning feather cloaks of the old Hawaiian nobility., the dance regalia of competitors at Native American powwows across the West, or the battle adornments of New Guinean highlanders. Birds occupy potential niches within our religious and mythical lives: the dove of peace, the raven as trickster, the wise old owl, and many more.”
The introduction “The Birds in your world” by Scott Weidensaul.
“We humans have woven birds into the fabric of every culture—sometimes literally into the fabric, like the stunning feather cloaks of the old Hawaiian nobility., the dance regalia of competitors at Native American powwows across the West, or the battle adornments of New Guinean highlanders. Birds occupy potential niches within our religious and mythical lives: the dove of peace, the raven as trickster, the wise old owl, and many more.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2013
I was thinking about learn more about birds because i love to watch them and listen to them sing. This book was one I chose at the library and will probably be close to what I decide to purchase. Wonderful pictures and descriptions.
December 13, 2013
Great photos and targeted articles as you would expect from National Geographic. Your library probably has a copy. Check it out. One reading may prompt you to purchase a copy.
May 29, 2016
*4.5*
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews