What It's Like to Be a Bird

March 30, 2020
Ornithologist and illustrator Sibley (The Sibley Guide to Birds) offers a fascinating work that fulfills its goal to “give readers some sense of what it’s like to be a bird.” Through textual and colorfully visual portraits of numerous birds, ranging from the familiar American robin to more obscure species, Sibley explores various aspects of bird biology and behavior, such as hearing, nesting, and mating. He describes how birds rehearse their songs before sharing them with other birds, and then adjust their styles depending upon the audience, with rivals and potential mates hearing dramatically different songs. There are eye-opening facts on almost every page, such as crows’ ability to recognize individual humans and convey among themselves whether those people are friends or foes. Despite decades of studying these animals, Sibley was still surprised, while working on this book, to learn of the complexity of their lives, leading him to conclude that birds’ instincts arise, in part, from humanlike feelings, such as pride and anxiety—a position that he frankly concedes will be rejected by many as anthropomorphic. Nonetheless, even skeptics will emerge with a deeper appreciation of birds, and of what observable behaviors can reveal about animals’ lives.

Starred review from April 1, 2020

Sibley is the author and illustrator of a series of bird guides, including The Sibley Guide to Birds. His splendid art is again showcased in this latest work, which features more than 300 illustrations of birds that will engage new and advanced birders. Sibley successfully captures what many artists don't, including the set of bills and the placement of eyes. His sketches, schematic and masterfully suggestive, enhance the full-color illustrations. The backgrounds of buildings, vegetation, and scenery are also highly evocative. Sibley has surveyed much of the world literature to inform his concise, vivid descriptions of bird behavior, biology, breeding, anatomy, plumage, and feeding. These complex attributes come alive thanks to his art and writing. The text layout is alluring, with several illustrated sections of each page's text devoted to every species. Unusual aspects include a few anatomical diagrams and illustrations of predators carrying prey. VERDICT Similar to his guidebooks, this work will be of great interest to birders, naturalists, behaviorists, and enjoyers of wildlife art.--Henry T. Armistead, formerly with Free Lib. of Philadelphia

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2020
Most people would consider birdbrained an insult; Sibley's new book may change their minds. There are a lot of bird books that describe bird behavior as observed by humans (including the Sibley Guides to Birds). The wonderfully unique thing about this book is that it examines clever avian behavior from the bird's point of view. Focusing on frequent backyard visitors (nuthatches, blue jays, and chickadees) and other easily observable species (owls, roadrunners, ducks) this selective compendium provides full-color, life-sized illustrations accompanied by engagingly curious field notes on flight, foraging, nesting, walking, swimming, navigation, hearing, smell, taste, touch, vision, and vocalization. Jays, for example, will hide their food, but if they think another jay saw where it was hidden, they will return later and hide it in a safer spot. A robin's nest building requires "thoughtful" decisions about location, construction materials, and insulation. Crows not only have the ability to recognize humans by face and to associate people with good or bad experiences but also to communicate this intelligence to other crows. This title is enthusiastically recommended for both armchair birdwatchers and serious birders and is an excellent choice for public libraries, even those with shelves already brimming with bird guides.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)