Book Review: "How To Know The Birds" by Ted Floyd

About How to Knowingness look one the Birds

• Hardcover: 304 pages • Publisher: National Geographic (March 12, 2019) Become a better birder with brief portraits of 200 top North American birds. This friendly, relatable book is a celebration of the art, science, and delights of bird-watching. How to Know the Birds introduces a new, holistic approach to bird-watching, by noting how behaviors, settings, and seasonal cycles connect with shape, song, color, gender, age distinctions, and other features traditionally used to identify species. With short essays on 200 observable species, expert author Ted Floyd guides us through a year of becoming a better birder, each species representing another useful lesson: from explaining scientific nomenclature to noting how plumage changes with age, from chronicling migration patterns to noting hatchling habits. Dozens of endearing pencil sketches accompany Floyd's charming prose, making this book a unique blend of narrative and field guide. A pleasure for birders of all ages, this witty book promises solid lessons for the beginner and smiles of recognition for the seasoned nature lover. Social Media Please use the hashtag #howtoknowthebirds and tag @tlcbooktours.

Purchase Links

National Geographic | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

People who read Pure Florida know that April Fools Day is often, not always, but often a major event here. There was that time I struck oil in the front yard, the meteor strike in the back yard, the skunk ape game cam video, the alien artifacts in the gun range ... you get the picture.

This year, no fooling, I have a book you might like for yourself or as a gift for your birding friends. "How To Know The Birds" is a series of essays on birds and birding by Ted Floyd.

I love birds, but I don't think of myself as a "birder". 

The competition and life list aspects of birding don't appeal to me, but I enjoyed many of the essays in the book, especially the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird story of how they prepare for their Gulf of Mexico crossing.

If you are a birder, or just want to know more about the birds around us, this book was written for you.