The Backyard Birdwatcher's Bible: Birds, Behaviors, Habitats, Identification, Art & Other Home Crafts - Hardcover

by Paul Sterry (Author), Christopher Perrins (Author), Sonya Patel Ellis (Author)

An informative and eye-catching full-color reference book for backyard bird enthusiasts, The Backyard Birdwatcher's Bible is beautiful enough to be a coffee table book and practical enough to be a guide for both beginner and expert birders alike.

Here, an elegant aesthetic is paired with practical tips on identifying, attracting, and caring for backyard birds, as well as crafting bird-friendly gardens and birdhouses. Did you know that the red-bellied woodpecker "is an opportunistic feeder, taking a wide range of invertebrates, seeds, and nuts, also fruits (it drinks from oranges) and sap"? Photographs include images of both males and females and maps explain the range of the species.

Packed with information and beautiful full-color photography and art, the authors offers a cornucopia of information:

• Species profiles: how to identify species, their habitats, their diets, and their status.
• Birdwatching for beginners: expert information about the life cycle of a bird, from hatchling to adult.
• Information about birdsongs, details about territories and nests and eggs, and much more, including essential practical advice for birdwatchers in the field.
• Creating a bird-friendly backyard: information on birdfeeders, breeding shelters, and flowers and shrubbery to plant in order to entice the winged visitors to visit and stay.
• A lively lesson on birds in art: beautiful and educational, with classic and modern art, and photographs. From Audubon to Taiichiro Yoshida, who creates delicate metal work to create bird images, the art is inspiring.

This is the perfect gift for any birder, and one that birders will buy for themselves and refer to again and again.

Author Biography

Paul Sterry is the author and illustrator of more than 50 natural history books, including Warblers of North America, Life-size Birds, and The Complete Guide to British Birds. Having trained as a zoologist, Paul has been a wildlife photographer, rewilding expert, and passionate conservationist for 40 years.

Christopher Perrins is Emeritis Fellow of Field Ornithology at the University of Oxford, and Her Majesty's Warden of the Swans since 1993. He has won a number of awards for his lifelong service to ornithology, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Medal, and is a fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union. Christopher is the author of several books, including Collins New Generation Guide to Birds and The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds.

Sonya Patel Ellis is a writer, editor, and artist. The focus of her work is to explore the interconnectivity between nature, art, and culture. She has collaborated on a number of natural history projects, and her latest book is The Botanical Bible.

Dominic Couzens is an expert bird guide and author. He has published numerous books on natural history, specializing in birds and mammals, including Extreme Birds, Atlas of Rare Birds, The Secret Lives of Puffins, and Top 100 Birding Sites of the World. He travels widely for writing and speaking, and his website is www.birdwords.co.uk.