What it's like to Be a Bird
From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing—What Birds Are Doing, and Why
Written and Illustrated by David Allen Sibley
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2020
David Allen Sibley is the author and illustrator of a series of notable nature guides including The Sibley Guide to Birds. (See https://www.sibleyguides.com/ ) When he first started the project that became this book, he intended to create a bird guide for kids, then thought perhaps it would become a guide for beginning birders of any age. But he wanted it to be more than just a identification guide. The result is What It’s Like to Be a Bird—a guide to the science of birds.
The book begins with an introduction that discusses such topics as feathers, coloration, senses, and movement, including flight. However, the heart of the book is the Portfolio of Birds. Sibley is a skilled watercolorist, and the eighty-seven paintings, depicting ninety-six species of birds he created for this book are impressive. The paintings are roughly life size—thus, for example, the painting of Sandhill Cranes shows just their heads. Each painting is accompanied by a few short essays that discuss something that is unique about that particular species, or just contain information about birds in general. For example, in the entry about Grackles, he explains why bird droppings are white and black, and includes a small painting of bird droppings.
This isn’t a book you’ll sit down and read cover-to-cover. I find myself leafing through it, looking for my favorite birds. In the entry about Hummingbirds, I learned that the red neck of the male Ruby-throated Hummingbird is not produced by pigment, but by the structure of the feathers’ surface. Another of my favorite birds is the Peregrine Falcon, which I learned is the fastest animal in the world. The nesting falcons I watch on a bird cam every spring are capable of speeds of at least 242 miles per hour. (If you’re interested, the cam I love to watch is at https://www.co.jackson.mi.us/787/Falcon-Report, but there are many others.)
I’m a casual birdwatcher at best. I mostly observe birds from the comfort of my kitchen as I look out at the feeders in my yard. I probably can identify more birds than the average person, but I don’t have a life list and I find it hard to be patient and observant enough to spot birds when I am out hiking. But this book is at the top of my wishlist right now. It’s engaging, informative, and beautiful to look at. It would make a great gift for the bird-lover on your list!
Sibley was featured on the CBS Sunday Morning Program recently. To see the segment, click here: https://youtu.be/5v74NeXparo
Reviewed by Sally Meitz, a retired educator who worked over 20 years in Michigan public schools. She currently works as a part time library assistant. She looks forward to sharing her love of the outdoors with her new granddaughter.
