Urban Aviary

Great bird guide that dives into birds that nest in cities all around the world. Accompanied by charming watercolor paintings, this is an accessible delight of a bird guide. Certainly not overwhelming or all-encompassing, as there are only about 100 birds listed, but those included are well researched and depicted.

Many apologies but I cannot give feedback on this as it does not download to kindle and my ways of reading the document will not open the file so sadly I cannot review it. I will therefore put it down as a 5 star as I cannot judge it myself.

Nice illustrations and good brief discussions on each bird. The focus is where - what city - these birds can be found. The focus is European rather than in the United States so be aware that many of the birds discussed are not found in the US or at least not common in North America.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

*Screams from the rooftops* THIS BOOK IS PERFECT

Ok so I love, love, LOVE birds and sometimes get bummed about not getting to see them so often now that I no longer live in the countryside. If you live in an urban area and feel the same you will feel inspired and reassured by the wealth of birdlife that is likely around you.

The book has a simple but really engaging format, on one page is a short description of the highlighted city, a species of bird, the context of where it can (sometimes surprisingly) be found, particulars such as typical weight, height etc and on the facing page are stunningly beautiful stylised artworks of birds.

I was chuffed to bits to see the city I live in described as the Waxwing Capital of the UK. I can vouch for this as last year there were over fifty in the tree outside my house.

It's really just such a perfectly gorgeous book and would make a perfect gift for a bird lover or anyone interested in urban wildlife. I for one am buying myself a copy immediately.

The author of this book encourages city dwellers to think of an urban jungle in positive terms; rather than as a difficult place, to consider the number of birds that live in this habitat. After an informative introduction, this book tells about the birds that one might see. Each two page spread describes an avian creature and features a painted illustration. The quality of the artwork is good and the narratives are packed with information. As a city dweller, I feel motivated to learn more and think that you will be too if you read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review.

I do like a book that does just what it sets out to do, and this is definitely one in that category. Eighty birds that either like to live alongside humans in cities, or are forced to because we've ruined the rest of their habitats, get one page of textual introduction, alongside a nicely painted illustration. Some of the birds you'll know – the bald eagle, seagulls – some you won't. Likewise, some you'll find in countless places – again, bald eagle, seagulls – some in just one area, such as the Bogota rail, forced as I say down from their Andean home to the edges of the capital. There are many clear ecological statements to make about how and why birds are sharing city space with us, but this book doesn't really complain – rather it just makes the relevant observations, such as the Barcelona peregrine falcons learning to look up for prey with the help of spotlit tourist sites, as opposed to down for what they can swoop upon. (In fact, by noting how birds prevent Indians from getting diseases off the monkeys in their cities, it can come down in favour of the process.) Birding, it seems to me, relies on the trivia – the ticking off of every species and suchlike, and the details we get here – blackbirds in cities are more successful but more stressed-out than ones in woodland – are perfectly fitting. It turns out to not be the only book of its kind, and it would be a pain to tick all the contents off your list, but it's very nicely spread, in giving equal concentration to all places in the world, and is a real pleasure. Four and a half stars.

Urban Aviary – A Modern Guide to City Birds
Stephen Moss – Author
Marc Martin – Illustrator

This charming guide to birds found in cities around the world lists less than 100 birds total but does give some intriguing and interesting facts about the birds included. History, nesting sites, predators, habits and more are mentioned about each bird. This would be a fun book for parents to read with their children and then perhaps provide watercolors for the children to paint various birds in the book along with the habitat they live in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing-White Lion for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

Ein kurzer Abriß zu jedem Vogel verschafft dem Leser interessante Informationen und macht Lust auf Vogelbeobachtung. Toll auch, dass man international auf die Pirsch gehen kann...

A charming and beautifully illustrated guide to urban bird watching.

How you might use this book largely depends on your previous birding knowledge. The watercolor illustrations are lovely, and each is accompanied by some basic facts about the bird shown.

For those with a decent knowledge base of urban bird watching and the ability to identify birds in the wild, this is largely an art book, lovely to display and fun to page through but unlikely to further your knowledge on the subject.

For those with little prior birding knowledge or youngsters just getting into the hobby, it’s a great primer for learning to ID birds and learning a little about their habits.

While I expect the book is more truly useful for the latter of the two groups, it’s still satisfying for either audience, whether you’re reading to gain knowledge or just enjoying it for the sheer beauty of the artwork.

Excellent book to teach us all about the birds we coexist with within our cities. The descriptions were informative and interesting. The illustrations were colourful and soft, making them simple, yet fitting next to the more complex write ups.

Wonderful reference book with beautiful illustrations.
The focus is on European birds and I loved reading the descriptions.

My 12 yr old son is an avid birder and has turned me into a bit of a bird nut as well. We own a lot of bird books and bird guides and are always on the search for new titles. We really enjoyed this title. The watercolor illustrations are lovely and simple, yet they still highlight the important/key markings of the bird for id purposes. My son has recently gotten into drawing birds and it was nice for him to see that drawings/paintings can be simple, and still convey the key details of the bird. The title of the book was what made us want to check it out. We have always lived near large cities (Atlanta and now Phoenix) and urban nature is something many people overlook. It is all around us even in a hustling and bustling city....you just have to stop and look around. The text for each bird is very engaging and highlights many facts about the birds adaptations to urban life, their range, their struggles and their features. Also included for each bird is their height, weight and length. The only thing that we would have liked to see is perhaps a range map for the birds so we would know which ones we are likely to see in our city.

Charming small coffee table book, you'll find single-page descriptions of birds found in many different cities along with charming portraits of the birds on the facing page.

The book picks out one bird per city and they range from common to extremely rare.

It's a delightful book.

A nicely put together coffee table book with beautiful illustrations that is certainly enjoyable for everyone who has the same affection for city birds as I do. The short bits of information are well written and thus, complement the graphics well. In winter times parakeets similar to the Monk Parakeet (p.68) and other described birds live in my home town, which I always watch from our living room. So the whole read was just pleasantly reminding me of that and offered a cosy flip-through.

Beautifully presented book with over 70 urban birds show in lovely soft watercolour illustrations, together with some information regarding the history and present standing of these birds. From American, through Europe to Australia to New Zealand, it is an informative look at the birds in our urban cities.

A book that takes you on a fascinating journey to discover all the ins and outs about the birds of the city. Very educational, inspiring and wholesome. A must have for any serious bird lover. 5/5 stars

This is quite a special book. Simple in its desire to bring details of urban birds across the cities and centres of population throughout our world. With great artistic representations of the birds and a text for each species identified it is a compelling read. Each pen portrait of these various birds is different but engaging and filled with interesting content.
I had failed to appreciate the links and connections these tiny creatures have with people the world over.
I would happily have this as a coffee table book. You could be enchanted in just a few pages about one bird or another and mesmerised as they journey around the globe.
While it is sad to read of birds that are endangered many have adapted and thrived from their interactions in an urban setting and found the city environment safer from predators of brighter to attract and see their food. Ranging from garden provision, insects or our refuge tips and landfills.
A beautiful book that is inclusive and expansive revealing interesting facts, reminding us of birds we love and tacking is across our world. It demonstrates the common values all people’s share and makes one appreciate the world in which we all share.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Lovely book with information about city dwelling birds. Beautifully illustrated paintings of the birds and some basic easy to read information about each bird.

What a unique way to show urban birds.

You will get a brief description of each bird along with a wonderful watercolor photo. This book would be enjoyable for both adults and children as you read about each bird you’ll read a brief description of each bird along with a wonderful watercolour of that bird.