While there are many courses and tutorials online, learning from a book is still one of the best ways to greatly improve your skills. Below I have selected top Bird books.
- National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 7th Edition (2017)
- National Geographic Backyard North America (National Geographic Backyard Guides) (2011)
- The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America (Bird Books, Books for Bird Lovers, Humor Books) (2019)
- The Genius of Birds (2017)
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region, Revised Edition (1994)
- The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds (2015)
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (1995)
- Wild Bird (2019)
- Smithsonian Handbooks: Birds of North America — Eastern Region (Smithsonian Handbooks) (DK Smithsonian Handbook) (2001)
- The Bird and the Sword (2016)
- The Painted Bird (1995)
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: Novel-Ties Study Guide (2001)
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 7th Edition (2017)
.With more than 2.75 million copies in print, this perennial bestseller is the most frequently updated of all North American bird field guides. Filled with hand-painted illustrations from top nature artists (including the ever-popular hummingbird), this latest edition is poised to become an instant must-have for every serious birder in the United States and Canada.
National Geographic Backyard North America (National Geographic Backyard Guides) (2011)
Essential for the millions of Americans who watch and feed birds in their backyards—whether experienced birders or new birding enthusiasts—from the experts at National Geographic and co-author of the popular and perennial best seller Field Guide to the Birds of North America. No matter where you live—in the country, city, a high-rise or house—this handy guide will quench your curiosity…
The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America (Bird Books, Books for Bird Lovers, Humor Books) (2019)
: For those who have a disdain for birds, or bird lovers with a sense of humor, this snarky, illustrated handbook is equal parts profane, funny, and—let’s face it—true. Featuring 50 common North American birds, such as the and the (or White-Breasted Nuthatch and Canada Goose for the layperson), Matt Kracht identifies all the idiots in your backyard and details exactly why they suck with humorous, yet angry, ink drawings.
The Genius of Birds (2017)
Birds are astonishingly intelligent creatures. According to revolutionary new research, some birds rival primates and even humans in their remarkable forms of intelligence. In The Genius of Birds, acclaimed author Jennifer Ackerman explores their newly discovered brilliance and how it came about.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Eastern Region, Revised Edition (1994)
Virtually every bird found in eastern North America is brought to life in this portable guide, an essential companion in the field and a staple in any birdwatcher’s library. It features a durable vinyl binding and brilliant full-color photographic identification pictures arranged for quick access and definitive text, including information on the bird’s voice, nesting habits, habitat, range, and interesting behaviors.
The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds (2015)
John Muir Laws’s guide to drawing birds is itself winged, soaring between a devotion not only to art but also to the lives, forms, and postures of the birds themselves. Here, artistic technique and the exquisite details of natural history intertwine, and drawing becomes the vehicle for seeing. As Laws writes, “To draw feathers, you must understand how feathers grow, overlap, and insert into the body. To create the body, you must have an understanding of the bird’s skeletal structure.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (1995)
For a quarter century, more than a million readers—scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities—have been inspired by Anne Lamott’s hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice.
Wild Bird (2019)
3:47 a.m. That’s when they come for Wren Clemmens. She’s hustled out of her house and into a waiting car, then a plane, and then taken on a forced march into the desert. This is what happens to kids who’ve gone so far off the rails, their parents don’t know what to do with them anymore. This is wilderness therapy camp. Eight weeks of survivalist camping in the desert.
Smithsonian Handbooks: Birds of North America — Eastern Region (Smithsonian Handbooks) (DK Smithsonian Handbook) (2001)
Published in association with America’s preeminent authority, the Smithsonian Institution, this comprehensive handbook to the birds of North America: Eastern Region includes 706 species — all birds known to breed east of the 100th meridian on the United States and Canada, as well as regular visitors and vagrants to this region. The Smithsonian Handbook is the first identification guide that includes details of the bird’s life history in a concise and user-friendly format.
The Bird and the Sword (2016)
Swallow, daughter, pull them in, those words that sit upon your lips. Lock them deep inside your soul, hide them ‘til they’ve time to grow. Close your mouth upon the power, curse not, cure not, ‘til the hour. You won’t speak and you won’t tell, you won’t call on heaven or hell. You will learn and you will thrive. Silence, daughter. Stay alive. The day my mother was killed, she told my father I wouldn’t speak again, and she told him if I died, he would die too.
The Painted Bird (1995)
Originally published in 1965, The Painted Bird established Jerzy Kosinski as a major literary figure. Kosinski’s story follows a dark-haired, olive-skinned boy, abandoned by his parents during World War II, as he wanders alone from one village to another, sometimes hounded and tortured, only rarely sheltered and cared for.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: Novel-Ties Study Guide (2001)
Use Novel-Ties ® study guides as your total guided reading program. Reproducible pages in chapter-by-chapter format provide you with the right questions to ask, the important issues to discuss, and the organizational aids that help students get the most out of each book they read. #428,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2235 in American Poetry (Books) #254 in Southern U.S.
Best Bird Books That You Need
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some bird books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
The Hidden Meaning of Birds--A Spiritual Field Guide: Explore the Symbology and Significance of These Divine Winged Messengers
Author(s): Arin Murphy-Hiscock
ID: 2366453, Publisher: Adams Media, Year: 9 Apr 2019, Size: 37 Mb, Format: epub
Birds by the Shore: Observing the Natural Life of the Atlantic Coast
Author(s): Jennifer Ackerman
ID: 2389069, Publisher: Penguin Books, Year: 7 May 2019, Size: 24 Mb, Format: epub
Do-It-Yourself Garden Projects and Crafts: 60 Planters, Bird Houses, Lotion Bars, Garlands, and More
Author(s): Wolfe Debbie
ID: 2325329, Publisher: Skyhorse, Year: 5 Feb 2019, Size: 73 Mb, Format: epub
Please note that this booklist is not definite. Some books are absolutely chart-busters according to Chicago Tribune, others are written by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant books you could recommend? Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the list.