Bird lovers and avid readers, gather round! We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite bird books for your reading pleasure. (Hint: they also make great gifts and stocking stuffers for all ages.) Here are our top picks, most of which you can find online or in the Chirp store. Happy reading!
Birdwatching Books
National Wildlife Federation®: Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife, Expanded Second Edition
Available online in the Chirp store.
With easy project ideas and helpful tips on attracting your favorite backyard birds, this book is fun for the whole family. You’ll learn what to plant in your backyard to attract local birds and butterflies and where to place your feeders and birdbaths. The book also includes a step-by-step checklist on how to get your garden certified as a wildlife sanctuary.
Birding 101 by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Available online in the Chirp store.
From the bird experts at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this pocket guide for beginner birders has everything one needs to get started. Learn how to identify the birds you see in nature by size, shape, color, and sound. You’ll also get helpful tips on how to attract more birds to your feeders. Compact and lightweight, this pamphlet fits right in your pocket, for easy carrying on nature walks, hikes, and birding expeditions.
Bird Field Guides
Peterson First Guide to Birds of North America
Available online in the Chirp store.
Considered the “Bible” of nature guides, Peterson field guides are the perfect companion for novice and expert birders. This guide includes information on the birds, wildlife, and plants you’ll see on your nature walks—wherever you live in the US or Canada. A condensed version of the full Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America, it’s the perfect pocket companion for birders on the go.
Are you a beginner birder? Try one of Chirp’s Beginner Backyard Bird Feeding Kits, which have everything you need to start attracting birds to your backyard. Each kit also includes the Peterson First Guide to Birds of North America, making identifying birds both easy and fun.
Hummingbirds by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Available online in the Chirp store.
If you’re a fan of these colorful little creatures, you’ll love this book dedicated to all things hummingbirds. Created by the experts at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this compact guide helps you identify your local hummingbirds by color, patterns, and other markings—describing them in both text and colorful imagery.
Books about Bird Behavior
Why Do Bluebirds Hate Me? More Answers to Common and Not-So-Common Questions about Birds and Birding
Available online in the Chirp store.
All your burning bird questions are answered in this fun and educational book by Mike O’Connor. This Q&A-formatted book will tell you how to cook egg shells to feed birds, whether the birds you see are smooching or feeding each other, and why bluebirds don’t like certain people. A funny and quirky, yet informative, book, it makes for a great read by the fireplace this winter. It also makes a great gift for birders and those who appreciate the offbeat.
What It’s Like to Be a Bird
Available online in the Chirp store.
Written by David Sibley, a famous birder known for his guides, this large-format book tackles frequently asked questions about birds. Covering 200 bird species, this book offers fun facts about your favorite birds, including blue jays, chickadees, and nuthatches. Young and old will love the gorgeous photography included—with 330 colorful illustrations drawn by Sibley himself.
Bird Photography Books
The Splendor of Birds: Art and Photographs from National Geographic
A great coffee table book or gift for your favorite nature lover, this hardcover book contains over 500 pages of stunning bird photos. Compiled by the world’s best nature photographers at National Geographic, these photos capture birds at their wildest and most beautiful. Enjoy action shots of birds of all kinds, and from all around the world, in black and white and color.
Birds of the Photo Ark
Get up close and personal with birds great and small with this portrait book. Created by National Geographic photographer, Joel Sartore, and Noah Strycker, it covers everything from eagles to finches. This 240-page book is a stunningly visual way to learn more about birds for both adults and children.
Birder Tales
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession
From journalist and avid birder Mark Obmascik comes this entertaining tale of three men competing against each other to win the “Big Year” birdwatching competition. The Big Year is 365 days full of birding, where birders journey from coast to coast to see who spots the most bird species. Made into a major motion picture starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson, this tale is a fan favorite for all. Bird enthusiast or not. anyone who loves funny, heartwarming tales of friendship and the great outdoors will love it.
Bird Books for Kids
Peterson Field Guides’ The Young Birder’s Guide
Available online in the Chirp store.
Introduce your children of any age to the wonders of nature with a field guide of their very own. This young birder’s guide is an interactive experience your kids will love, containing color photographs and drawings of birds, fun bird facts, and easy checklists for keeping track of the birds they see. Great for parents looking to teach their kids about nature, this guide is sure to keep your little ones engaged and entertained.
The Little Book of Backyard Bird Songs
Bring the beautiful songs of nature into your home with this lovely little children’s book. Young readers will thrill at hearing the songs of house wrens, great horned owls, blue jays, blackbirds, and other species from this book by Andrea Pinnington that offers both sight and sound, for a fully sensory and educational experience. Watch as children learn to identify the call of real birds in nature, and tell you which bird is which based on the colorful images they remember from their favorite bird book.
Love to Learn about Birds?
We do too! Check our schedule for the next live or virtual bird talk or guided bird walk—the whole family is invited!
