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Het vogelboek. Een veldgids
De lucht dunt uit. Wereldwijd zijn er steeds minder vogels. Ochtenden en lentes worden elk jaar stiller. Een bijna onvoorstelbare overvloed dreigt verloren te gaan. Dat hoeft niet zo te zijn – we moeten redden wat we liefhebben.
Het vogelboek bevat negenenveertig vogelsoorten, van kluut tot geelgors, die allemaal in aantal afnemen of zelfs met uitsterven worden bedreigd. Geïnspireerd door de klassieke vogelboeken waarmee de auteurs zijn opgegroeid, hebben zij een alternatieve veldgids samengesteld. Lezers kunnen vanaf nu vogels identificeren en zich er ook méé identificeren.
Lyrisch en met precisie schetst Robert Macfarlane speels de gewoonten en leefgebieden van elke vogel – hun vlucht- en zangpatronen, hoe ze jagen en verzamelen, hoe ze nestelen en hun jongen grootbrengen, de verhalen en mythen die hun te wachten staan, de bedreigingen, en de manieren waarop hun wilde leven kruist met het onze. En op elke pagina komen we Jackie Morris’ kunstwerken tegen, geschilderd in waterverf en goud en met veel aandacht voor detail en levenslust.
Het vogelboek, waar zeven jaar aan is gewerkt, is een lange liefdesverklaring aan de pracht en mysteries van het vogelleven, en een luide oproep om het verlies van vogels op land, ter zee en in de lucht een halt toe te roepen. Van waterspreeuw tot heggenmus en torenvalk tot ijsvogel, van berg tot oceaan en van stad tot rivier: Jackie Morris en Robert Macfarlane schetsen de unieke geest en leefwijze van elke soort. Dit is een boek om te koesteren voor vogelliefhebbers van alle leeftijden en een toekomstige klassieker.
Het vogelboek bevat negenenveertig vogelsoorten, van kluut tot geelgors, die allemaal in aantal afnemen of zelfs met uitsterven worden bedreigd. Geïnspireerd door de klassieke vogelboeken waarmee de auteurs zijn opgegroeid, hebben zij een alternatieve veldgids samengesteld. Lezers kunnen vanaf nu vogels identificeren en zich er ook méé identificeren.
Lyrisch en met precisie schetst Robert Macfarlane speels de gewoonten en leefgebieden van elke vogel – hun vlucht- en zangpatronen, hoe ze jagen en verzamelen, hoe ze nestelen en hun jongen grootbrengen, de verhalen en mythen die hun te wachten staan, de bedreigingen, en de manieren waarop hun wilde leven kruist met het onze. En op elke pagina komen we Jackie Morris’ kunstwerken tegen, geschilderd in waterverf en goud en met veel aandacht voor detail en levenslust.
Het vogelboek, waar zeven jaar aan is gewerkt, is een lange liefdesverklaring aan de pracht en mysteries van het vogelleven, en een luide oproep om het verlies van vogels op land, ter zee en in de lucht een halt toe te roepen. Van waterspreeuw tot heggenmus en torenvalk tot ijsvogel, van berg tot oceaan en van stad tot rivier: Jackie Morris en Robert Macfarlane schetsen de unieke geest en leefwijze van elke soort. Dit is een boek om te koesteren voor vogelliefhebbers van alle leeftijden en een toekomstige klassieker.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published May 7, 2026
About the author
Robert Macfarlane
121 books4,886 followersRobert Macfarlane is a British nature writer and literary critic.
Educated at Nottingham High School, Pembroke College, Cambridge and Magdalen College, Oxford, he is currently a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and teaches in the Faculty of English at Cambridge.
Robert Macfarlane is the author of prize-winning and bestselling books about landscape, nature, people and place, including Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination (2003), The Wild Places (2007), The Old Ways (2012), Holloway (2013, with Stanley Donwood and Dan Richards), Landmarks (2015), The Lost Words: A Spell Book (with the artist Jackie Morris, 2017) and Underland: A Deep Time Journey (2019). His work has been translated into many languages, won prizes around the world, and his books have been widely adapted for film, television, stage and radio. He has collaborated with artists, film-makers, actors, photographers and musicians, including Hauschka, Willem Dafoe, Karine Polwart and Stanley Donwood. In 2017 he was awarded the EM Forster Prize for Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Educated at Nottingham High School, Pembroke College, Cambridge and Magdalen College, Oxford, he is currently a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and teaches in the Faculty of English at Cambridge.
Robert Macfarlane is the author of prize-winning and bestselling books about landscape, nature, people and place, including Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination (2003), The Wild Places (2007), The Old Ways (2012), Holloway (2013, with Stanley Donwood and Dan Richards), Landmarks (2015), The Lost Words: A Spell Book (with the artist Jackie Morris, 2017) and Underland: A Deep Time Journey (2019). His work has been translated into many languages, won prizes around the world, and his books have been widely adapted for film, television, stage and radio. He has collaborated with artists, film-makers, actors, photographers and musicians, including Hauschka, Willem Dafoe, Karine Polwart and Stanley Donwood. In 2017 he was awarded the EM Forster Prize for Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
June 21, 2026
Well, I must admit that with regard to Robert Macfarlane's text and Jackie Morris' artwork for their May 2026 The Book of Birds, I indeed am somewhat and in fact if truth be told more than somewhat conflicted, that I am therefore vacillating between intense reading joy and a frustration that is sometimes even bordering on massive annoyance (and that my average rating of three stars for The Book of Birds is as such and in my humble opinion thus also totally justified and is equally so rather generous on my part).
Yes, Jackie Morris’s meticulously detailed (but also not ever pedantic and visually overly tight) avian paintings for The Book of Birds are with regard to her artistry and her glowingly realistic yet also visually emotional expressiveness absolutely, totally aesthetically spectacular, and that how Morris uses watercolour and gold leaf to bring the featured birds of The Book of Birds gloriously to life, this really and truly does make ALL of the illustrations for The Book of Birds magical and delightful. However, and this having been said, even though I obviously totally visually speaking adore Jackie Morris' exquisite artwork in and for The Book of Birds, sorry, but I also do rather hugely miss there not being any photographs at all of the showcased birds (and that for me, for every species showcased in The Book of Birds, there should be both Morris' illustrations and also at least one accompanying photographic image featured as well, and that while the total absence of avian photographs in and throughout The Book of Birds is not in any way something major, something hugely, massively problematic, this still is at least in my humble opinion somewhat of a visual shortcoming for The Book of Birds).
Now with regard to Robert Macfarlane's text in The Book of Birds, both his writing style and his featured, his presented bird-themed contents are delightfully lyrical and how rather than just teaching avian facts Macfarlane throughout The Book of Birds wonderfully and feelingly asks his readers not just to physically identify forty-nine British birds (and just to point out that not all of these these species occur only in the UK either) but to also and emotionally speaking identify WITH birds, exploring their myths, habitats, nests, songs etc., and with The Book of Birds through this also carrying an important conservation message, mourning the loss (the horrible thinning out) of bird populations while the same time also encouraging readers to love nature enough to protect it. But yes, I do kind of wonder why Robert Macfarlane would in The Book of Birds consider both house sparrows and starlings as being possibly vulnerable, since they are so so numerous worldwide (although maybe Macfarlane is not barking up the wrong proverbial tree here either, since the passenger pigeon was actually in the 19th century considered one of the most abundant species of birds in North America and was sadly extinct by 1914).
But as much as I have massively enjoyed the lyricism of The Book of Birds and equally so hugely appreciate (as well absolutely agree with) the strong conservation message Robert Macfarlane textually shows, there are also some parts of The Book of Birds that tend to make me rather internally growl with frustration and even some minor but still important and necessary anger (not all-encompassingly so, but still, I am most definitely rather annoyed and do stand by my above mentioned three star rating). For one, The Book of Birds is in my opinion rather misleading as a title, since it kind of (and wrongly) assumes that considerably more than forty-nine bird species will be textually covered by Macfarlane and visually accompanied by Jackie Morris (and that I ordered the book because The Book of Birds to me seemed to claim and to indicate a much broader avian scope). For two, The Book of Birds is such a large and such a heavy tome that due to its massive size and lack of portability (and actually also because of its poetic style) The Book of Birds is for me and in my humble opinion not really a bona fide field guide and is of course thus also not really all that useful for actual birdwatching either (for going out into nature book in hand and observing, recoding birds) and that since in The Book of Birds Robert Macfarlane also replaces traditional photographic or rigidly diagrammed identification charts with metaphor, poetry, and with Jackie Morris/ watercolours, this for and to me also makes The Book of Birds pretty much impractical for actual bird identification (and this both while out and about and also at home, inside so to speak, not something massively problematic to be sure, but I do find this quite bothersome since The Book of Birds is also labelled as being a field guide by Macfarlane even though it clearly is not a field guide). And finally, for three (and probably also the main reason why my rating for The Book of Birds is not four but only three stars) sorry, but I absolutely and totally, I massively (and all-encompassingly) despise how majorly unorganised and therefore equally so how ridiculously and horridly user-unfriendly Robert Macfarlane's bibliography for The Book of Birds is and that I for one consider how he is showing his primary and his secondary sources as completely eliminating and destroying any and all supplemental research value of and for The Book of Birds.
Yes, Jackie Morris’s meticulously detailed (but also not ever pedantic and visually overly tight) avian paintings for The Book of Birds are with regard to her artistry and her glowingly realistic yet also visually emotional expressiveness absolutely, totally aesthetically spectacular, and that how Morris uses watercolour and gold leaf to bring the featured birds of The Book of Birds gloriously to life, this really and truly does make ALL of the illustrations for The Book of Birds magical and delightful. However, and this having been said, even though I obviously totally visually speaking adore Jackie Morris' exquisite artwork in and for The Book of Birds, sorry, but I also do rather hugely miss there not being any photographs at all of the showcased birds (and that for me, for every species showcased in The Book of Birds, there should be both Morris' illustrations and also at least one accompanying photographic image featured as well, and that while the total absence of avian photographs in and throughout The Book of Birds is not in any way something major, something hugely, massively problematic, this still is at least in my humble opinion somewhat of a visual shortcoming for The Book of Birds).
Now with regard to Robert Macfarlane's text in The Book of Birds, both his writing style and his featured, his presented bird-themed contents are delightfully lyrical and how rather than just teaching avian facts Macfarlane throughout The Book of Birds wonderfully and feelingly asks his readers not just to physically identify forty-nine British birds (and just to point out that not all of these these species occur only in the UK either) but to also and emotionally speaking identify WITH birds, exploring their myths, habitats, nests, songs etc., and with The Book of Birds through this also carrying an important conservation message, mourning the loss (the horrible thinning out) of bird populations while the same time also encouraging readers to love nature enough to protect it. But yes, I do kind of wonder why Robert Macfarlane would in The Book of Birds consider both house sparrows and starlings as being possibly vulnerable, since they are so so numerous worldwide (although maybe Macfarlane is not barking up the wrong proverbial tree here either, since the passenger pigeon was actually in the 19th century considered one of the most abundant species of birds in North America and was sadly extinct by 1914).
But as much as I have massively enjoyed the lyricism of The Book of Birds and equally so hugely appreciate (as well absolutely agree with) the strong conservation message Robert Macfarlane textually shows, there are also some parts of The Book of Birds that tend to make me rather internally growl with frustration and even some minor but still important and necessary anger (not all-encompassingly so, but still, I am most definitely rather annoyed and do stand by my above mentioned three star rating). For one, The Book of Birds is in my opinion rather misleading as a title, since it kind of (and wrongly) assumes that considerably more than forty-nine bird species will be textually covered by Macfarlane and visually accompanied by Jackie Morris (and that I ordered the book because The Book of Birds to me seemed to claim and to indicate a much broader avian scope). For two, The Book of Birds is such a large and such a heavy tome that due to its massive size and lack of portability (and actually also because of its poetic style) The Book of Birds is for me and in my humble opinion not really a bona fide field guide and is of course thus also not really all that useful for actual birdwatching either (for going out into nature book in hand and observing, recoding birds) and that since in The Book of Birds Robert Macfarlane also replaces traditional photographic or rigidly diagrammed identification charts with metaphor, poetry, and with Jackie Morris/ watercolours, this for and to me also makes The Book of Birds pretty much impractical for actual bird identification (and this both while out and about and also at home, inside so to speak, not something massively problematic to be sure, but I do find this quite bothersome since The Book of Birds is also labelled as being a field guide by Macfarlane even though it clearly is not a field guide). And finally, for three (and probably also the main reason why my rating for The Book of Birds is not four but only three stars) sorry, but I absolutely and totally, I massively (and all-encompassingly) despise how majorly unorganised and therefore equally so how ridiculously and horridly user-unfriendly Robert Macfarlane's bibliography for The Book of Birds is and that I for one consider how he is showing his primary and his secondary sources as completely eliminating and destroying any and all supplemental research value of and for The Book of Birds.
August 19, 2026
5 🦅 🦅 🦅 🦅 🦅
What a stunning book! Heavy stock pages with attached ribbon to hold your place. Beautiful original watercolor art. Not one for the Kindle, oh no.
Divided into seven sections, the wonders of bird—nest, egg, beak, song, feather, flight, and migration, it was penned with imaginative, poetical prose. Turning the pages, reading the words was such a joy. This “field guide to wonder and loss” delivered what it promised.
What a stunning book! Heavy stock pages with attached ribbon to hold your place. Beautiful original watercolor art. Not one for the Kindle, oh no.
Divided into seven sections, the wonders of bird—nest, egg, beak, song, feather, flight, and migration, it was penned with imaginative, poetical prose. Turning the pages, reading the words was such a joy. This “field guide to wonder and loss” delivered what it promised.
June 10, 2026
If The Lost Words was the size of a processional gospel and The Lost Spells reminded me of a pocket psalter, The Book of Birds has the heft of a study Bible, complete with charts in the back. The sheer yet costly abundance of the project seems to be a tribute of love to the abundance of bird life, an abundance which feels taken for granted as it fades. Macfarlane’s writing is terrific throughout, a prose which is filled with internal rhymes. He said that he tried to match the rhythm of each entry with the bird itself, and that verbal dexterity pays off. This is a book which teaches us to contemplate.
June 9, 2026
If I have never gifted you a Robert Macfarlane book, do I really love you or have you never invited me to your birthday party? Another gem from Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, the team who previously gave us The Lost Words and The Lost Spells, two books I devoured physically because those illustrations are truly emotive, and audibly because all three books have impeccable production. You truly, truly need both physical and audio copies. The Book of Birds gives us actual bird songs. And again, the illustrations are fantastic. These books are deeply spiritual in a way I don't know how to explain. It is the way nature feels truly seen. The noticing feels deep and a bit witchy - in the best way possible. A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss is such a great and telling subtitle. There is awe and grief and hope. If you are following along on my solarpunk reading journey this summer, this is a must read. And for everyone else, it is a gift you give yourself. Thank you to everyone involved and NetGalley for the audioARC. Will I be adding this to my Macfarlane library? Absolutely.
June 26, 2026
The Book of Birds is everything that we bird-y folk love: Information. Illustrations. Beauty. Cleverness. Wonder. And, of course, birds.
It's a book of birds, told in magnificent poetry-prose, depicted with magnificent illustrations.
It's a field guide organized by the most amazing wonders of birds: their nests, their eggs, their beaks, their songs, their feathers, their flights, and their migrations. The book highlights fifty bird species that were once common and are now less so.
If you are already in love with birds, you will come away from this book feeling obsessed with birds.
I lingered over this book for three months. I did not want to get to the end.
It's a book of birds, told in magnificent poetry-prose, depicted with magnificent illustrations.
It's a field guide organized by the most amazing wonders of birds: their nests, their eggs, their beaks, their songs, their feathers, their flights, and their migrations. The book highlights fifty bird species that were once common and are now less so.
If you are already in love with birds, you will come away from this book feeling obsessed with birds.
I lingered over this book for three months. I did not want to get to the end.
June 5, 2026
I'm overwhelmed with the beauty of this book. The perfect combination of words and art bringing to life some of the birds we have nearly lost. A book to return to again and again.
July 3, 2026
What an amazing book! This book is meant to be read out loud. Het language is beautiful and the illustrations are gorgeous.
July 6, 2026
An intensely gorgeous and enjoyable book. If you are ornithologically-inclined or maybe just bird curious, read it now as this fabulous volume aims to motivate a kinship with birds, not just a knowledge of them. Gorgeous watercolors that capture the spirit of each bird from Jackie Morris. Macfarlane never fails to engender a playful amusement or earnest compassion towards his subjects. Loved it.
August 16, 2026
“We will not save what we do not love, and we rarely love what we cannot name.”
xx-dnf-skim-reference
July 10, 2026A very pretty book.
I admire the goal of raising awareness. They credit Mary Oliver, one of my favorite poets, with "Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." But will anybody who really needs this book see it?
There is some science, but it's buried in very fancy poetic language. Even more 'extra' than Ray Bradbury's metaphors, embellishments, etc.
It's not necessarily about endangered species, unless starlings are in more trouble in Europe than in the US? All birds, all wilderness, needs more respect than it's getting now, but starlings!?
Anyway, too much for me. I wanted something a bit more straightforward & science-heavy. So I won't rate. I hope, if you choose to read it, that you are astonished, and that you share the beauty with those you know who need to learn of and to see it.
July 2026
I admire the goal of raising awareness. They credit Mary Oliver, one of my favorite poets, with "Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." But will anybody who really needs this book see it?
There is some science, but it's buried in very fancy poetic language. Even more 'extra' than Ray Bradbury's metaphors, embellishments, etc.
It's not necessarily about endangered species, unless starlings are in more trouble in Europe than in the US? All birds, all wilderness, needs more respect than it's getting now, but starlings!?
Anyway, too much for me. I wanted something a bit more straightforward & science-heavy. So I won't rate. I hope, if you choose to read it, that you are astonished, and that you share the beauty with those you know who need to learn of and to see it.
July 2026
June 9, 2026
“We will not save what we do not love, and we rarely love what we cannot name.” This is gorgeously written and illustrated field guide of sorts that not only gives information about birds but tells the story, but gives a deeper awareness of the birds that are slowly slipping towards extinction. This helps us name, love and hopefully save these birds. Flip this book open and be pulled into the poetry and magic flying all around us.
August 6, 2026
Poetic, lovingly observed, delightfully painted and full of the anxiety of loss and the hope of survival.
June 30, 2026
I think this book is best appreciated in a multimodal format. First, the illustrations in this book are stunning. The watercolor images on each page demonstrate birds in various ways, and the two page spreads directly following each bird are begging to be made into posters that I can hang in my house. The audiobook features the calls of each bird, along with sounds from their natural environment, including, oceans and forests, which I loved as a production choice.
The writing itself was poetic, mixing biological descriptions with personal stories, prose, and poetry. Some of the poetic and experimental elements didn’t hit for me, but I appreciated the effort nonetheless.
The writing itself was poetic, mixing biological descriptions with personal stories, prose, and poetry. Some of the poetic and experimental elements didn’t hit for me, but I appreciated the effort nonetheless.
July 29, 2026
Lovely bird paintings, but I couldn’t stand the poetry
July 17, 2026
The fleurons at the top of each chapter feature the egg of the bird being discussed -- beautiful!
July 15, 2026
I loved this book and when I reread my first draft of my review I had to stop because I realized that what I wrote would had me conclude that at best it wasn’t for me and at worst I truly would have hated it.
Let me try again with the facts. The bird population is declining at a truly alarming rate with a 50% decrease in the last several decades. It’s awful and non controversial.
But then the goal of the book is not only to be able to identify birds but to identify WITH them. The authors identify the seven wonders of birds: nests, eggs, beaks, songs, feathers, flight and migration. In doing so, he states his goal: people will not save what we do not love, and we rarely love what we cannot name.
This is where you need to trust me: he utilizes bird sounds, science, anecdotes, and poetry to bring them to life. It really works; it’s a magical book. I listened to the audiobook, and you wouldn’t want to miss that, but I will read it again to get the drawings I missed. I’m not sure I have ever read a book through print and audio before, but I don’t want to miss any of the wonder of this book.
We have a large bird feeder and bird bath in our backyard which I enjoy looking at, but there are there because my wife loves birds. I’m not sure I love them yet, but I’m intrigued and for the first time I want to learn more.
I’m afraid I’m not doing it justice and shame on me because it is an enormously entertaining and important book. Give it a shot; I’m pretty sure you will love it also.
Let me try again with the facts. The bird population is declining at a truly alarming rate with a 50% decrease in the last several decades. It’s awful and non controversial.
But then the goal of the book is not only to be able to identify birds but to identify WITH them. The authors identify the seven wonders of birds: nests, eggs, beaks, songs, feathers, flight and migration. In doing so, he states his goal: people will not save what we do not love, and we rarely love what we cannot name.
This is where you need to trust me: he utilizes bird sounds, science, anecdotes, and poetry to bring them to life. It really works; it’s a magical book. I listened to the audiobook, and you wouldn’t want to miss that, but I will read it again to get the drawings I missed. I’m not sure I have ever read a book through print and audio before, but I don’t want to miss any of the wonder of this book.
We have a large bird feeder and bird bath in our backyard which I enjoy looking at, but there are there because my wife loves birds. I’m not sure I love them yet, but I’m intrigued and for the first time I want to learn more.
I’m afraid I’m not doing it justice and shame on me because it is an enormously entertaining and important book. Give it a shot; I’m pretty sure you will love it also.
July 6, 2026
Geweldig boek voor vogelliefhebbers die al wat vogelkennis hebben. Een heel andere invalshoek dan andere vogelboeken. Interessante informatie op vaal verrassend gebied in lyrische taal. De illustraties zijn ook prachtig! Ik heb er van genoten.
June 11, 2026
What a beauty ❤️
July 18, 2026
This book needs to be an immersive read. The physical book has incredible artwork throughout. The audiobook has bird songs throughout giving the birds extra dimension as you read.
July 22, 2026
3.5
Not at all what I expected. Maybe if it was I would have rated it higher. I should write my own book on birds really.
Not at all what I expected. Maybe if it was I would have rated it higher. I should write my own book on birds really.
August 16, 2026
Een werkelijk prachtig geschreven poëtisch boek over vogels op de Britse rode lijst. Een must read voor mensen die houden van natuur en prachtige teksten.
July 24, 2026
The Book of Birds is a beautifully illustrated book. I was not entirely convinced by the writing style, which felt like a curious mishmash of encyclopaedia and poetry. As a lover of birds, however, I still consider it an essential and important read if we are to better understand and help reverse their declining populations. Five stars for the illustrations, three stars for the text.
August 15, 2026
A perfect book of prose. The authors truly *see* birds, and I’m hopeful they will help others to see them, too. I will return to this book again and again.
June 27, 2026
Gorgeous illustrations and prose about birds!
August 6, 2026
Each chapter explores a bird of cultural, historical, and/or environmental significance. It reads more as poetry than a book of non fiction.
Audiobook- the bird’s song plays in the background as the author reads his poetic words. Very nice.
Physical - beautiful paintings of each bird, great book to hold, pages have a nice thickness.
In conclusion, a good book.
Audiobook- the bird’s song plays in the background as the author reads his poetic words. Very nice.
Physical - beautiful paintings of each bird, great book to hold, pages have a nice thickness.
In conclusion, a good book.
August 4, 2026
3.5 stars. If you like slam poetry and birds (especially slam poetry about birds set to bird calls) have I got the book for you.
May 31, 2026
Wow, this is an incredible book full to bursting of WONDER. Brilliant.
It contains some of the best poetry I’ve ever encountered! The words and rhymes are delightful, but it also captures the personality of the bird described.
I loved listening to the audiobook because hearing an author read his work, is wonderful and each poem has the bird calls/songs of the bird the poem is about. But to see the artwork of each bird, would be incredible too. I’d recommend finding a copy of the book and the audiobook.
Huge thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the opportunity to enjoy this audiobook. It was a special gift.
It contains some of the best poetry I’ve ever encountered! The words and rhymes are delightful, but it also captures the personality of the bird described.
I loved listening to the audiobook because hearing an author read his work, is wonderful and each poem has the bird calls/songs of the bird the poem is about. But to see the artwork of each bird, would be incredible too. I’d recommend finding a copy of the book and the audiobook.
Huge thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the opportunity to enjoy this audiobook. It was a special gift.
April 18, 2026
For my fellow bird and nature lovers, Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris created a beautiful field guide that asks not “what” but “who is that bird?”
It begins:
“There are seven wonders of Bird.”
What follows are 49 bird species, each with a short description and multiple paintings depicting their habits and habitats, how their lives intersect with ours, and how they are threatened my our modern world. Macfarlane poetically provides data, but also shares stories and folklore to help readers not just identify birds but to identify with the birds. His words are as much of a painting as Morris’ actual paintings of birds nesting, in flight, and more (the tawny owl!!).
The Book of Birds is exquisite, written as a love letter to nature. It reminded me of The Language of Trees, injecting a sense of wonder into my day every time I picked it up.
Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for the eARC!
It begins:
“There are seven wonders of Bird.”
What follows are 49 bird species, each with a short description and multiple paintings depicting their habits and habitats, how their lives intersect with ours, and how they are threatened my our modern world. Macfarlane poetically provides data, but also shares stories and folklore to help readers not just identify birds but to identify with the birds. His words are as much of a painting as Morris’ actual paintings of birds nesting, in flight, and more (the tawny owl!!).
The Book of Birds is exquisite, written as a love letter to nature. It reminded me of The Language of Trees, injecting a sense of wonder into my day every time I picked it up.
Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for the eARC!
June 30, 2026
The audiobook is beautiful!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews