Every so often, I’ll notice a string of books with a niche theme or a sudden proliferation of books on an unexpected topic. Thus the inspiration for today’s post: books about birds. Birdwatching surged in popularity beginning in the pandemic, and the number of related books has likewise proliferated. In the past year or two, I’ve noticed more and more books about different kinds of birds and birders. I did not see it coming but I like it!
Today’s list is an interesting mix of memoir, true crime, nature essays, and fiction. Some are pre-pandemic releases; others are quite recent. Whether you’re an ornithologist, aspiring birder, or just appreciate a nerdy deep dive into a specific subject you didn’t even know you wanted to read about, I hope these books offer a dash of the unexpected to your reading life.
9 books about birds and birding
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A Guide to the Birds of East Africa
A quiet novel about birding and romance. Mr. Malik has just gathered enough courage to ask Rose Mbikwa to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball when his intellectual rival arrives and immediately—and inconveniently—falls for Rose himself. Since Rose leads the East African Ornithological Society, the two men agree to a bird-identifying competition in order to determine who will ask her to the ball. Hijinks ensue. More info →
H Is for Hawk
This 2014 nonfiction work was a global bestseller and won a slew of literary accolades, including the prestigious Costa Book of the Year award. After Helen Macdonald's father dies, she stumbles upon a unique way to assuage her grief: she purchases and attempts to train an English goshawk with the deceptively quaint name Mabel. McDonald had been a falconer since she was a child, but her hawk is wild, unpredictable, irascible—as is her grief. Part memoir, part nature story, the result is moving, poignant, and surprising. More info →
The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a man walks into an airport with a suspicious parcel…that turns out to be fourteen rare peregrine falcon eggs. Over the course of two decades, Jeffrey Lendrum smuggled endangered raptors for the black market. The birds and their eggs are worth millions on the street, never mind the penalties—both to nature and from the law—for removing them from their natural habitat. Detective Andy McWilliam of the United Kingdom’s National Wildlife Crime Unit pursues Lendrum in this gripping true crime tale of greed, danger, and falconry. More info →
Brood: A Novel
Will and I thought about getting chickens for years but never went for it; it turns out chickens are really hard to keep alive. The nameless main character of this quirky 2021 novel manages to care for her brood of four chickens through a Minnesota winter, a summer tornado, and the random ailments that strike chickens down without explanation or warning. While pouring herself into her new hobby, she's also coping with heavy grief and disappointment due to a recent miscarriage and the possibility of a cross-country move. If you're in the mood for a quiet, introspective book that's on the shorter side, this might be right for you. More info →
Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder: A Memoir
“To be among birds is to be constantly learning.” Lit professor Zarankin, who describes herself as a serial enthusiast and novice naturalist, was as surprised as anyone when she fell head-over-heels for birdwatching at the age of 35—years before the hobby zoomed to popularity during the coronavirus pandemic. In this memoir, which I included in the MMD 2021 Summer Reading Guide, she interweaves stories of the birds she’s logged with tales from her childhood in the Soviet Union, her subsequent moves to Paris and the U.S., and current Toronto-based birdwatching community, which has become her surrogate family. A natural choice for nature-lovers and those eager to enjoy the thrill of vicariously stumbling into a new hobby. Audiophile alert: this is lovely on audio, as read by Nan McNamara. More info →
Migrations
For those of you who like to know my husband Will's reading recs: this one's for you. McConaghy's U.S. debut is set in the near future, when most wildlife has become extinct. Franny Stone arrives in Greenland to follow the last Arctic terns on their likely final migration to Antarctica. She finagles a spot on a fishing boat and develops a found family with the oddball crew. As they set sail, Franny learns there’s no hiding from her past—including a love affair and a crime. The story alternates between her quest and her history, exploring climate change, redemption, and the persistence of hope. More info →
The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year
In this fall 2023 release, Renkl brings readers to her backyard in Tennessee, sharing observations of the flora and fauna she finds close to home. There are 52 chapters, one for each week, moving us through the seasons as the birds and other animals come and go, flowers bloom, and trees shed leaves. She also shares the way her personal life mirrors the lives of the birds, with her grown children making their own migration. A beautiful reflection of nature, accompanied by artwork drawn by her brother Billy Renkl. More info →
Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World
Christian Cooper became a household name in May 2020 while birding in Central Park after he requested a white woman leash her dog and she made racist threats instead; the video of the encounter that he took for his safety went viral. That encounter serves as a launching point for a tale that is about birding and so much more. Combining memoir, birding tutorial, and travelogue, Cooper takes us inside his life as a Blerd (Black nerd), sharing his upbringing and how he began birding first in NYC and then around the world. He also reflects on how his interest in birds helps him navigate life as a gay Black man. More info →
The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature
A lyrical memoir about growing up in rural South Carolina with essays on nature, belonging, and identity, first published in 2016. Lanham, a Black ornithologist and professor, fell in love with the natural world as a child in the 1970s. Often the only Black person in a white-dominated field, he explores why so few people of color study natural sciences and what can be done to foster a stronger connection to land and the birds and animals that live there. More info →
Do you have any favorite books about birds? Please share in the comments.
P.S. 15 absorbing nonfiction fiction books to inspire your inner scientist.
56 comments
If you enjoy reading about found family and a cast of interesting characters, to say nothing of quirky magical turquoise birds and a few ghosts, then give Other Birds, by Sarah Addison Allen, a try.
I really enjoyed Other Birds. Was not what I expected, but in a good way.
I really enjoyed the Falcon Thief, but learned so much about birds and the specimens we see in museums from The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson. I had no idea how they were collected and it really made me look at things differently when recently visiting our local museum. Also learned about the world of fly fishing. I would highly recommend both books!
Agreed! The Feather Thief is one of the best nonfiction books that I’ve read! Our whole family enjoyed it (teens included!).
Also second The Feather Thief. Was going to recommend, but so glad to see someone beat me to it. Fascinating.
Birding Without Borders is a fascinating read!
As a bird watcher and avid reader, I love this theme! I have read several of the books on this list. I highly recommend A Guide to the Birds of East Africa. It is a lovely short book, with charming characters, and one of my absolute favorite books of all time. It can be hard to find a printed copy, but it is worth it.
Yes! The Feather Quest by Pete Dunne. Pete and his wife Linda travel all around NA in quest for birds and stories of birders. Pete is a well know birder and an excellent writer. Anything written by him is worth reading, but The Feather Quest is a gem.
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Foul Obsession by Mark Obmascik. There is a movie about this also. The tale of birders seeking to find the most bird species in a year.
Birder and ornithologist here – I was THRILLED to see this! I also recommend Amy Tan’s (who is also a birder and on the board of the American Bird Conservancy) book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles. Jonathan Franzen (also on the ABC board and a birder) has some bird essays in The End of the End of the Earth. Lastly, Kenn Kaufman is an incredible field guide author and artist, but two of his other non-fiction works, A Season on the Wind and Kingbird Highway, are essential for bird-watchers!
Shameless plug: if you will be around Northwest Ohio May 3-12, come to the Biggest Week in American Birding to hear Christian Cooper, Amy Tan, and Kenn Kaufman speak!
I forgot about King bird Highway! Wonderful book. Thank you for the other suggestions.
@Katie – do you specialize in a specific area as an ornithologist? I just finished a Master Birder program and the people who did presentations and field trips were sooooo knowledgeable about different areas (one woman received a master’s degree in ornithology in the early 70s and a specialty of hers is bird recognition by ear, which is amazing to me since I have a really hard time with that). Last week I got to observe bird banding and was able to hold and release a tiny swamp sparrow! 🙂
@Traci – I’m so glad you’re getting into banding!! I’m a bird bander in NW Ohio and getting to see wild birds up close is such a privilege. My favorite birds to band are Fox Sparrows and warblers! I’m currently getting my PhD, where I’m focusing on community, landscape, and population ecology with North American songbirds. And birding by ear is a skill that takes lots of practice! You’ll catch on 🙂 Happy birding!
That line up of speakers is amazing. I’ve birded in that area, but not for a number of years. It is an amazing place.
I would love to see The Feather Thief, by Kirk Wallace Johnson, on this list!
I love this list! I can also recommend The Big Year by Mark Obmascik and a Supremely Bag Idea by Luke Dempsey, both about extreme birding told on a humorous way.
I loved Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey by Kathleen Rooney- based on the true story of a messenger pigeon during WWI
Highly recommend Courtney Ellis’ Looking Up. Birding became a hobby of hope for her as she experienced the pandemic plus the death of her grandfather. An uplifting journey from sadness to hope and God’s grace.
Mozart’s Starling by Lyanda Lynn Haupt. Part memoire, part history lesson, part science book. The author’s fascination with the apocryphal (or is it?) legend that Mozart taught a pet starling to sing his Piano Concerto Number 17 in G causes her to rescue and adopt a wild starling and raise her as a pet. I think of this book every time I pass a flock of starlings nibbling in the grass by the sidewalks.
I just finished Conversations with Birds by Priyanka Kumar, a book about a filmmaker who takes a deep dive into birds of the American Southwest. It’s quiet and beautiful, and has some Audubon illustrations.
So glad to see this list, more fodder for my TBR! H is for Hawk is one of my all time favorite books. I have read the print copy and listened to the audio multiple times. Thank you, MMD team.
Trish O’Kane’s Birding to Change the World would be a great addition to this list.
The Axman’s carnival by NZ author Catherine Chidgey is told from the point of view from a magpie and it is fantastic!
I really enjoyed the book “Life List” about Phoebe Snetsinger, a housewife who started keeping records of backyard birds and went on to become a prolific birder. This is a biography, so I’m looking forward to reading one of the books she wrote herself to hear her own words about her passion for birding.
Maybe this book release was an inspiration, but couldn’t be mentioned due to the release date, but The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan will release on April 23.
Favorite bird books I have enjoyed over the past few years and gifted to my young adult child: “The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America” and “The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Stupid World,” both by Matt Kratch.
I am happy to see A Guide to the Birds of East Africa on your list. It is a short, fun read. Also, some have mentioned The Feather Thief, a very interesting read.
A great non-fiction book, What It’s Like To Be A Bird by Sibley, is so chock full of bird information that is presented in a highly readable form. I leave mine close at hand to open at any page and read. Een non-birders can enjoy this book.
I absolutely loved Migrations.
I am looking forward to Amy Tan’s The Backyard Bird Chronicles coming out this month and hearing her speak about it in Chautauqua NY in August!
I was touched by the book:
Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence-And Formed a Deep Bond in the Process
Its a nonfiction memoir that is touching and endlessly interesting. A backlist gem!
I was so happy to see this list today since I just finished a Master Birder Program with Birds Georgia (formerly Georgia Audubon)! It was really interesting and I would highly recommend a program like that to others if you have something similar in your area. My TBR list is miles long, but I’m always interested in more books about birds! I don’t think this one has been mentioned yet, but I’m in the process of reading (listening to) Birding Under the Influence by Dorian Anderson and am enjoying it.
Bernd Heinrich’s “Mind of the Raven” is on my TBR list.
H is for Hawk was the first book we read for family book club. It was universally disliked, but for different reasons, so made for a really excellent and interesting discussion.
Anything by Jennifer Ackerman, particularly “The Genius of Birds”. Wonderful writings from an ornithologist. So interesting.
Publishing on April 23 is the Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan. Yes that Amy Tan of The Joy Luck Club. If you are a backyard birder, you’ll love this one.
I really enjoyed reading Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe by Carl Safina. Blurb from Amazon: A Scientific American Best Staff Read of 2023; A moving account of raising, then freeing, an orphaned screech owl, whose lasting friendship with the author illuminates humanity’s relationship with the world.
The Birder Murder Mysteries by Steve Burrows. A series of light reading mysteries set in real places around the USA.
That Quail, Robert by Margaret Stanger! My husband and I read it together and it’s charming and heartwarming! We both loved it. Such a gem of a story.
I do live in a different climate, but I find chickens incredibly easy to raise.
I second(third?) The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik. I haven’t read the book yet but I enjoyed and highly recommend the movie of the book titled The Big Year with Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson.
I would highly recommend What the Owl Knows” by Jennifer Ackerman which I listened to on audio. Fascinating.
Wesley the Owl, by Stacey O’Brien is a wonderful true story about a biologist and the owl she adopted and lived with for 20 years.
It’s a bit older, but Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill was fun. Also My Side of the Mountain.
I found this book by browsing my library’s new nonfiction shelves. Woman Watching: Louise de Kiriline Lawrence and the songbirds of Pimisi Bay by Marilyn Simonds is a biography of a very unique woman, Louise de Kiriline Lawrence whose life began in Denmark before WW1 enjoying the outdoors with her father and ended many years later contributing to our understanding of birds from her isolated cabin in the Canadian woods. Along the way she followed a husband to Russia during their revolution, nursed the Dionne Quintuplets, and developed close relationships with many ornithologists mostly by letter from her primitive cabin. This book seems a little under the radar but I loved it. Louise was a fascinating woman.
I REALLY enjoyed Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin, which will be published on April 30th. It’s set in the PNW and the landscape visuals were just beautiful. And I came away with a newfound appreciation for crows!
The audiobook of H is for Hawk read by the author is sublime.
“Penguin Bloom: the odd little bird that saved a family” is a beautiful true story complete with lovely photographs about a a rescued baby magpie that has a healing impact on a family. It has also been made into a Netflix movie
I enjoyed Fastest Things on Wings: Rescuing Hummingbirds in Hollywood, by Terry Masear. As the title makes clear, it’s a non-fiction account of the author’s experiences as a hummingbird rescuer in the huge metropolis of Los Angeles. I found it fascinating!
I read and loved 4 of the 9 books on this list. The comments gave me more possibilities for my TBR. Earlier this year I read and enjoyed The Thing with Feathers by Noah Strycker, a fascinating look at bird behavior, and Flight Paths by Rebecca Heisman, a fascinating book about bird migration studies, from the earliest to the present and what they tell us about adaptation, extinction and climate.
The Long Flight Home by Alan Hlad ~ historical fiction of carrier pigeons in WWII, with a little romance. I didn’t know carrier pigeons played such an important role in winning the War Made me want to learn more.
I love this topic and the different ways it is approached in the books listed. I have some of the titles, now newly inspired to read them, and some of the titles are now in my shopping cart. One I would add is Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness. I have so many tabs marking quotes, ideas and jumping off points I have not been able to pass it on. A young mother and scientist moves to the suburbs in Seattle and after grounding herself explores the natural world there. Gifted writer
A family book of birding and other nature inspired “science” I enjoyed is Scratching the Woodchuck: Nature on an Amish Farm by David Kline
I love this list, and have been meaning to read Migrations for some time. You may have convinced me to move it up my TBR list! Red Tails in Love by Marie Winn is a wonderful nonfiction book about bird lovers in Central Park watching and learning from a pair of red tailed hawks. I also loved My Side of the Mountain!
I recommend A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World’s Smartest Birds of Prey by Jonathan Meiburg
I loved this book, that my science book club read last year, about caracaras, a group of raptors you might never have heard of. It’s a rambling geographical and historical exploration following several people who became fascinated by these birds, in England, Patagonia, the nearly inaccessible northern South America, and more.
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54390345-a-most-remarkable-creature
What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World by Jon Young, a lifelong birder, tracker and naturalist. It’s a fascinating look at how birds communicate knowledge of their environment through their vocalizations and behaviour.
This was fun! I’ve become a birder in the last 10 years. I have read and loved Migrations, and Guide to the Birds of East Africa, and they are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. Also H is for Hawk, but I didn’t like it. I am looking forward to Amy Tan’s new book, but I would also like to mention Birdgirl by Mya Rose Craig. Haven’t read it, but it’s on my TBR! And I’m going to look up Brood. My hubby and I have 6 hens and just got 14 chicks. The chicks are as fun as kittens to watch.
The Feather Thief By: Kirk Wallace Johnson. This is not my normal genre, but it was so interesting and I have since told so many people about this book and the obscure crime. The history I learned about birds and feathers and why it is illegal to even pick up a feather. Probably one of the strangest and most interesting books I have ever read.
I recently read Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton which follows a crow during the zombie apocalypse? It was SO FUN and I absolutely love its characterization. I’m not normally a sci-fi/dystopian reader but it was so humorous and also really thoughtful.