Birds Nonfiction

Peck the ground. Lay some eggs. Chickens are at home on the farm.

In this uplifting memoir, a professor and activist shares what birds can teach us about life, social change, and protecting the environment. Trish O’Kane is an accidental ornithologist. In her nearly two decades writing about justice as an investigative journalist, she'd never paid attention...

As heard on NPR's This American Life “Absorbing . . . Though it's non-fiction, The Feather Thief contains many of the elements of a classic thriller.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air “One of the most peculiar and memorable true-crime books ever.” —Christian Science Monitor A...

Find out about the special adaptations that make birds of prey such powerful hunters in this action-packed series! This volume includes Kites, Owls, and Vultures.

Ostriches can't fly, but they can run! Learn about how these birds survive in their desert home.

Toucans fill the rain forests with chatter. Learn all about these colorful birds and their habitats in Toucans.

Central Park birder Christian Cooper takes us beyond the viral video that shocked a nation and into a world of avian adventures, global excursions, and the unexpected lessons you can learn from a life spent looking up. "Wondrous . . . captivating.”—Ed Yong, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of...

Have you ever gone birdwatching before? Learn about all the different birds that migrate to the Magee Marsh every spring! See all the kinds of birds that make their way to the same spot every year, like warblers, owls, and even ducks!

Terry Tempest Williams's mother told her: "I am leaving you all my journals, but you must promise me you won't look at them until after I'm gone." Fans of Williams's iconic and unconventional memoir, Refuge, well remember that mother. She was a member of a large Mormon clan in northern Utah who developed cancer as a result of the nuclear testing in nearby Nevada. It was a shock to Williams that her mother had kept journals. But not as much of a shock as what she found when the time came to read them.

Follow us on a journey around all the body parts of birds, from eyes to beaks, to feet to tails. Find out all about how each body part works, what it looks like, and what it does and how each body part differs between species.

Have you ever heard of a bird that lays its eggs on the ground instead of in a nest? What about a bird that lays eggs in other birds' nests? Young listeners will learn all about killdeers, cuckoo birds, and other birds with unusual life cycles.

What do pet birds eat? Can you let your bird out of its cage? These questions and more are answered in this fun and engaging book for young listeners.

This engaging series will inspire listeners to look out for their favorite birds! This volume includes Blue Jays, Cardinals, Chickadees, Goldfinches, Orioles, and Robins.

Did you know some birds can grow thousands of feathers? Find out the different jobs feathers have to help a bird fly. Learn the differences between primary feathers and tail feathers in a bird’s flight.

How did some birds come to have brightly colored feathers to match the flowers and fruits of the tropical forest, but others stayed in muted colors? According to this Arawak folktale, they got their colors from a snake! What happens when there aren’t enough colors to go around?

Chirp! Tweet! Backyard birds have busy lives. In this beginning series young listeners learn all about where these birds live, what they eat, and how they survive when the weather gets cold. This engaging series will inspire listeners to look out for their favorite birds! This volume includes Blackbirds, Bluebirds, Crows, Hummingbirds, Swallows, and Woodpeckers.

In this delightful book, teacher and birder Cathryn Sill explains to children what birds are, what they do, and how they live. About Birds is a first thoughtful glimpse into the world of birds, from eggs to nest, from songs to flight. Simple and enlightening, About Birds tells children what is essential for understanding and appreciating birds. An afterword provides further detail for youthful ornithologists and their parents regarding bird identification.

Have you ever wondered how birds know when to fly south for the winter? This introduction to bird behavior explores how and why woodpeckers peck, how pelicans fly without flapping their wings, why birds sing, and more.

Yo and her mother go outdoors to fill the bird feeders with birdseed. Yo wonders if they should feed wild animals too. What will happen if Yo leaves birdseed out for other animals? Will Yo and her mother decide to feed the other animals?

“Spellbinding.” —Rick Perlstein * “A clever, fast-paced read of dazzling originality.” —William I. Hitchcock “An excellent new book, both important and unsettling” (The New York Times), Ghosts of Iron Mountain unravels the astounding origins and far-reaching impacts of a...