Review: National Geographic Bird-Watcher’s Bible

National Geographic Bird-watcher’s Bible: A Complete Treasury is the sort of book that could turn just about anyone into a fan of birds. A quick flip through the pages and everything that is great about National Geographic jumps out at you.

Filled with jaw-dropping visuals—photographs, illustrations, and artwork—the Bird-watcher’s Bible covers a wide range of topics including the anatomy of a bird, their flight and migration, as well as history and scientific discoveries, plus much more.

There is an entire chapter on “To Be a Birder” which is a how-to guide for becoming and being a birder. While much of this will be common knowledge to experienced birders, there are still plenty of pieces of information for everyone.

Barn Owl photo by S.Cooper Digital/Shutterstock – National Geographic’s Bird-Watcher’s Bible

Throughout the book there are fun “Top 10” lists which include amazing bird nests, long-distance migration champs, and most common state birds.

There is also a list of the the “Top 10 Most Common Bird Blogs” which I was happy to see includes Birding is Fun, a site I contribute to every month.

The rest of the list are sites we are quite familiar with:

• 10,000 Birds
• American Birding Association Blog
• Lee’s Bird-Watching Adventures Plus
• Birdingblogs.com
• Birdchick Blog
• Nemesis Bird
• Bill of the Birds
• Urban Hawks
• Bird Ecology Study Group

There is a well-organized chapter on “Bringing the Birds Back Home” which covers a lot of what you need to know to get started attracting birds to your yard. Different types of feed, feeders, and bird houses are shown along with potential problems you may encounter such as: outdoor cats, squirrels, and disease.

The landscaping for birds section is smaller than we would like, but a good starting point.

The final section of Bird-watcher’s Bible includes biographies of some of the world’s most iconic bird species.

Victoria Crowned-Pigeon photo by Lana/Shutterstock – National Geographic’s Bird-Watcher’s Bible

We would highly recommend any birder to get National Geographic Bird-watcher’s Bible: A Complete Treasury or give it to a family member you feel needs a little push to become interested in birds. You won’t be disappointed by what is one of the most beautiful and informative bird books out there.

Disclaimer: we received a copy of this book from the publisher to review on Birdfreak.com. The links are to our Amazon Affiliate account.