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A Field Guide to Little-Known and Seldom-Seen Birds of North America
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 16, 2014
Well, I thought it was funny. If you ask me the world needs more parodies of field guides.
September 1, 2009
This is one of those humorous little oddities.
The title should have perhaps held more of a clue that this is a humorous work. Maybe they thought it a better marketing strategy to go the other direction.
It's a small book of imaginary birds, weird little chimeras that nature MIGHT have come up with, like the "Eastern Narrow Sparrow" (who gets very hard to see when he turns sidewise) and the "Great-Toed Clapboard Pecker."
The artwork is very well-done and the descriptions of the birds mimic a proper field guide.
Here's a portion of one of my favorite entries (for the elusive "Prairie Molter").
OBSERVATION HINT: Drive 3.2 miles south on Highway 211, turn right and continue for 1.5 miles on County Road SR763. Immediately past a small unnamed stream, stop at a large pasture on the right. Check the eighth fence post. A Prairie Molter was seen here last year.
I suppose this speaks to the frustrations of many birders out there looking for legitimate species, but when applied to an imaginary bird writing like this takes on a certain metaphysical tinct, which amuses me in the same way Monty Python does when they give their take on the numinous.
Even the blurbs (confected as well) are amusing.
This is my favorite blurb for this book: "It gives me chills to think that this may be only the first in a series." Serious Birder
The title should have perhaps held more of a clue that this is a humorous work. Maybe they thought it a better marketing strategy to go the other direction.
It's a small book of imaginary birds, weird little chimeras that nature MIGHT have come up with, like the "Eastern Narrow Sparrow" (who gets very hard to see when he turns sidewise) and the "Great-Toed Clapboard Pecker."
The artwork is very well-done and the descriptions of the birds mimic a proper field guide.
Here's a portion of one of my favorite entries (for the elusive "Prairie Molter").
OBSERVATION HINT: Drive 3.2 miles south on Highway 211, turn right and continue for 1.5 miles on County Road SR763. Immediately past a small unnamed stream, stop at a large pasture on the right. Check the eighth fence post. A Prairie Molter was seen here last year.
I suppose this speaks to the frustrations of many birders out there looking for legitimate species, but when applied to an imaginary bird writing like this takes on a certain metaphysical tinct, which amuses me in the same way Monty Python does when they give their take on the numinous.
Even the blurbs (confected as well) are amusing.
This is my favorite blurb for this book: "It gives me chills to think that this may be only the first in a series." Serious Birder
Read
June 9, 2024Great book for the rare bird enthusiast in your life!
I picked this up for my bird-watching, bird book-reading teenage son, not knowing it was a "humorous" field guide. That being the case, it's pretty funny... and funny to observe the reactions of other unsuspecting readers.
It's been read throughout our house as well as by a few guests, and has provided good entertainment.
We're passing it on to my dad for Christmas for further enjoyment.
5 stars for clever creativity, and for bringing humor to the birding pastime.
I picked this up for my bird-watching, bird book-reading teenage son, not knowing it was a "humorous" field guide. That being the case, it's pretty funny... and funny to observe the reactions of other unsuspecting readers.
It's been read throughout our house as well as by a few guests, and has provided good entertainment.
We're passing it on to my dad for Christmas for further enjoyment.
5 stars for clever creativity, and for bringing humor to the birding pastime.
August 26, 2022
A thoroughly delightful read - much needed in these somber days. I love birds but was really attracted to the book because of the playful watercolor images. The authors had fun creating the descriptions. The field notes and other addendums in the back are fun too! Enjoy and pass it on!
January 31, 2025
Really funny! You may have seen some of these without even knowing it! It's worth reading cover to cover. Fun world building! I'm looking forward to the second one.
May 14, 2013
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley for the purpose of review. The review is my honest opinion and I was not paid for this service.
A Field Guide To Little-Known & Seldom-Seen Birds of North America appears to be a very informative field guide. However, upon reading the descriptions beneath each bird it dawns on you that the bird they're describing simply does not exist. For example, the Military Warbler. Really a bird that evolved as a mutant after early nuclear tests, which is commonly found on high-security military bases. Preposterous. I liked how the authors created color photos of what the described birds would look like if they were real.
Some of the information seems so real that it is plausible that the information is realistic to the point that you have to read it again. I'm not sure what the point behind the book was other than to make you laugh. As I have never read anything by this author before, I thought that this was a real bird guide and not a farce of one. So, I was a little disappointed on that aspect, but other than that I found the book to be amusing.
A Field Guide To Little-Known & Seldom-Seen Birds of North America appears to be a very informative field guide. However, upon reading the descriptions beneath each bird it dawns on you that the bird they're describing simply does not exist. For example, the Military Warbler. Really a bird that evolved as a mutant after early nuclear tests, which is commonly found on high-security military bases. Preposterous. I liked how the authors created color photos of what the described birds would look like if they were real.
Some of the information seems so real that it is plausible that the information is realistic to the point that you have to read it again. I'm not sure what the point behind the book was other than to make you laugh. As I have never read anything by this author before, I thought that this was a real bird guide and not a farce of one. So, I was a little disappointed on that aspect, but other than that I found the book to be amusing.
October 25, 2018
FIVE STARS this was hysterical! From camoflauged sparrows to post-sitters to ground-dwelling thanksgiving dinners, this clever pastiche of a field guide is a must-read for anybody needing a giggle. (Also a great joke gift for a naturalist or birdwatcher haha).
January 16, 2025
Had a good laugh
December 20, 2020
A Field Guide to Little Known and Seldom Seen Birds of North America by Ben Sill, Cathryn Sill and John Sill
9781561457281
112 Pages
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Release Date: August 1, 2013
New Adult, Outdoors & Nature
The collection of birds in this book cannot be found in the wild. They are all inventions of the authors. When I first started reading this book, I thought how wonderful it would be to see this bird or that bird. I had to keep telling myself they were not real. The descriptions are very detailed, and I found myself chuckling at the sounds or conditions where the birds could be found.
What a great humorous collection of birds. The authors did a wonderful job creating unusual birds that anyone would love to see in the wild.
9781561457281
112 Pages
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Release Date: August 1, 2013
New Adult, Outdoors & Nature
The collection of birds in this book cannot be found in the wild. They are all inventions of the authors. When I first started reading this book, I thought how wonderful it would be to see this bird or that bird. I had to keep telling myself they were not real. The descriptions are very detailed, and I found myself chuckling at the sounds or conditions where the birds could be found.
What a great humorous collection of birds. The authors did a wonderful job creating unusual birds that anyone would love to see in the wild.
April 20, 2023
Absolutely brilliant from cover to cover. If you have even a passing interest in biology and humor, this is a must-have book. I had to stop reading it before bed because it kept me up laughing past my bedtime.
January 5, 2024
I enjoyed this book so much I immediately sought out used copies of the two prior books that this book seeks to combine. It was a delightful little read full of fun art of fantastical fictional birds that one only wishes they might see in real life.
August 13, 2017
Tracy surprised me with this little gem chock full of punny goodness. Most certainly for birders and those who like puns. All others stay away!
September 13, 2018
powder puff, one can be sure the author enjoyed himself but it is light fare.
January 5, 2024
A fun little read with nice art and a complete menagerie of fantastical fictional birds. Genuinely sad some of these aren't real.
September 24, 2025
Hilarious
August 18, 2013
(A parody)
Languishing in self-induced angst after reading depressing historical and Armageddon novels for an indeterminate time, I decided it would behove me to return to childhood obsessions and sought out a birding guide. Distraction from suffering is a worthy pursuit, yes? Imagine my delight when I discovered this book, replete with specimens I have not managed to catalogue. Look: new useless facts to memorize! *happy sigh* Now, I have a new obsession. Thanks so much, Ben and Cathryn Sill.
This book is a must for every bird nerd. In fact, I intend to buy a few zillion copies to give to my friends, whether the subject interests them or not. Not many of my friends are avid birders, but one can hope for converts.
My favourite bird in this book has to be the Greater Vagrant as it so closely resembles our Canadian Snowbird. I must urge the authors to include the Snowbird in the next edition (if you don’t, I’ll come south in June and July and trespass on your property, greeting you politely 50 times a day until you accede to my demand).
This book is indispensable to the following individuals: those with an inexplicable affinity for puns; phenoms; precocious annoying children; retirees and anyone who actually still places books like this in bathrooms for their guests’ reading pleasure. My own mother had a book intended for washroom break consumption. It was on the subject of outhouses and all our visitors loved it. Ah, the good old days, when books were made out of paper.
Of course, this book is also available in traditional form. So, why not show a little nostalgia and outfit your bathroom with a copy? Your guests will thank you.
Five stars.
Languishing in self-induced angst after reading depressing historical and Armageddon novels for an indeterminate time, I decided it would behove me to return to childhood obsessions and sought out a birding guide. Distraction from suffering is a worthy pursuit, yes? Imagine my delight when I discovered this book, replete with specimens I have not managed to catalogue. Look: new useless facts to memorize! *happy sigh* Now, I have a new obsession. Thanks so much, Ben and Cathryn Sill.
This book is a must for every bird nerd. In fact, I intend to buy a few zillion copies to give to my friends, whether the subject interests them or not. Not many of my friends are avid birders, but one can hope for converts.
My favourite bird in this book has to be the Greater Vagrant as it so closely resembles our Canadian Snowbird. I must urge the authors to include the Snowbird in the next edition (if you don’t, I’ll come south in June and July and trespass on your property, greeting you politely 50 times a day until you accede to my demand).
This book is indispensable to the following individuals: those with an inexplicable affinity for puns; phenoms; precocious annoying children; retirees and anyone who actually still places books like this in bathrooms for their guests’ reading pleasure. My own mother had a book intended for washroom break consumption. It was on the subject of outhouses and all our visitors loved it. Ah, the good old days, when books were made out of paper.
Of course, this book is also available in traditional form. So, why not show a little nostalgia and outfit your bathroom with a copy? Your guests will thank you.
Five stars.
February 2, 2014
This delightful little book is written in the format of a field guide for rare birds, complete with description, illustrations and tips for finding these cleverly named, non-existent birds. It is packed with humor that will amuse anyone who enjoys watching birds, but especially experienced birders who will be laughing out loud at some of the parodies of the real-world problems of identifying a bird in the field.
This description of the fictitious “Yellowlegs” perfectly illustrates the problem facing a birder when trying to identify similar looking shorebirds using their field guide:
The color illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to the text. Warblers are tricky little birds to identify, but don’t spend too much time looking for the elusive Monarch Warbler.
This was a fun book and a wonderful diversion for me to read on a cold winter night while longing for the spring warblers to return.
Clever and creative, a perfect book for bird watchers or anyone who enjoys our feathered friends.
This description of the fictitious “Yellowlegs” perfectly illustrates the problem facing a birder when trying to identify similar looking shorebirds using their field guide:
Middle Yellowlegs and Least Yellowlegs
Both are similar to the lesser and Greater Yellowlegs; however, they are readily identified by the fact that the Middle Yellowlegs is smaller than the Greater Yellowlegs, while the least Yellowlegs is smaller than the Greater, Middle, and lesser Yellowlegs, but is larger than some smaller birds.
The color illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to the text. Warblers are tricky little birds to identify, but don’t spend too much time looking for the elusive Monarch Warbler.
This was a fun book and a wonderful diversion for me to read on a cold winter night while longing for the spring warblers to return.
Clever and creative, a perfect book for bird watchers or anyone who enjoys our feathered friends.
September 3, 2013
Note: I received a copy from NetGalley for the purpose of reviewing and was not paid for this service.
I have to admit that I wasn’t too keen on it at first but this grew on me especially as I spent a week in the field id-ing actual species of birds.
I loved how it parodied the actual problems that birders encounters in the real world, like the yellow-legged sandpipers and the warblers.
It went into so much detail and there was obviously a lot of thought put into each species, especially when you consider these don’t actually exist. Each species had a full page of information that went along with beautiful illustrations of non-existent birds.
It is the perfect book for birders and ornithologists who could just use a laugh at birds and the problems id-ing them.
I have to admit that I wasn’t too keen on it at first but this grew on me especially as I spent a week in the field id-ing actual species of birds.
I loved how it parodied the actual problems that birders encounters in the real world, like the yellow-legged sandpipers and the warblers.
It went into so much detail and there was obviously a lot of thought put into each species, especially when you consider these don’t actually exist. Each species had a full page of information that went along with beautiful illustrations of non-existent birds.
It is the perfect book for birders and ornithologists who could just use a laugh at birds and the problems id-ing them.
August 4, 2013
A funny little field guide to imaginary birds. This will appeal to birders and non-birders alike, though mostly to the former.
It's obviously a labour of love, and is filled with clever descriptions and some amazing illustrations
My personal favourite - the Ripped Grouse, whose feathers part during courtship to reveal his impressive musculature
This would be a great coffee table book or a gift for the bird watcher in your life.
It's obviously a labour of love, and is filled with clever descriptions and some amazing illustrations
My personal favourite - the Ripped Grouse, whose feathers part during courtship to reveal his impressive musculature
This would be a great coffee table book or a gift for the bird watcher in your life.
November 26, 2014
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley for the purpose of review. The review is my honest opinion and I was not paid for this service.
This was a fun read. It appears to be a typical birding guide book, complete with vivid illustrations and hilarious descriptions of bird behaviors and appearances. I had several chuckles while learning about these fictitious birds. I'm sure that an experienced birder would appreciate this even more than I did.
This was a fun read. It appears to be a typical birding guide book, complete with vivid illustrations and hilarious descriptions of bird behaviors and appearances. I had several chuckles while learning about these fictitious birds. I'm sure that an experienced birder would appreciate this even more than I did.
March 17, 2012
Hilarious inventions of species, such as the blunt-billed woodpecker (petripeckus horizontalis) whose habit of drilling into petrified trees makes age identification easy by the severely worn away bill.
Another table-top book for lazy weekend afternoons.
Another table-top book for lazy weekend afternoons.
October 16, 2013
Anyone who enjoys birding will get a hoot out of this field guide to some of the world's most amazing nonexistent birds! We met the authors of this book in Churchill, Manitoba many years ago and so enjoy their children's books AND their "beak-in-cheek" field guides. Highly recommended.
November 21, 2013
I feel like a total chump because when I requested this book from the library, I thought it was about actual birds. Oops. I found it to be mildly humorous, but not quite my cup of tea. The illustrations were quite lovely, though.
October 17, 2015
One of the field guides no mis-id-er should be without. Genus, species, common name, territory, call, camouflage, picture and much more is provided here to make your life list longer than anyone else's
September 7, 2016
If you like the movie "The Big Year", this book is for you. Go birding with a chuckle!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews