What do you think?
Rate this book
How to Know the Birds: The Art and Adventure of Birding
Become a better birder with brief portraits of 200 top North American birds. This friendly, relatable book is a celebration of the art, science, and delights of bird-watching.
How to Know the Birds introduces a new, holistic approach to bird-watching, by noting how behaviors, settings, and seasonal cycles connect with shape, song, color, gender, age distinctions, and other features traditionally used to identify species. With short essays on 200 observable species, expert author Ted Floyd guides us through a year of becoming a better birder, each species representing another useful lesson: from explaining scientific nomenclature to noting how plumage changes with age, from chronicling migration patterns to noting hatchling habits. Dozens of endearing pencil sketches accompany Floyd's charming prose, making this book a unique blend of narrative and field guide. A pleasure for birders of all ages, this witty book promises solid lessons for the beginner and smiles of recognition for the seasoned nature lover.
How to Know the Birds introduces a new, holistic approach to bird-watching, by noting how behaviors, settings, and seasonal cycles connect with shape, song, color, gender, age distinctions, and other features traditionally used to identify species. With short essays on 200 observable species, expert author Ted Floyd guides us through a year of becoming a better birder, each species representing another useful lesson: from explaining scientific nomenclature to noting how plumage changes with age, from chronicling migration patterns to noting hatchling habits. Dozens of endearing pencil sketches accompany Floyd's charming prose, making this book a unique blend of narrative and field guide. A pleasure for birders of all ages, this witty book promises solid lessons for the beginner and smiles of recognition for the seasoned nature lover.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2019
102 people are currently reading
1769 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
July 4, 2019
I've always loved birds and do consider myself a nature enthusiast. It's important to me to maintain a connection to our natural world, and because of this, I'm always looking for new books on subjects such as this one. I surely enjoyed this collection of essays regarding birds. This book for me was refreshing, unique, and different than what I expected. This is nothing like a field guide, but it's chock-full of information.
There aren't many photos in the book, but there are some bird sketches which are very detailed and useful. The book is written well and keeps you engaged. How wonderful to come across so many facts I didn't already know, and I loved the way the author made references to other subjects for each specific bird.
Overall, this is a good book and I believe there's something for every birder here.
4****
There aren't many photos in the book, but there are some bird sketches which are very detailed and useful. The book is written well and keeps you engaged. How wonderful to come across so many facts I didn't already know, and I loved the way the author made references to other subjects for each specific bird.
Overall, this is a good book and I believe there's something for every birder here.
4****
March 25, 2019
Although the beautiful cover of Birding magazine editor Ted Floyd's How to Know the Birds may lead you to believe that this will be your typical book about birds, you would be wrong.
Many bird books are field guides, with page after page of color photos or drawings of birds, along with short descriptions of what the bird look like and where you find them. Floyd's book is different. He begins by describing the history of birding, referencing the seminal books in the field. It was a quiet, gentle, often solitary study by people with sketchpads, pencils, binoculars and notebooks.
Then he takes us into the present, where birding has evolved like most things- people use their smartphones to take photos to upload to numerous Facebook pages devoted to birding. There are apps to help birders organize and connect with other birders. It is much more immediate and social.
Floyd introduces us to 200 bird species, each one getting a page but not necessarily a drawing. (There are a small number of beautiful pencil drawings by N. John Schmitt that accompany some of the text.)
The contents are divided into six sections, organized by the calendar year, beginning with Spark Bird, which covers January-February. He discusses the birds you will likely find during those months in North America, gives the common name for the bird, such as American Robin, then its scientific name Turdus migratorius, which always capitalizes the first letter of the first name and the second name always begins with a smaller case letter.
He gives you a short description of the bird, and interesting fact about the bird that is the title of the page. For the essay titled He Says, She Says, we learn about the Great Horned Owl and the difference between the sounds the male and female makes. In The Upside of Human-Modified Landscapes, he talks about the Canada Goose and how these geese have evolved to "flourish in human-dominated landscapes" living near high-rise office buildings, on golf courses and wreaking havoc near airports.
Floyd sprinkles in pop culture references, talking about the movie On Golden Pond in the essay about the Common Loon, or comparing a Star Trek TV series scene to a large nest which holds a tiny Bushtit. He of course mentions the Jack Black/Steve Martin movie The Big Year, perhaps the only movie about birding ever made.
The book ends with a helpful checklist of all the birds described by species.
How to Know the Birds is really written for the person who enjoys birding as a serious hobby more than for a person looking to get into birding. It would make a wonderful gift for your favorite birder, maybe in an Easter basket.
Many bird books are field guides, with page after page of color photos or drawings of birds, along with short descriptions of what the bird look like and where you find them. Floyd's book is different. He begins by describing the history of birding, referencing the seminal books in the field. It was a quiet, gentle, often solitary study by people with sketchpads, pencils, binoculars and notebooks.
Then he takes us into the present, where birding has evolved like most things- people use their smartphones to take photos to upload to numerous Facebook pages devoted to birding. There are apps to help birders organize and connect with other birders. It is much more immediate and social.
Floyd introduces us to 200 bird species, each one getting a page but not necessarily a drawing. (There are a small number of beautiful pencil drawings by N. John Schmitt that accompany some of the text.)
The contents are divided into six sections, organized by the calendar year, beginning with Spark Bird, which covers January-February. He discusses the birds you will likely find during those months in North America, gives the common name for the bird, such as American Robin, then its scientific name Turdus migratorius, which always capitalizes the first letter of the first name and the second name always begins with a smaller case letter.
He gives you a short description of the bird, and interesting fact about the bird that is the title of the page. For the essay titled He Says, She Says, we learn about the Great Horned Owl and the difference between the sounds the male and female makes. In The Upside of Human-Modified Landscapes, he talks about the Canada Goose and how these geese have evolved to "flourish in human-dominated landscapes" living near high-rise office buildings, on golf courses and wreaking havoc near airports.
Floyd sprinkles in pop culture references, talking about the movie On Golden Pond in the essay about the Common Loon, or comparing a Star Trek TV series scene to a large nest which holds a tiny Bushtit. He of course mentions the Jack Black/Steve Martin movie The Big Year, perhaps the only movie about birding ever made.
The book ends with a helpful checklist of all the birds described by species.
How to Know the Birds is really written for the person who enjoys birding as a serious hobby more than for a person looking to get into birding. It would make a wonderful gift for your favorite birder, maybe in an Easter basket.
October 26, 2019
As long as Floyd sticks to the actual science he does a great job. I even relearned some things I had forgotten in my decade of birding. His discussion of molt is exceptionally good, and he talks about it in a simplistic enough way that it's understandable, despite being something that confuses even experienced birders. He also does a good job with migration and an amazing one with birdsong (I am passionate about birdsong and he totally covers everything that should be said about it).
At the same time, this book drives me insane. It ironically needs an editor (he's an editor of a great birding periodical). Badly. He repeats the same annoying phrase over and over about the birds being "at it" regarding a wide variety of different things, which is not only unnecessarily but also actually slang for having sex, despite that he's usually talking about something else. He writes opinions about birds and birding as if they are statements, as if he speaks for all birders (not all of us think the sounds out of a Great Blue Heron are awful). He also makes a whole bunch of unnecessary and pointless references to pop culture that isn't even remotely contemporary, despite that this book is supposedly geared toward newbie birders, who are increasingly younger. I have seen so many non-fiction writers do this recently and they are always very old. I wish an editor would go through and cross these all out. It doesn't help to fit in and it is not how one writes for the layperson.
The book is split into essays purposely written to fit the page because each one blends in a bird species, which kills a lot of these essays. Many of them start a topic and aren't fully developed at all. Some of the development does occur in the essays that follow, but it really would have been better written into chapters. Splitting it up to include a bird species per page just didn't work.
I'm glad that he attempts to teach a newer birder the lexicon, but I have to question some of the terms he uses. For example, S&D is ALL OVER this text. I'm a very active birder in the wider birding community and have done plenty of field work all over the eastern half of the U.S. Nowhere have I ever heard this term, and quite a few other terms he uses in this book ANYWHERE. I could pass on it if it is a Western U.S. birder thing, but these terms are talked about in the text as if all us American birders use them and we don't. I get the sense that he's trying to force terms he made up himself into the realm, and I wouldn't be surprised, considering I have seen him attempt this very thing in a birding community on Facebook. Sorry, but no. Stop it.
At the same time, this book drives me insane. It ironically needs an editor (he's an editor of a great birding periodical). Badly. He repeats the same annoying phrase over and over about the birds being "at it" regarding a wide variety of different things, which is not only unnecessarily but also actually slang for having sex, despite that he's usually talking about something else. He writes opinions about birds and birding as if they are statements, as if he speaks for all birders (not all of us think the sounds out of a Great Blue Heron are awful). He also makes a whole bunch of unnecessary and pointless references to pop culture that isn't even remotely contemporary, despite that this book is supposedly geared toward newbie birders, who are increasingly younger. I have seen so many non-fiction writers do this recently and they are always very old. I wish an editor would go through and cross these all out. It doesn't help to fit in and it is not how one writes for the layperson.
The book is split into essays purposely written to fit the page because each one blends in a bird species, which kills a lot of these essays. Many of them start a topic and aren't fully developed at all. Some of the development does occur in the essays that follow, but it really would have been better written into chapters. Splitting it up to include a bird species per page just didn't work.
I'm glad that he attempts to teach a newer birder the lexicon, but I have to question some of the terms he uses. For example, S&D is ALL OVER this text. I'm a very active birder in the wider birding community and have done plenty of field work all over the eastern half of the U.S. Nowhere have I ever heard this term, and quite a few other terms he uses in this book ANYWHERE. I could pass on it if it is a Western U.S. birder thing, but these terms are talked about in the text as if all us American birders use them and we don't. I get the sense that he's trying to force terms he made up himself into the realm, and I wouldn't be surprised, considering I have seen him attempt this very thing in a birding community on Facebook. Sorry, but no. Stop it.
August 2, 2024
What is a perfect bird book? One which gives you names of species with colorful photos or one which has incredible stories or probably a book which has something to offer for everybody. I think this book is a perfect gift for any birdwatcher. One of my friends gifted me this and I absolutely loved reading it. The good thing is that it has something to offer for everybody. So ideally it doesn't matter whether you are a beginner or probably a pro birdwatcher, you will enjoy reading this one.
The author is so passionate about aves that it just gets reflected in all the chapters. It teaches you the fundamentals of bird watching, tells you about incredible stories of the avian world and also discusses about all the new technological advancements in thd ornithology field. Each chapter tries to highlight a theme which is integral to birdwatching. Also it doesn't have to read in blocks. You can pick any chapter and I am sure it could be read as stand alone chapter.
This book is surely going into my prized collection since it very much serves all purpose. It could be reread, rereferred and absolutely can be gifted to fellow bird enthusiasts.
The author is so passionate about aves that it just gets reflected in all the chapters. It teaches you the fundamentals of bird watching, tells you about incredible stories of the avian world and also discusses about all the new technological advancements in thd ornithology field. Each chapter tries to highlight a theme which is integral to birdwatching. Also it doesn't have to read in blocks. You can pick any chapter and I am sure it could be read as stand alone chapter.
This book is surely going into my prized collection since it very much serves all purpose. It could be reread, rereferred and absolutely can be gifted to fellow bird enthusiasts.
October 28, 2025
burbs 🐦
March 20, 2019
Summary: An enthusiastic, helpful guide for the beginning birder!
I started doing bird photography about a year ago. I was interested in doing wildlife photography and it turns out that birds are everywhere once you start looking for them. Despite coming to it almost by chance, I've really enjoyed becoming a bird watcher as a result. I notice so much interesting bird behavior I'd never have seen otherwise! However, I'm very much a newbie, so this book was perfect for me. The author starts by covering the basics of bird identification, moves into more complex topics (like molting, migration, and birdsong), and briefly covers conservation efforts. Then he wraps up with a fantastic section on citizen science, full of resources for the beginning bird watcher, and with some of the open questions in bird biology. He covers all of these topics in 200 short vignettes, each focused on one bird species.
The author's enthusiasm shines throughout this whole book. He perfectly captures the many joys of birdwatching. His writing style was also generally clear and easy to follow. Some lovely illustrations made the book even better, although I wish there had been one for every species. As is, I did enough googling for pictures that my phone's auto-complete seemed to figure out I was searching for birds! I'm not sure if this would be as true for an experienced birder, but I learned so much from this book. I don't think it's intended as a resource for learning how to identify specific birds, but it covers general concepts that will be helpful. I also learned a ton of fun facts about bird behavior and collected a great list of resources for both learning more general information and for finding out where birds are in my specific area.
The format worked surprisingly well. I enjoyed learning through the stories the author told about each bird. Because the author was covering specific topics at different points in the book, the sort of information you might get for any given bird varies. This really isn't a reference guide. But if you just want to learn a little more about a bird - some fun facts, some interesting behavior or biology - to help appreciate what you've seen, this is perfect. The author is occasionally repetitive, but the advantage of this is that you could actually read any single vignette alone after seeing a particular bird. Something I think the book blurb should have mentioned is that the author is based in Colorado and the bird species he covers are shaped by that fact. Living in California, I recognized most of the species he described, but if you were a European birder you might find this less helpful.
Overall, I really loved this. The variety of useful information it contained was incredibly helpful and will be a great jumping off point for learning even more. For other opinions, check out the other reviews on the TLC Book Tour. And if you're interested in this book, you may want to check out my previous review of another National GeographicThis review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
I started doing bird photography about a year ago. I was interested in doing wildlife photography and it turns out that birds are everywhere once you start looking for them. Despite coming to it almost by chance, I've really enjoyed becoming a bird watcher as a result. I notice so much interesting bird behavior I'd never have seen otherwise! However, I'm very much a newbie, so this book was perfect for me. The author starts by covering the basics of bird identification, moves into more complex topics (like molting, migration, and birdsong), and briefly covers conservation efforts. Then he wraps up with a fantastic section on citizen science, full of resources for the beginning bird watcher, and with some of the open questions in bird biology. He covers all of these topics in 200 short vignettes, each focused on one bird species.
The author's enthusiasm shines throughout this whole book. He perfectly captures the many joys of birdwatching. His writing style was also generally clear and easy to follow. Some lovely illustrations made the book even better, although I wish there had been one for every species. As is, I did enough googling for pictures that my phone's auto-complete seemed to figure out I was searching for birds! I'm not sure if this would be as true for an experienced birder, but I learned so much from this book. I don't think it's intended as a resource for learning how to identify specific birds, but it covers general concepts that will be helpful. I also learned a ton of fun facts about bird behavior and collected a great list of resources for both learning more general information and for finding out where birds are in my specific area.
The format worked surprisingly well. I enjoyed learning through the stories the author told about each bird. Because the author was covering specific topics at different points in the book, the sort of information you might get for any given bird varies. This really isn't a reference guide. But if you just want to learn a little more about a bird - some fun facts, some interesting behavior or biology - to help appreciate what you've seen, this is perfect. The author is occasionally repetitive, but the advantage of this is that you could actually read any single vignette alone after seeing a particular bird. Something I think the book blurb should have mentioned is that the author is based in Colorado and the bird species he covers are shaped by that fact. Living in California, I recognized most of the species he described, but if you were a European birder you might find this less helpful.
Overall, I really loved this. The variety of useful information it contained was incredibly helpful and will be a great jumping off point for learning even more. For other opinions, check out the other reviews on the TLC Book Tour. And if you're interested in this book, you may want to check out my previous review of another National GeographicThis review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
August 8, 2019
A lot of really interesting information more than I can really take in, but the author makes a few generalizations early in the book which could confuse more than help a novice birder and then later makes assumptions which make a slightly more advanced birder (like myself) feel like a novice.
Popsugar challenge 2019: A book about a hobby
Popsugar challenge 2019: A book about a hobby
Read
April 23, 2025Fun and informative but also the most pretentious book I’ve ever read my goodness. Anyway I’m about to see the first ever mountain bluebird in cook county
June 12, 2019
Ted Floyd, editor of Birding Magazine, wrote a top notch book about birds and a lot else. What makes it so great is that in 200 pages Floyd can introduce you to 200 birds, the major features of bird biology, the major issues of bird conservation and the mechanics of birding for everyone from the beginner to the die-hard, technical-knowledge-wielding expert. It sounds like a lot—it is a lot—but Floyd's good humor and skillful style make it feel like a snap. Reading, I learned, I laughed and I was amazed at the diversity of avian life. If I had a touch less self awareness, I would have interrupted Melisa to read her something from every page.
If you're not someone with a huge appetite for bird info, you can fairly easily skip around. There's no problem with skipping the ten pages on molting. If you miss something, Floyd sites everything he's talked about already, so you can easily flip back to the page and quick read up on it. It's so reader friendly and accessible that I wish I'd had it when I started birding in the absence of any knowledgeable companions. This book can be that knowledgeable companion to anyone who wants to start birding, learn more about birds, a bit about conservation or ecology. You get a bit of everything—including great pencil sketches throughout. You're guaranteed to learn something and enjoy it.
If you're not someone with a huge appetite for bird info, you can fairly easily skip around. There's no problem with skipping the ten pages on molting. If you miss something, Floyd sites everything he's talked about already, so you can easily flip back to the page and quick read up on it. It's so reader friendly and accessible that I wish I'd had it when I started birding in the absence of any knowledgeable companions. This book can be that knowledgeable companion to anyone who wants to start birding, learn more about birds, a bit about conservation or ecology. You get a bit of everything—including great pencil sketches throughout. You're guaranteed to learn something and enjoy it.
May 25, 2019
I received my copy through a goodreads giveaway.
How to Know the Birds is packed full of interesting and educational info on a range of different birds, and on many of the topics relevant to the birding world. I wasn’t sure at first how much I’d enjoy it, as it is broken into 200 one-page lessons, with each lesson largely focusing on a single topic and typically using a single bird as an example of that topic. I just doubted a lot of little sections would be all that interesting.
But the more I read the more I enjoyed it. Each lesson can to some extent stand on their own. But reading it straight through I also found lessons building on one another. Think of it as a fun primer on birding put together by a great group of local birders, getting together each week to continue learning. It felt like the sort of book that would be great for the beginning birder, which I would consider myself. But it delves deep enough in some topics I suspect more knowledgeable birders would also enjoy it.
I first reviewed How to Know the Birds on my blog.
How to Know the Birds is packed full of interesting and educational info on a range of different birds, and on many of the topics relevant to the birding world. I wasn’t sure at first how much I’d enjoy it, as it is broken into 200 one-page lessons, with each lesson largely focusing on a single topic and typically using a single bird as an example of that topic. I just doubted a lot of little sections would be all that interesting.
But the more I read the more I enjoyed it. Each lesson can to some extent stand on their own. But reading it straight through I also found lessons building on one another. Think of it as a fun primer on birding put together by a great group of local birders, getting together each week to continue learning. It felt like the sort of book that would be great for the beginning birder, which I would consider myself. But it delves deep enough in some topics I suspect more knowledgeable birders would also enjoy it.
I first reviewed How to Know the Birds on my blog.
August 4, 2019
If you know a little about birds and birding, you’ll certainly get a lot out of this fascinating book! It will give you plenty to plan and ponder for your future birding adventures. Enthusiastically recommended!
Read
January 5, 2020This book has beautiful cover art from Basil Ede, used from his collection, and all the bookstore needed to do was put the book facing out on the shelf for me to notice the title intertwined with the his bird painting. What a beautiful beautiful gift of a book. Ede's paintings are shaped and formed, unlike the flat illustrations usually used for birding. Those seem to be a bird's basic colors mapped to help in identification, but Ede's forms make the birds seem alive.
Anyway, the structure of the book was what made me so eager to read this. Last year, during October, I drew a bird every day according to the Inktober prompts, and the most difficult part was putting together the little essays that accompanied each drawing. I regretted not writing the whole thing ahead of time. And here was an experienced birder that did this for 200 birds! This will be a book I go back to again and again, because although it is focused on the culture around birding, it contained interesting bits about birds that I find so fascinating. Did you know Magpies have funerals for their dead? They gather, and each places a blade of grass in a pile right next to the bird that died. This kind of information was more at the end of the book than at the beginning, which is odd because that was all the stuff birders don't know, and it was meant for the more advanced ideas.
I will say, as a side note, that the form that attracted me to this book was its ultimate weakness, especially at the beginning. Each bird entry was limited to a page, and Floyd quite often would pose a question at the very end, and say it would be answered later. Nothing drives me more nuts than writing that continually references other places in the work. I find it very jarring, and it prevents me from getting absorbed in what is being explained. Why should I wait for information presented in that very book? It's maddening to be led around the book by the author. The entire structure should have been larger chapters with the 200 birds popping up as smaller spot illustrations wherever however they become relevant. If the information is about molting, present a small molting bird, identified and numbered, and don't break up the text so that I can't as easily swallow the book whole.
Anyway, the structure of the book was what made me so eager to read this. Last year, during October, I drew a bird every day according to the Inktober prompts, and the most difficult part was putting together the little essays that accompanied each drawing. I regretted not writing the whole thing ahead of time. And here was an experienced birder that did this for 200 birds! This will be a book I go back to again and again, because although it is focused on the culture around birding, it contained interesting bits about birds that I find so fascinating. Did you know Magpies have funerals for their dead? They gather, and each places a blade of grass in a pile right next to the bird that died. This kind of information was more at the end of the book than at the beginning, which is odd because that was all the stuff birders don't know, and it was meant for the more advanced ideas.
I will say, as a side note, that the form that attracted me to this book was its ultimate weakness, especially at the beginning. Each bird entry was limited to a page, and Floyd quite often would pose a question at the very end, and say it would be answered later. Nothing drives me more nuts than writing that continually references other places in the work. I find it very jarring, and it prevents me from getting absorbed in what is being explained. Why should I wait for information presented in that very book? It's maddening to be led around the book by the author. The entire structure should have been larger chapters with the 200 birds popping up as smaller spot illustrations wherever however they become relevant. If the information is about molting, present a small molting bird, identified and numbered, and don't break up the text so that I can't as easily swallow the book whole.
August 31, 2019
Full disclosure - I did not finish this book because about halfway through, I realized that I was just skimming in order to finish rather than actually engaging and enjoying it. I found the author’s writing style a bit off putting and pretentious. I’m sure he did a great deal of research, but I found myself rolling my eyes a lot. I had really high hopes when I started this as the subject fascinated me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get past the feeling that this was a vanity, fluff piece. I did love the illustrations, though.
Edited: omg he’s the editor of a birding magazine. BUT STILL! His tone was so strange and made something I was interested in seem so niche, boring, and exclusive.
Edited: omg he’s the editor of a birding magazine. BUT STILL! His tone was so strange and made something I was interested in seem so niche, boring, and exclusive.
April 4, 2025
Hard to decide about a 2 vs 3 star review but ultimately I never could figure out who was the audience for this book. Book is a collection of short essays, grouped into loose topics. Some (molt and migrants) were good but each time I felt I was about to learn something interesting and with some depth, the essay ended. Then much of sections on some of the culture of birding somehow seemed dated or obvious. Not sure who the target was here, serious birders (probably know all this), casual people interested in birds (probably sections that were pretty boring). Author had a bad habit of constantly referencing himself and random abbreviations he came up with. I listened to this during some drives so it was a time filler for me in the end.
April 12, 2019
In the 48 hours this book has been in our home, my husband and 11-year-old daughter and I have fought over it, stolen it from one another, hidden it from one another (TBH, that one was just me) and have absolutely loved reading it (all of us). I actually do not know where in the house the book is as I write this; I suspect my daughter's room.
The writing is clear and amusing. Also: OMG, a bird book that references a Star Trek TOS episode while discussing Bushtits should get bonus stars.
Bird people: read this! Give it to other bird people! (But buy multiple copies for your household to avoid family strife.)
The writing is clear and amusing. Also: OMG, a bird book that references a Star Trek TOS episode while discussing Bushtits should get bonus stars.
Bird people: read this! Give it to other bird people! (But buy multiple copies for your household to avoid family strife.)
August 12, 2019
Ted Floyd is a birding guidebook author and the editor of Birding magazine. He is also a prolific birder; he has gone birding and submitted a checklist of species he saw or heard for more than 4,500 consecutive days. That’s more than 12 years of daily bird watching with no sick days, no holidays, no days off to write a cleverly composed nonfiction book.
In How to Know the Birds, Floyd infuses this zeal for (mostly) North American avifauna with a jaunty writing style that will be at once fresh but familiar to fans of nature writing.
Full review at run Spot Run.
In How to Know the Birds, Floyd infuses this zeal for (mostly) North American avifauna with a jaunty writing style that will be at once fresh but familiar to fans of nature writing.
Full review at run Spot Run.
December 28, 2019
Most bird books I have read focus on bird identification and/or their natural histories, which is interesting and useful if you want to break into birding. But what exactly does a "birder" do? How do you "bird"? This book explains it in 200 engaging one-page scenarios.
If you want the full experience, you can download this awesome free app, and while you're reading, you can look up each bird, listen to their songs, and see when they pass through your area.
If you want the full experience, you can download this awesome free app, and while you're reading, you can look up each bird, listen to their songs, and see when they pass through your area.
December 14, 2022
Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to have the guy recording the audiobook read every single reference in every single section? But even before that, why the hell would an author reference his own book so many times? And it’s not even a different book!! He literally refers the reader time and time again to passages they just read. What the actual?
This book is in 200 small chapters, and each chapter references other chapters in the book over and over and over again. Some of these extremely short chapters have six or seven cross references in them. It’s absurd. Practically unlistenable. My brain turned it into a game of guessing whether ten seconds would pass before the author once again referred you to the book you were already reading.
I think there was some good stuff about birds though.
This book is in 200 small chapters, and each chapter references other chapters in the book over and over and over again. Some of these extremely short chapters have six or seven cross references in them. It’s absurd. Practically unlistenable. My brain turned it into a game of guessing whether ten seconds would pass before the author once again referred you to the book you were already reading.
I think there was some good stuff about birds though.
October 13, 2019
A great work of contemporary birding! As I read each entry, I realized how much I still can learn (lots!) and how much I'm still a 20th century birder (as in c.1985). I have eBird on my phone but have never really used it, I still faithfully read the daily digest version of the PA Birds Listserve (with an "e"), bare-naked bird on frequent occasion because I left my fancy Leicas and big-box throwaways at home... by accident... again, and need to consult my field guides far too much. Okay, I felt like I have a long way to go as a birder, but I still loved the book. Truly.
And there is lots to love: I'll be diving back into various entries to claw my way into the 21st century, relearn vocalizations, and improve my own writing, bird related and otherwise. There are so many turns of phrase I admired, allusions I appreciated, and new natural history knowledge I gained. And that's all on the first pass.
And there is lots to love: I'll be diving back into various entries to claw my way into the 21st century, relearn vocalizations, and improve my own writing, bird related and otherwise. There are so many turns of phrase I admired, allusions I appreciated, and new natural history knowledge I gained. And that's all on the first pass.
December 31, 2019
I borrowed this from the library, but I may buy it as I think it deserves multiple reads. As a newly fledged birder, this was a great book to read earlier this year. The book explains how to identify birds and enjoy birding through 200 individual species, arranged chronologically throughout a year of birding, each one focussed on an element of birding or bird behavior or bird identification. A great book for the beginner, but I think more experienced birders will benefit as well.
September 2, 2025
Structuring this book by bird was not my favorite choice. But it is an incredible introduction to birds through explanations of birders both recreational and scientific. Great discussion points as well for any nature lover, not just birders!
Read
July 19, 2019If you are interested in birds the migration .it is written by the months of the years. Each page tells something about a species of bird I thought this book was wonderful
October 2, 2025
Lots of bird action here.
September 4, 2019
How to Know the Birds: The Art and Adventure of Birding is an excellent and current series of lessons for the intermediate birder, or for anyone wanting to learn more about birds. Ted Floyd, a brilliant bird expert and writer, is the author of The Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America. The title of this book is a tribute to Roger Tory Peterson's 1948 classic, How to Know the Birds, a title Floyd "knowingly and respectfully adopt(s) for this present volume."
Floyd structures this book to cover 200 common North American birds, but instead of writing detailed descriptions about each bird and its behavior, as most bird books do, he uses each species as an example of a lesson in the field of ornithology or the practice of being a birder. Many lessons are connected to others, for example in the section on migration, here are two pages: #60 Osprey-- The Logic of Migration: Resource Availability; #63 Wilson's Warbler-- Why Do Birds Migrate? Each of the 200 lessons covers "a big idea, a method or technique or resource, about bird study in our age."
By the time you complete the book, you've learned about the history of birding, methods used by field researchers and citizen scientists, and the latest technology that may enhance the study of birds. Floyd's updates about the effects of climate change on birds add yet another example of his brilliance. Although Floyd describes technological wonders such as eBird, Doppler radar, and the Breeding Bird Atlas (too much about that in my opinion), he doesn't mention iNaturalist at all (a major omission in my opinion.)
Over and over, I was delighted to learn facts I'd never known about familiar birds, and inspired to become a better birder. Did you know that Buffleheads are secondary cavity nesters, moving into holes dug by Northern Flickers and Pileated Woodpeckers? Floyd concludes his book with a section called, "What We Don't Know," in which every page poses a philosophical question or observation. The page about the Northern Pintail ends with, "We haven't gotten to the point that hunting in America is a moral crisis. Not yet. But if there's anything that American history has taught us, it is this: Times change."
I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to think, wonder, and learn more about birds!
Floyd structures this book to cover 200 common North American birds, but instead of writing detailed descriptions about each bird and its behavior, as most bird books do, he uses each species as an example of a lesson in the field of ornithology or the practice of being a birder. Many lessons are connected to others, for example in the section on migration, here are two pages: #60 Osprey-- The Logic of Migration: Resource Availability; #63 Wilson's Warbler-- Why Do Birds Migrate? Each of the 200 lessons covers "a big idea, a method or technique or resource, about bird study in our age."
By the time you complete the book, you've learned about the history of birding, methods used by field researchers and citizen scientists, and the latest technology that may enhance the study of birds. Floyd's updates about the effects of climate change on birds add yet another example of his brilliance. Although Floyd describes technological wonders such as eBird, Doppler radar, and the Breeding Bird Atlas (too much about that in my opinion), he doesn't mention iNaturalist at all (a major omission in my opinion.)
Over and over, I was delighted to learn facts I'd never known about familiar birds, and inspired to become a better birder. Did you know that Buffleheads are secondary cavity nesters, moving into holes dug by Northern Flickers and Pileated Woodpeckers? Floyd concludes his book with a section called, "What We Don't Know," in which every page poses a philosophical question or observation. The page about the Northern Pintail ends with, "We haven't gotten to the point that hunting in America is a moral crisis. Not yet. But if there's anything that American history has taught us, it is this: Times change."
I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to think, wonder, and learn more about birds!
January 7, 2019
I do not know much about birds or the people who love to watch them but after reading the lessons laid out in this guide, I will now look to the sky when I hear a bird call, pay more attention to the birds around me and hopefully recall the words of wisdom that Ted Floyd has passed on. In 200 short snippets about every type of bird imaginable, the author shares with us not only his incredible knowledge and insight but also his love of feathered creatures. This is not a "see a bird in the sky and identify it" type of guide but more a memoir of birding and a love affair with the species - their infinite changes, behavior, and beauty. With very readable text, this book is written for the beginner birder but those with more knowledge will easily find something they didn't know and it will potentially pull in people who didn't even know they were interested in birding. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
May 14, 2019
I decided to DNF this book at about 1/3 way in.
The book is neither a true bird guidebook nor a book about birds in detail. It is sort of a guide for getting into bird-watching as a hobby. The information is jarring and there just isn't a proper flow in the content overall. I found each "chapter" too short to properly deliver any useful information. For a book of this kind, it could at least include more illustrations, since each "chapter" is inspired by a specific bird. I ended up having to use my Sibley's guidebook as a reference alongside.
I think the intend behind this book is very noble. Bird-watching can be rewarding but intimidating. I applaud the author's effort to encourage more people to take up bird-watching; it is a healthy and a relatively cheap activity after all. Unfortunately, the book fails to deliver that sense of wonder and intrigue as an inspiration, and that it is too disorganized to be a useful reference book.
I give it 1.5 stars.
The book is neither a true bird guidebook nor a book about birds in detail. It is sort of a guide for getting into bird-watching as a hobby. The information is jarring and there just isn't a proper flow in the content overall. I found each "chapter" too short to properly deliver any useful information. For a book of this kind, it could at least include more illustrations, since each "chapter" is inspired by a specific bird. I ended up having to use my Sibley's guidebook as a reference alongside.
I think the intend behind this book is very noble. Bird-watching can be rewarding but intimidating. I applaud the author's effort to encourage more people to take up bird-watching; it is a healthy and a relatively cheap activity after all. Unfortunately, the book fails to deliver that sense of wonder and intrigue as an inspiration, and that it is too disorganized to be a useful reference book.
I give it 1.5 stars.
February 12, 2022
How To Know The Birds teaches readers exactly what the title suggests and more in short, engaging essays. Very enjoyable, easy reading, although it needs to be supplemented by color sketches. The pencil sketches inside seem unhelpful, to me, as a beginner. The book talks about all the tools available to help the modern birder (volunteer initiatives, types of guides, birding strategies, apps, etc.) and the environmental or birding politics to consider (basically that using less energy gets more done than most political initiatives, and that we can still have urban landscapes coexist alongside a healthy natural environment). At times, Floyd ranges into preaching about how to protect the environment; but overall, he’s just giving his well-informed opinion on how our every action effects the birds, and nature lovers can surely appreciate that perspective.
June 2, 2019
As editor of Birding magazine, the official publication of the American Birding Association, Ted Floyd could have no better cred to author a book like this. The title is deliberately chosen: both to honor Roger Tory Peterson's classic guide, and to indicate that this is not your standard field guide. While each one-page chapter is hooked onto a single example species, it only does so to illustrate the brief topic he addresses, rather than describing the bird itself in much detail. Instead, this book intends to teach the reader what birding (we birders prefer this term to birdwatching) is about, how to do it, how and what to learn to fully engage in it.
Arranged in a calendar year fashion, each section covers various bird-related issues prominent during that season (sort of): the first section, "Spark Bird!" describes unique characteristics of selected species - how do you know a robin is a robin? What do you look for? What can mess you up? (Plenty! Seasonal, geographical, sexual, age-related, and individual variation, for a start.) "After the Spark" gets into more difficult identifications, learning songs, migration patterns, as appropriate in the spring. On through the year, topics like nesting, territories, chick development, fall migration, etc. are covered. Throughout, Floyd guides you to multiple sources of learning: field guides, phone apps, online resources for songs and calls, record and list-keeping, etc.
Herein lies the problem. Floyd's incredible wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for sharing it means he has way TMI. Compressing it all into 200 one-page "lessons" is just too much to ask. The book also doesn't seem to quite know who it wants its audience to be, so it throws it all out there and hopes it will stick where needed. I consider myself an intermediate-level birder: I know a Dowitcher from a Yellowlegs, I'm pretty good with sparrows, have to look up swallows every spring to remember who's who, and my life list (the only one I keep) is about 300. (I do NOT do gulls!) So some of the information was basic for me, but would be very helpful for someone whose interest has just been piqued by a "spark bird." But Lesson 25 seems to be too much AND too soon to tackle "status and distribution, the calculus of a species' occurrence within a given range." I boggled at the breakdown of subspecies groups of Catharus [Hermit Thrushes]. When he got to molting patterns (eclipse, nuptial, prebasic, alternate...) and spectrograms for song identification, I was way out of my depth - and with only a page or two to cover it, didn't break the surface. The most fun chapters covered Things Birders Do (list, travel, chase, Big Days / Years...); how to learn to bird (alone, or with someone...); books vs electronic sources. There is arcana about bird naming and speciation according to the ABA that may thrill some listers, but not this one.
There are also curious omissions: a basic discussion of binoculars and spotting scopes might have been useful for novices looking to upgrade from the KMart bins they found in their uncle's attic; there is no discussion of guidelines for luring birds with recordings. He tends to assume that everyone plans to photograph and record birds on their cellphones, and that most people will get into elaborate listing schemes. One reason I finally dropped off the online discussion group BirdChat years ago was because it had rather devolved into more discussions of gear and lenses than birds. Chops to him for recommending "bare naked birding" (birding with just your eyes); but what he calls "patchwork" birding (birding often and intimately in a favorite single location) is glossed over rather briefly.
Perhaps the best result from reading this book might be that it will help you figure out just what kind of birder you want to be: a backyard observer, an international chaser, a serious photographer, a citizen scientist submitting data for analysis by observatories and research centers... all good! Maybe don't sit down and read this cover to cover: dip in and out to the chapters that speak to you where you are.
But the bottom line is: get out there. Find some birds. He draws a parallel with going to an art museum, which resonated with this old art history student: identify patterns, recognize individuals, and most of all, savor the aesthetics. Do you want to study every painting and drawing Rembrandt ever made? Or would you rather marvel at the van Gogh in one room and the ancient Cycladic Greek sculpture in the next? You might stumble across a Kandinsky that blows you away. Find 'em, love 'em, look 'em up, learn about 'em, and your life will be all the richer.
Arranged in a calendar year fashion, each section covers various bird-related issues prominent during that season (sort of): the first section, "Spark Bird!" describes unique characteristics of selected species - how do you know a robin is a robin? What do you look for? What can mess you up? (Plenty! Seasonal, geographical, sexual, age-related, and individual variation, for a start.) "After the Spark" gets into more difficult identifications, learning songs, migration patterns, as appropriate in the spring. On through the year, topics like nesting, territories, chick development, fall migration, etc. are covered. Throughout, Floyd guides you to multiple sources of learning: field guides, phone apps, online resources for songs and calls, record and list-keeping, etc.
Herein lies the problem. Floyd's incredible wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for sharing it means he has way TMI. Compressing it all into 200 one-page "lessons" is just too much to ask. The book also doesn't seem to quite know who it wants its audience to be, so it throws it all out there and hopes it will stick where needed. I consider myself an intermediate-level birder: I know a Dowitcher from a Yellowlegs, I'm pretty good with sparrows, have to look up swallows every spring to remember who's who, and my life list (the only one I keep) is about 300. (I do NOT do gulls!) So some of the information was basic for me, but would be very helpful for someone whose interest has just been piqued by a "spark bird." But Lesson 25 seems to be too much AND too soon to tackle "status and distribution, the calculus of a species' occurrence within a given range." I boggled at the breakdown of subspecies groups of Catharus [Hermit Thrushes]. When he got to molting patterns (eclipse, nuptial, prebasic, alternate...) and spectrograms for song identification, I was way out of my depth - and with only a page or two to cover it, didn't break the surface. The most fun chapters covered Things Birders Do (list, travel, chase, Big Days / Years...); how to learn to bird (alone, or with someone...); books vs electronic sources. There is arcana about bird naming and speciation according to the ABA that may thrill some listers, but not this one.
There are also curious omissions: a basic discussion of binoculars and spotting scopes might have been useful for novices looking to upgrade from the KMart bins they found in their uncle's attic; there is no discussion of guidelines for luring birds with recordings. He tends to assume that everyone plans to photograph and record birds on their cellphones, and that most people will get into elaborate listing schemes. One reason I finally dropped off the online discussion group BirdChat years ago was because it had rather devolved into more discussions of gear and lenses than birds. Chops to him for recommending "bare naked birding" (birding with just your eyes); but what he calls "patchwork" birding (birding often and intimately in a favorite single location) is glossed over rather briefly.
Perhaps the best result from reading this book might be that it will help you figure out just what kind of birder you want to be: a backyard observer, an international chaser, a serious photographer, a citizen scientist submitting data for analysis by observatories and research centers... all good! Maybe don't sit down and read this cover to cover: dip in and out to the chapters that speak to you where you are.
But the bottom line is: get out there. Find some birds. He draws a parallel with going to an art museum, which resonated with this old art history student: identify patterns, recognize individuals, and most of all, savor the aesthetics. Do you want to study every painting and drawing Rembrandt ever made? Or would you rather marvel at the van Gogh in one room and the ancient Cycladic Greek sculpture in the next? You might stumble across a Kandinsky that blows you away. Find 'em, love 'em, look 'em up, learn about 'em, and your life will be all the richer.
April 28, 2021
This quietly wonderful book is one that I may not crow about to every other book lover I know, but which I will still cherish and re-read for years to come.
This is not a bird guide, or even strictly a birding guide. It does not tell you in methodical terms how to make a field ID, what to wear and bring, or how to act on a birding venture. This is a subtle, yet often lyrical, celebration of birds and birders and every step forward that avian science and birding has made for that past half century!
Ted Floyd's short essays, (each topic is restricted to a single page,) are easy to read in whatever stolen moments you may have, and each one can be read on its own as well as in its place in the whole. His background in magazine editing is a strong asset here. While some of the topics may seem truncated or vague, almost incomplete, their purpose is always to make the reader think about the topic presented, without giving a ready conclusion to accept or reject. This book is easily read by both long practicing birders and those who have just met their "spark bird". Floyd expertly defines any technical terms in easy and quick to understand language, and he offers links directly in the text to any on line references.
More than any of the technical qualifications and the expert background he offers, his pure joy is pervasive and contagious. His own sense of wonder, for the birds, yes, but also for the advances and evolutions of we humans watching them, is wholesome and gratifying. He is ecstatic about what people pre internet accomplished as a global community with just phones and early listservs, and he marvels at the inclusiveness of the lastest technology behind eBird, and all the while he waxes poetic about the joys and benefits of "bare-naked" birding without phone apps, cameras, and binoculars. He revels in thinking of sharing birding with the youngest generation, and in reaching out to the new initiate who still balks at traditional dawn excursions. His overarching theme is one of finding beauty and joy in a fellow species, and sometimes discovering something about ourselves in the process.
I have read an entire book of essays by a different birder attempting to do exactly that, (self-discovery through watching the birds,) and Floyd managed to be more rewarding on this subject, while simultaneously also actually teaching more about birds that I expected. I may not be any better at the end of this book at IDing a fox sparrow from a swamp sparrow, but my range of appreciation for all things bird, and many things human, has grown. It was a pleasure I will gladly share with those I know will appreciate it.
This is not a bird guide, or even strictly a birding guide. It does not tell you in methodical terms how to make a field ID, what to wear and bring, or how to act on a birding venture. This is a subtle, yet often lyrical, celebration of birds and birders and every step forward that avian science and birding has made for that past half century!
Ted Floyd's short essays, (each topic is restricted to a single page,) are easy to read in whatever stolen moments you may have, and each one can be read on its own as well as in its place in the whole. His background in magazine editing is a strong asset here. While some of the topics may seem truncated or vague, almost incomplete, their purpose is always to make the reader think about the topic presented, without giving a ready conclusion to accept or reject. This book is easily read by both long practicing birders and those who have just met their "spark bird". Floyd expertly defines any technical terms in easy and quick to understand language, and he offers links directly in the text to any on line references.
More than any of the technical qualifications and the expert background he offers, his pure joy is pervasive and contagious. His own sense of wonder, for the birds, yes, but also for the advances and evolutions of we humans watching them, is wholesome and gratifying. He is ecstatic about what people pre internet accomplished as a global community with just phones and early listservs, and he marvels at the inclusiveness of the lastest technology behind eBird, and all the while he waxes poetic about the joys and benefits of "bare-naked" birding without phone apps, cameras, and binoculars. He revels in thinking of sharing birding with the youngest generation, and in reaching out to the new initiate who still balks at traditional dawn excursions. His overarching theme is one of finding beauty and joy in a fellow species, and sometimes discovering something about ourselves in the process.
I have read an entire book of essays by a different birder attempting to do exactly that, (self-discovery through watching the birds,) and Floyd managed to be more rewarding on this subject, while simultaneously also actually teaching more about birds that I expected. I may not be any better at the end of this book at IDing a fox sparrow from a swamp sparrow, but my range of appreciation for all things bird, and many things human, has grown. It was a pleasure I will gladly share with those I know will appreciate it.
January 29, 2020
An easy to read book that takes the reader through birding from very basic ideas to more subtle concepts of birding. The format is unusual: 200 one page chapters with two introductory paragraphs, another to make some point and a short concluding paragraph.
While many of the chapters could easily be classified as trivial, in some Floyd does bring out some subtle points that would not be apparent to the beginning birder. An example is chapter 19 where he points out the importance of habitat in understanding birds by comparing the Western Sandpiper which prefers shallow water, and the Least Sandpiper which prefers mud flats.
Other areas where he brings out interesting detail include migration and moulting. While one might think of these as simply two phase processes, there is much variation in the species and many subtleties.
Some very surprising facts are presented such as the apparent ability of the Indigo Bunting to develop a star chart to assist in it's movements. While many are aware of Canada Geese staying local where the food is good, he notes the the Northern Rough-winged Swallow has halted migration where sewage treatment plants provide abundant midges over the settling ponds.
The author discusses the knowledge of bird song as a key to understanding the birds. A very interesting suggestion is that one can learn to associate bird song with the sonograms. He highly recommends listening to birdsong on Xeno-Cantos while examining the associated sonograms.
On the con side, the chapters are short: they present an idea with little detail and then on to the next thing. Rarely is there suggestion as to how to further explore the chapter's idea. The tight format left no room for illustrations, which would have been nice for the subjects of taxonomy and sonograms.
The book includes no references. In chapter 40 the author describes how Lesser Scaups are eating Zebra Mussels, accumulating selenium and this is leading to their decline. A search of the web provides little support for this speculation.
While many of the chapters could easily be classified as trivial, in some Floyd does bring out some subtle points that would not be apparent to the beginning birder. An example is chapter 19 where he points out the importance of habitat in understanding birds by comparing the Western Sandpiper which prefers shallow water, and the Least Sandpiper which prefers mud flats.
Other areas where he brings out interesting detail include migration and moulting. While one might think of these as simply two phase processes, there is much variation in the species and many subtleties.
Some very surprising facts are presented such as the apparent ability of the Indigo Bunting to develop a star chart to assist in it's movements. While many are aware of Canada Geese staying local where the food is good, he notes the the Northern Rough-winged Swallow has halted migration where sewage treatment plants provide abundant midges over the settling ponds.
The author discusses the knowledge of bird song as a key to understanding the birds. A very interesting suggestion is that one can learn to associate bird song with the sonograms. He highly recommends listening to birdsong on Xeno-Cantos while examining the associated sonograms.
On the con side, the chapters are short: they present an idea with little detail and then on to the next thing. Rarely is there suggestion as to how to further explore the chapter's idea. The tight format left no room for illustrations, which would have been nice for the subjects of taxonomy and sonograms.
The book includes no references. In chapter 40 the author describes how Lesser Scaups are eating Zebra Mussels, accumulating selenium and this is leading to their decline. A search of the web provides little support for this speculation.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews