National bestselling book: Featured on Midwest, Mountain Plains, New Atlantic, Northern, Pacific Northwest and Southern Regional Indie Bestseller ListsPerfect book for the birder and anti-birder alikeA humorous look at 50 common North American dumb birds: For those who have a disdain for birds or bird lovers with a sense of humor, this snarky, illustrated handbook is equal parts profane, funny, … handbook is equal parts profane, funny, and—let’s face it—true.
Featuring common North American birds, such as the White-Breasted Butt Nugget and the Goddamned Canada Goose (or White-Breasted Nuthatch and Canada Goose for the layperson), Matt Kracht identifies all the idiots in your backyard and details exactly why they suck with humorous, yet angry, ink drawings. With The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America, you won’t need to wonder what all that racket is anymore!
• Each entry is accompanied by facts about a bird’s (annoying) call, its (dumb) migratory pattern, its (downright tacky) markings, and more.
• The essential guide to all things wings with migratory maps, tips for birding, musings on the avian population, and the ethics of birdwatching.
• Matt Kracht is an amateur birder, writer, and illustrator who enjoys creating books that celebrate the humor inherent in life’s absurdities. Based in Seattle, he enjoys gazing out the window at the beautiful waters of Puget Sound and making fun of birds.
“There are loads of books out there for bird lovers, but until now, nothing for those that love to hate birds. The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America fills the void, packed with snarky illustrations that chastise the flying animals in a funny, profane way. ” – Uncrate
A humorous animal book with 50 common North American birds for people who love birds and also those who love to hate birds
• A perfect coffee table or bar top conversation-starting book
• Makes a great Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthday, or retirement gift
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good illustrations, too
This is a funny book. Not really a bird guide, but a funny read for those of us who are already into birding.
The planet needed this book. 🙂
I laughed at some of the bird names, enjoyed the illustrations, and had fond recollection of bird watching with my grandfather……….however, I lost interest in continuing at about 60%. Had some minor learning from it while appreciating an original approach.
Hard to review this book but it is full of good ideas. What to look for when observing the birds around us, what to listen for what to expect. Use this with your other birding books to get a total picture of the birds.
Hilarious
If I could give this a zero, I would. Wish I hadn’t bought it. Puerile and silly. Rather than a book about weird things birds do, the book is silly and is more about how dumb and immature the writer must be. Nancy Berg
Weak humor, with a scattering of facts. The drawings are nice, though.
Do not read this book in public if you don’t want people looking at you as if you have lost your mind. (example – Waiting room at the VA clinic) There is no way you can keep from laughing out loud. Birders will either love it or hate it. Either way, it is the truth.
Hilarious
The descriptions are accurate, but with enough snark to keep you reading and laughing. My son especially loved this book, which was a good way to get information without being bored by a lot of seriousness and excessive detail.
It starts off funny but digresses into a lot of cursing for no reason at all.
Didn’t care for the language or description of birds. Guess I missed that in the description.
This is laugh out loud hilarious. Language is not for the faint of heart, but so funny one is not offended.
Hilarious. I’m not a birder, but familiar enough with the world of birding to find this completely entertaining. The author also manages to work some actual facts into the text, so it isn’t just all silliness and snark. I handed it to my son and he read the whole thing laughing out loud.
Poorly written by some one with a very limited vocabulary
It was a quick read, but i laughed out loud many times as I read it. Near the fine line between hate and love, the author leans toward the hate side by always listing the annoying traits of various species.
The early section on the author’s initial foray into bird watching is a highlight and sets the stage for the remainder of the book masterfully.
If you are a “birder” with a sense of humor or think all birds look alike and are basically annoying you may enjoy this book. It is potentially very clever. That said, the author lazily defaults to a sophomoric, crass, repetition 4 letter words on almost every page. This is disappointing as the premise is humorous and the book starts off strong. The drawings are clever. A thesaurus and a more rigorous editor might turn this satirical look at birds and the people who watch them Into Bill Bryson lite
Before buying this book I read some of the reviews and found a host of positive reviews in the four to five star area, but then I also found a good many negative reviews in the one to two star area. I’ve always appreciated good humor and also understand humor is largely subjective, hence the big swing between positive and negative reviews. I bought it anyway. I have read humor writing in the past that did in fact leave me in tears however this was not one of them. I was not so much offended by the language as some reviewers were but more offended by the attempt at being funny by making fun of birds. It was like listening to one of your neighbors make fun of another neighbor because of the car they drive or the way they mow their lawn…. almost childlike. I am glad that it was bought as a Book Bub special, because to spend anymore than $2.00 on it would be a waste of money. Stay away from this one.. not worth the money.. even $2.00.
A field guide to common North American Birds that is supposed to be funny. It is really just one joke that goes on for far too long. A lot of the humor relies on using swear words. The sketches are cute and you may learn something in between the jokes. The author does know his birds but he should leave the humor to the professionals. This book is not appropriate for young or easily offended readers