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Effin' Birds: A Field Guide to Identification
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Humor (2019)Effin' Birds is a new volume in the grand and noble profession of nature writing and bird identification. This book contains more than 150 pages crammed full of classic, monochrome plumage art paired with the delightful but dirty aphorisms (think "I'm going to need more booze to deal with this week") that made the Effin' Birds Twitter feed a household name. Also included in its full, Technicolor glory is John James Audubon's most beautiful work matched with modern life advice. Including never-before-seen birds, insults, and field notes.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 22, 2019
137 people are currently reading
4932 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Reynolds
8 books166 followersAARON REYNOLDS is a humourist, professional speaker, and the man behind the @EffinBirds and @swear_trek Twitter accounts. When he's not on Twitter, you can find him producing a series of podcasts and at ComicCons dressed as George Lucas. He has been a baseball writer, a fine art printer, and a mall Santa Claus photographer. Aaron was raised in Mississauga, Canada, a suburb where they cut down all the trees and named the streets after them. He currently splits his time between Toronto and Ottawa.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 276 reviews
December 8, 2019
i never thought i'd relate to so many effin' birds. review TK.
February 10, 2020
I can see why people liked this -- it's a book of memes! Amusing! Totally undemanding memes, not even the kind where you take a split second to get the joke. And they express common, nigh universal sentiments about how the day sucks and other people are annoying.
This book was really boring. The panels are more or less the same. The birds are not very expressive and there is little relations between them and the paired sentiments. Worst, the author displays very little creativity or depth of thought, just a knee-jerk negativity.
If I had time to waste on this I'd spend it on social media; my friends do this all day, but better.
This book was really boring. The panels are more or less the same. The birds are not very expressive and there is little relations between them and the paired sentiments. Worst, the author displays very little creativity or depth of thought, just a knee-jerk negativity.
If I had time to waste on this I'd spend it on social media; my friends do this all day, but better.
November 9, 2019
Funny and smart and sweet and adorable - absolutely memorable!
‘INCOMPUNCTIOUS OWL
This owl’s large size and dominating personality allow it to do basically anything it wants.
habitat: Wherever it wants to go.
identifying characteristics: An alarming lack of empathy.
“WEARY JACKDAW
...,
habitat: Twitter, Facebook, whatever is next.
identifying characteristics: Despite being horrified and mentally spent, the weary jackdaw is unable to stop browsing social media.”
‘INCOMPUNCTIOUS OWL
This owl’s large size and dominating personality allow it to do basically anything it wants.
habitat: Wherever it wants to go.
identifying characteristics: An alarming lack of empathy.
“WEARY JACKDAW
...,
habitat: Twitter, Facebook, whatever is next.
identifying characteristics: Despite being horrified and mentally spent, the weary jackdaw is unable to stop browsing social media.”
November 19, 2019
Friends who know me well know that I rarely swear and never say f*** but those who know me really well know that I have a secret vein of irreverence. Effin' Birds is a direct shot into that vein.
A friend at Ten Speed Press sent me a stack of books which I promised to share but once I saw this page I absconded with Effin' Birds.
You may notice that I've read a number of books about having hard conversations this year (more reviews coming on more books in this theme which I have found invaluable). If the birds in this book had to have a hard conversation it would go something like this:
You: Can we have a quick rumble? (as Brene Brown calls it)
Owl: F*** you I'm not sorry.
It also brought back high school memories of the yearly Mr. Waxdeck Bird Calling Contest. I never competed because imitating birds takes a lot of whistling and to this day I cannot whistle. If only I had known that this was what all those bird calls meant back then, it would have made the contest even more funny. What most impressed me was how Aaron Reynolds paired his hilarity with some Audubon quality drawings of real birds. Wait, I just checked and these are actual John James Audubon drawings of birds. Is that considered plagiarism? I do believe Aaron Reynolds is the Incompunctious Owl of the book world (see owl quote above).
Gift one to a friend and bask in their uncontrollable laughter. Laugh a lot yourself until you realize one of these birds sounds just like you ... or is talking to you (I am dying to know which of you find this to be the case). Leave a picture of one of these birds on someone's desk as a passive aggressive way to initiate a hard conversation. This book is best used for frequent reference rather than read in one sitting. You're welcome.
*Some may find this book offensive, partway through the swearing may feel excessive, and definitely not for kids. Read at your own risk.
A friend at Ten Speed Press sent me a stack of books which I promised to share but once I saw this page I absconded with Effin' Birds.
You may notice that I've read a number of books about having hard conversations this year (more reviews coming on more books in this theme which I have found invaluable). If the birds in this book had to have a hard conversation it would go something like this:
You: Can we have a quick rumble? (as Brene Brown calls it)
Owl: F*** you I'm not sorry.
It also brought back high school memories of the yearly Mr. Waxdeck Bird Calling Contest. I never competed because imitating birds takes a lot of whistling and to this day I cannot whistle. If only I had known that this was what all those bird calls meant back then, it would have made the contest even more funny. What most impressed me was how Aaron Reynolds paired his hilarity with some Audubon quality drawings of real birds. Wait, I just checked and these are actual John James Audubon drawings of birds. Is that considered plagiarism? I do believe Aaron Reynolds is the Incompunctious Owl of the book world (see owl quote above).
Gift one to a friend and bask in their uncontrollable laughter. Laugh a lot yourself until you realize one of these birds sounds just like you ... or is talking to you (I am dying to know which of you find this to be the case). Leave a picture of one of these birds on someone's desk as a passive aggressive way to initiate a hard conversation. This book is best used for frequent reference rather than read in one sitting. You're welcome.
*Some may find this book offensive, partway through the swearing may feel excessive, and definitely not for kids. Read at your own risk.
November 4, 2019
I’m adding this to my “read” pile as if flipping through a foul-mouthed picture book could possibly count towards my 30 book challenge.
March 13, 2024
This one is just for fun. Ridiculous and entertaining to my warped brain.
May 25, 2023
Utterly ridiculous and profane, so a solid four stars 😆
October 22, 2019
What can I say about this book?(apart from apologising profusely to the author, publisher and blogtour organiser for putting the wrong date in my diary...I was both a month ahead and behind myself, top organisational skills there!)
It is both stupendously awesome, beautifully made and pant wettingly funny. It makes you look clever to the unitiated -it appears to be a reference book from a distance so is unlikely to scare Great Aunt Margaret unless she gets close enough to read the swears!
This was everything-it does not purport to teach you the ways and meanings of the language of birds, it says this right at the start. But what you somehow, magically, leave 'Effin Birds' with is this impression, that by an odd osmotic effect, you are somehow closer to the very creatures that are telling you to fuck right off.
And keep on fucking off.
Yes you, over there, keep it going until we cannot see you any longer...and...perfect!
It even worked this mornign on our 'wherever we can fit them in walks on the beach'-not a single damn bird was there! Not even Zoltan, the possibly a crow, definitely a blackbird, (see I told you it wouldn't really teach you the species of flying bastards!)who always lurks by our car was gone. I ran up and down the beach and not a single bird could be heard! I was brandishing the book and everything!
My long suffering book widower of a husband has gotten used to random peels of laughter as I am reading, and no longer checks if I have finally toppled over into insanity, he was absolutely delighted to see me chortling loudly but reminded me that hand gestures in cars are inevitably thought of in a negative manner by other drivers, who responded to my gesticulations with ones of their own.
Ahem.
So, we have this searing analysis-it is filthy rich in swear words, hilarious, beautifully illustrated and narrows the gap between human kind and the avian race somewhat. It's lovingly rendered, bloody funny and a totally brilliant Christmas present. It will keep your favourite book blogger quietly laughing in a corner but will not stop them thrusting random pages into loved ones faces with exhortations of 'LOOK!!!'
'Effin Birds' is, in short, effin marvelous, effin funny and effin wonderful.
Effin read it.
It is both stupendously awesome, beautifully made and pant wettingly funny. It makes you look clever to the unitiated -it appears to be a reference book from a distance so is unlikely to scare Great Aunt Margaret unless she gets close enough to read the swears!
This was everything-it does not purport to teach you the ways and meanings of the language of birds, it says this right at the start. But what you somehow, magically, leave 'Effin Birds' with is this impression, that by an odd osmotic effect, you are somehow closer to the very creatures that are telling you to fuck right off.
And keep on fucking off.
Yes you, over there, keep it going until we cannot see you any longer...and...perfect!
It even worked this mornign on our 'wherever we can fit them in walks on the beach'-not a single damn bird was there! Not even Zoltan, the possibly a crow, definitely a blackbird, (see I told you it wouldn't really teach you the species of flying bastards!)who always lurks by our car was gone. I ran up and down the beach and not a single bird could be heard! I was brandishing the book and everything!
My long suffering book widower of a husband has gotten used to random peels of laughter as I am reading, and no longer checks if I have finally toppled over into insanity, he was absolutely delighted to see me chortling loudly but reminded me that hand gestures in cars are inevitably thought of in a negative manner by other drivers, who responded to my gesticulations with ones of their own.
Ahem.
So, we have this searing analysis-it is filthy rich in swear words, hilarious, beautifully illustrated and narrows the gap between human kind and the avian race somewhat. It's lovingly rendered, bloody funny and a totally brilliant Christmas present. It will keep your favourite book blogger quietly laughing in a corner but will not stop them thrusting random pages into loved ones faces with exhortations of 'LOOK!!!'
'Effin Birds' is, in short, effin marvelous, effin funny and effin wonderful.
Effin read it.
November 9, 2019
Nature writing seems to be the in thing to be reading at the moment. Wander into your local bookshop and you will find lots of recently published books by people who have recently discovered the healing benefits of nature, or who are extolling the virtues of putting the screen down and looking at something else.
When you have ventured outside, it helps to have a guide to the things that you might see. These have always been popular, especially when it comes to identifying the LBJ’s (little brown jobs) that make up a large number of small brown passerine birds, many of which are notoriously difficult to distinguish, even for experts.
This though is a guide with a difference. It is filled with beautiful sketches that are so much like the art of Thomas Berwick, but rather than having details of regular birds, Reynolds has gathered details of birds like the Hipster Pelican, the Enervated Eagle and Buff Petrel, not forgetting the Snub Gull and the Fatalistic Falcon.
Astute Owls
As much as you don’t want an astute owl to be correct, the astute owl is correct
Habitat: Lurking nearby whenever you make a mistake
Identifying Characteristics: An unnerving sense of timing
As you might have guessed from the above, this is a humorous bird identification book. It gives a peek into the characteristics of these new birds and a fairly (ok, very) broadminded insight into what they might be thinking. I really liked the imaginative bird names and the thought he’d put into their habits and characters. The images are excellent too, in particular, the colour ones, they portray the bird and also show the aloof, contemptuous or angry look that the artist and author were aiming for. There is a lot of swearing in here, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
When you have ventured outside, it helps to have a guide to the things that you might see. These have always been popular, especially when it comes to identifying the LBJ’s (little brown jobs) that make up a large number of small brown passerine birds, many of which are notoriously difficult to distinguish, even for experts.
This though is a guide with a difference. It is filled with beautiful sketches that are so much like the art of Thomas Berwick, but rather than having details of regular birds, Reynolds has gathered details of birds like the Hipster Pelican, the Enervated Eagle and Buff Petrel, not forgetting the Snub Gull and the Fatalistic Falcon.
Astute Owls
As much as you don’t want an astute owl to be correct, the astute owl is correct
Habitat: Lurking nearby whenever you make a mistake
Identifying Characteristics: An unnerving sense of timing
As you might have guessed from the above, this is a humorous bird identification book. It gives a peek into the characteristics of these new birds and a fairly (ok, very) broadminded insight into what they might be thinking. I really liked the imaginative bird names and the thought he’d put into their habits and characters. The images are excellent too, in particular, the colour ones, they portray the bird and also show the aloof, contemptuous or angry look that the artist and author were aiming for. There is a lot of swearing in here, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
November 22, 2020
If you are a birder (or are thinking of buying it for a birder), my advice is avoid this one. This book is a collection of memes: classic illustrations of birds paired with profane text. Some may find such a book humorous but I found it dumb, repetitive and meaningless. I did not find the humor witty or insightful or imaginative. There is no attempt to connect the text with the bird drawings, or anything about birds. You could put these vulgar one-liners next to pictures of fish or potatoes and it would make no difference. It's painfully clear the author has no knowledge or interest in actual birds. There are several rambling bull****ing species "descriptions," (which granted are a tad more amusing than the one-lines) but in most instances the author couldn't put in the minuscule effort to match the bird name with the accompanying drawing (e.g., The "Hipster Pelican" has an image a peacock). What? Lazy! Or maybe on purpose, but it made me twitch! "The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America" is also absurdly profane but at least the text is relevant to birds and birding.
February 3, 2021
Twas a lot of fun
December 19, 2019
Quick read funny the f-word is used...well several times a page so if that bothers you I don’t recommend but these birds cracked me up
January 12, 2020
A coworker waved this at me as it was passing through on its way to a library patron, so I ordered a copy for myself. Paging through it for a few seconds and landing on random pages made me laugh more than reading it cover to cover, but it was entertaining enough and a quick read.
The artwork, taken from Birds of America and History of British Birds, is rather pretty, especially the color artwork, a funny contrast to the sweary captions and horrible (imaginary) personalities of the birds. I liked the Literate Plover, whose chirps are interpreted as “Go to the fucking library,” because the description says, “Let’s be real: there’s no way you found this book at the library,” (Ha!) and then encourages the reader to go to the library and “get some books that aren’t just a bunch of pictures of birds and swear words.”
It was possibly more fun for Reynolds to write than it is to read for 161 pages, but it will probably still make you giggle like a 12-year-old if you’re not completely offended by it.
The artwork, taken from Birds of America and History of British Birds, is rather pretty, especially the color artwork, a funny contrast to the sweary captions and horrible (imaginary) personalities of the birds. I liked the Literate Plover, whose chirps are interpreted as “Go to the fucking library,” because the description says, “Let’s be real: there’s no way you found this book at the library,” (Ha!) and then encourages the reader to go to the library and “get some books that aren’t just a bunch of pictures of birds and swear words.”
It was possibly more fun for Reynolds to write than it is to read for 161 pages, but it will probably still make you giggle like a 12-year-old if you’re not completely offended by it.
October 20, 2019
It's like an Audubon, if he included relatable captions.
April 9, 2025
As other reviewers noted, this is essentially a book of memes. Each bird's characteristics actually describe a person you may have come across and their ridiculous qualities. Just like some other reviewers mentioned, I was slightly annoyed that some of the birds depicted didn't match the names given to them.
July 19, 2024
I didn’t realize just how much I needed a dose of a book filled with pictures of birds and swear words.
May 1, 2025
I hold that all birds are angry and/or judgmental. This book was written in that spirit. Let it be known that everything else is inaccurate. The species pictured do not match the descriptions. The delineation between land and water birds is completely arbitrary. The fact that the pictures are rip-offs of famous bird artists is completely there to deceive you into thinking this is something more substantial. It is not, but the book is very aware. I’m not sure if it’s lazy or brilliant, but either way I’m amused.
The true brilliance of the book is not its insights on birds but in the various types of annoying things that people do. This book calls us to say “I know a guy like that. They’re the worst.” In this way, we are given necessary validation that the minor grievances that we are constantly experiencing are indeed real. At the same time this has real tag-yourself energy. Identify which bird you are, and maybe consider that you are also the problem or receive some validation that you are correct to be annoyed. The thing about birds is that yes, they are all angry and judgy, but they are also usually right.
I am the “appraising bluebird”!
The true brilliance of the book is not its insights on birds but in the various types of annoying things that people do. This book calls us to say “I know a guy like that. They’re the worst.” In this way, we are given necessary validation that the minor grievances that we are constantly experiencing are indeed real. At the same time this has real tag-yourself energy. Identify which bird you are, and maybe consider that you are also the problem or receive some validation that you are correct to be annoyed. The thing about birds is that yes, they are all angry and judgy, but they are also usually right.
I am the “appraising bluebird”!
December 19, 2021
I did it again. Bought a book as a gift and then read it. Don’t pick this up unless you love sarcasm and swearing. I, for one, am still laughing. The descriptions of what each type of bird does in its spare time and what the identifying characteristics are are worth the price of admission.
September 9, 2020
One of my favorite books ever. Hysterical.
March 5, 2020
Imagine these quotes:
"Have some fucking decorum"
"Eat woodchips, fuckstick"
"Well aren't you just the king of shit mountain?"
With adorable illustrations of birds! Not quite extreme ad, not quite demotivational poster, pretty much awesome.
"Have some fucking decorum"
"Eat woodchips, fuckstick"
"Well aren't you just the king of shit mountain?"
With adorable illustrations of birds! Not quite extreme ad, not quite demotivational poster, pretty much awesome.
February 10, 2021
I love this book. This book is my spirit-animal. Never has a book spoken so clearly to my soul, or so accurately transcribed my daily internal dialogue.
March 28, 2025
Grab your binoculars, girls! It’s a Despondent Finch!
October 19, 2019
OH MY, this is one of the funniest, sarcastic and oh so relatable book of nonsense I’ve ever read.
Full of fowl language and just hilarious.
This is beautifully illustrated, with vintage illustrations of the birds, even including some stunning Audubon pictures too.
I can see this being used as memes everywhere as so many resonate with life, work and dealing with stupid people….I love it.
Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials, and a free copy of the ebook. (I also own a copy via sponsorship on Unbound). This is my honest, unbiased review.
Full of fowl language and just hilarious.
This is beautifully illustrated, with vintage illustrations of the birds, even including some stunning Audubon pictures too.
I can see this being used as memes everywhere as so many resonate with life, work and dealing with stupid people….I love it.
Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials, and a free copy of the ebook. (I also own a copy via sponsorship on Unbound). This is my honest, unbiased review.
December 23, 2019
Dumb and only a wee bit funny because of the profanity. Beyond that dumb and nothing that will last test of time
October 11, 2019
Oh, this was so much fun. You'll never look at a bird or listen to it's song in the same way again
January 9, 2020
I have loved Effin' Birds since I first ran across it on Twitter. It combines two of my favorite things: historic science illustrations and mouthy humor. I've long thought that there's an Effin' Bird for every situation, particularly in the workplace. The book organizes somewhat similar entries together, and it could be a fun exercise to go through and see which of the "birds" in question one is most like (although recognizing yourself in one of the more emotionally ugly ones can be a little jarring).
My one complaint has to do with citation. Yes, the Audubon is now in the public domain (I assume) and is named, but listing which page numbers/plates each bird came from as well as the proper species would have modeled good reuse practice.
My one complaint has to do with citation. Yes, the Audubon is now in the public domain (I assume) and is named, but listing which page numbers/plates each bird came from as well as the proper species would have modeled good reuse practice.
September 19, 2019
I may be a little biased as I was one of the 1,800 who pledged to get this book made via Unbound, but I loved this book! It's flipping funny, very sweary, beautifully illustrated and not for those who are easily offended!
But if you're looking for a book to escape the misery of the world we live in nowadays , it's a total blast! And I won't ever listen to birds chattering away in the garden in the same way again, knowing they are probably saying many of the phrases in this book! Rude birds!!
From the wise and insightful to the downright rude, it's perfect escapism, hilarious and I loved every single effin' page of it! More please!!!
But if you're looking for a book to escape the misery of the world we live in nowadays , it's a total blast! And I won't ever listen to birds chattering away in the garden in the same way again, knowing they are probably saying many of the phrases in this book! Rude birds!!
From the wise and insightful to the downright rude, it's perfect escapism, hilarious and I loved every single effin' page of it! More please!!!
January 29, 2020
I'm not really sure what I expected here. I guess I was not familiar with the online version and that was my pitfall. This is not funny. It's like a child trying to make jokes for adults but just adds f bombs to otherwise unfunny jokes. I would not recommend this book and I'm not sure why it made it into the goodreads finals. It isn't nearly as good as the other nominees on the same category.
March 17, 2020
I had been on my library's waitlist for this book for months. It was finally my turn and...it took all of 10 minutes to read this one. While this book will absolutely have an audience, sadly, it was not me - people who will love this one are the same people who thought those Happy Bunny magnets at Hot Topic were the height of humor in 8th grade.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 276 reviews