What It's Like to Be a Bird

“Lingering over every page of What It’s Like to Be a Bird, this is what can be seen: The book’s beauty mirrors the beauty of birds it describes so marvelously.” —NPR

“Any new Sibley book is an event . . . A sprightly, information-packed encyclopedia of bird behavior. What lifts it into the realm of art is Sibley’s illustrations—330 of them, many life-size. Captured in pencil and gouache, Sibley’s birds are as scientifically accurate as Peterson’s or Audubon’s, but less static, more alive . . . The American robin with a rust-red Dickensian waistcoat; a martial, copper-feathered red-tailed hawk perched watchful along a country road—these and all the birds celebrated in What It’s Like to Be a Bird seem ready to take flight.” —Peter Fish, San Francisco Chronicle

“An afternoon with this sprawling volume on my lap was a lovely way to tolerate a day of social distancing . . . What It’s Like to Be a Bird gives Sibley’s artwork ample room to spread its wings . . . In a spring shadowed by the darker mysteries of nature, Sibley’s book is a welcome occasion to connect with the more pleasing puzzle of what our feathered friends are up to.” —Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor

“After years of rushing to his indispensable field guides for sure resolution of any bird or tree ID conundrum, I’m delighted to find David Allen Sibley stretching his considerable artistic and literary wings . . . Having painted them all in every possible plumage permutation, evenly lighted and in profile, Mr. Sibley’s joy in creating chiaroscuro tableaux of birds feeding, flying and tending their young is palpable . . . Expect to be surprised at the mental and physical capabilities of birds.” —Julie Zickefoose, The Wall Street Journal

“Simply gorgeous . . . Appropriate for general readers as well as bird experts, and it is perfectly suitable for young readers . . . As the world’s bird population shrinks, it is helpful and even inspiring to learn as much as possible about the amazing feathered creatures that share our planet. There is no better way than to browse through David Allen Sibley’s new book, What It’s Like to Be a Bird.” —Nancy Gilson, The Columbus Dispatch

“You’ll want to linger on each page to enjoy Sibley’s illustrations . . . If you love birds, you’ll love this book.” —Jennifer J. Meyer, The Backyard Birder

“Sibley answers all kinds of questions people have about birds . . . [His] exacting artwork and wide-ranging expertise bring observed behaviors vividly to life.” —Birdwatching

“Gorgeous art and fascinating information come together here. The organization makes it easy to pick up and read whatever strikes your fancy, while the depth of information means that anyone can learn a great deal. And then there’s the art—lots and lots of it. All that makes this book attractive to anyone even remotely interested in birds.” —The Birder’s Library

“A fascinating work that fulfills its goal to ‘give readers some sense of what it’s like to be a bird’ . . . [Readers] will emerge with a deeper appreciation of birds, and of what observable behaviors can reveal about animals’ lives.” —Publishers Weekly