What are the best books, pocket guides, and encyclopedias on birds and bird species? So that you can recognize them in your country and the rest of Europe, America and the world? Read on for our recommendations ….

The top 10 books you want to know about birds

Some only become interested in birds when they are on vacation and discover completely different species, but in fact, birds have always been fascinating creatures. You can read more about it in the following books. We start our recommendations with the top 10 best books about Birds of all time. This list has been updated this year, including all the recent titles.

Best Books About BirdsAuthor
The Sibley Guide to BirdsDavid Allen Sibley
My Backyard Bird Book: Fun Facts & Surprising SecretsCheryl A. Johnson
Birds of Ohio Field GuideStan Tekiela
Birds of Texas Field GuideStan Tekiela
Birds of Florida Field GuideStan Tekiela
Birds of Wisconsin Field GuideStan Tekiela
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Western RegionJohn Farrand and Miklos Udvardy
Birds of New York Field GuideStan Tekiela
Birds of Washington Field GuideStan Tekiela
Birds of California Field GuideStan Tekiela

The updated top 10 list: the best books about birds

The Backyard Bird-Lover’s Guide: Attracting, Nesting, Feeding

If you want to learn how you can attract birds to your garden and provide them with the right nests so they will start to breed, then this is a must-read. There are 135 birds in this reference book, with pictures of 135 birds that live in the United States.

National Geographic Backyard Guide to the Birds of North America, 2nd Edition

It doesn’t matter if you are a regular bird watcher or new to the hobby, because leave it to National Geographic to tell you what birds live in your North American backyard. This book includes 150 of the most common birds.

Finding Birds on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail: Houston, Galveston, and the Upper Texas Coast (Volume 12) (Gulf Coast Books, sponsored by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)

There aren’t many places like the Texas Coast when it comes to the bird population and diversity. We like this book, because it shows you where to look for the best birds along the trail.

The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds of the World: A Detailed Visual Reference Guide To 1600 Birds And Their Habitats, Shown In More Than 1800 Pictures

In our opinion this is one of the best bird encyclopedias that exist today. If you are more into the natural habitat of birds, then the 1600 birds in this book will be recognizable to you soon because of the many pictures.

Backyard Birds (Field Guides for Young Naturalists)

If you have a child that is interested in everything to do with the outdoors, then we suggest you get them ‘Backyard Birds’. This is a field guide for children age 10 to 12, and starts with basic information about birds.

Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Birds: Eastern Region (Stokes Field Guide Series)

If you have moved to the Eastern United States, or are there on a holiday, you might want to check out ‘Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Birds’. Get a proper introduction to the birds that live in this region, and expand your knowledge on what birds live in the US.

What’s that Bird?

This pocket guide is perfect for those who have just begun to show interest in birds and their habitat. This guide contains pictures of over 150 common birds in the United States, and you will be able to tell one apart from the other after reading this book.

Birds of the Photo Ark

Joel Sartore’s photographic work is amazing, and you will be able to witness that yourself in ‘Birds of the Photo Ark’. This book was a Photo Ark project by National Geographic, and it features some of the world’s most beautiful bird portraits.

Feed the Birds: Attract and Identify 196 Common North American Birds

If you want to know how you can help the birds survive in this day and age, then we suggest you pick up ‘Feed the Birds’. Build your own bird feeders, learn what foods attract what birds, and try the hand feeding tricks; this book shares it all.

A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds

This is not a reference guide on birds, but the grand story on why birds migrate and how they always manage to reach their destination, no matter what situation they face while they are migrating.

Full disclosure: as Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.