Bird Talk

A hilarious, informative, and vibrantly illustrated guide to 101 bird songs that sound surprisingly familiar.

Have you ever gone for a walk in the woods and wondered what bird was making a sound like a siren going off, or somebody revving a chainsaw engine—or sneezing? Do you hear birds every day, in the park or your neighborhood, but never know quite what you are listening to?

Birds are singing all around us, and author and illustrator Becca Rowland, aka Girl in White Glasses, connects the dots between their songs and the birds who make them, helping you to easily identify and remember their calls. Combining illustrations of common and rare birds with fascinating facts and whimsical descriptions of their calls, this book is full of humor and charm.

From space lasers to cheeseburgers, Bird Talk introduces you to the weird and wonderful world of bird songs.

• "Birds are constantly making sounds; most of these are pleasant and enjoyable, so much so that humans often tune them out of their active consciousness. However, once in a while, one of these sounds is different enough from the usual that it inspires a nearby human to begin to think about it and perhaps try to identify or classify it with something familiar. In this work, Rowland, an active bird lover, writer, and illustrator, identifies over 100 such unusual, attention-getting bird sounds and compares them to sounds that human beings might be able to more readily identify with, including sneezes, chain saws, sirens, machine guns, squeaky whiteboards, or a pair of pants as they rip accidentally. Rowland organizes these sounds into reasonably logical chapters and fills them with her own lively illustrations—all with a humor that makes this work entirely memorable. VERDICT Rowland’s book will appeal to, inform, and entertain bird watchers of all kinds and ages."
  Library Journal
• "In Bird Talk, Becca Rowland perfectly captures the wonderful absurdity of the tiny, flying dinosaurs in our backyards. It's funny, its drawings playful and lush, and it helped me identify the Eurasian blue tit. Like the best books about nature, Bird Talk made me stop and look...and laugh." 
  Navied Mahdavian, New Yorker Cartoonist and author of This Country
• "Squeaky whiteboard? American Kestrel. Ripping your pants? The hiss of a Turkey Vulture. Charming drawings and humorous yet genuinely helpful comparisons make Becca Rowland’s Bird Talk a playful introduction to identifying birds by ear." 
  Audubon magazine
• "Part informational guide, part artistic comic, this unique read is sure to make readers laugh while learning and is perfect for budding birders and longtime enthusiasts alike."
  Booklist