The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World

Ok, so Section 2 (“The Birds”) has such categories as: Backyard Assholes, Egoists and Show-offs, Fuckers, and Murder Birds (among others). I think that might give you a good idea of what to expect from this book (if the title didn’t already tip you off).

The familiarity of his writing kinda makes it feel like you’re reading a bird-themed Tumblr blog. But, you know, professional. He makes you feel like you’re talking to a friend and not reading a science journal. Except if that friend was a misanthrope. (What’s the bird version of a misanthrope?)

Any wannabe birders of, let’s say, a more conservative nature probably need not apply here, however. The author’s sense of humor (and facility with, um, language) is what really makes this book. His open resentment of the little feathered shits who have simultaneously given him great joy and great frustration in his pursuit of them is such fun to read and is THE WHOLE POINT OF THE BOOK. But don’t think it’s merely a matter of him adding in a few F-bombs here and there. Oh no. He explains exactly why each bird in the book is an asshole. (The bird descriptions are the best part.) It all makes for an enjoyable (and informative!) journey into the bird world.

I’m not sure Darwin or Audubon would necessarily approve but I found this to be pretty hilarious. Just so it’s clear, this is definitely not an official field guide to birding. This is something that should be read for fun. (You can totally enjoy this without having the slightest interest in birds, tbh.) It is crass, it is snarky, it is juvenile. That said, I have never enjoyed a bird book more. And don’t just skip to the photos; this one you’re going to want to read every word of.

This was a quick and funny read. Although it was a bit repetitive, I still enjoyed the author's candor. I might even go back now and read his first release in this similar vein. I would recommend this book.

I struggle to think of the last book that made me laugh this much. Not even some of the books by stand up comics that I've had the pleasure of reading have made me laugh so much I weep. There's just something about Matt Kracht's strategic use of swear words that just worked. It's easy to swear. It's easy to drop an F bomb or any other four letter word, but it takes talent to use it at the right time.

What's even more impressive is that this book actually teaches you about birds. Not a whole lot of birds, but if you want to learn about a whole mess of birds, but enough to tickle the fancy of both bird and comedy lovers. I never read Kracht's first book, but I will now.

I love the author’s sense of humor and obvious love of birds. I also own a copy of the first book.❤️

As I read the descriptions and facts about each bird I was dumbfounded due to the unexpected names the author gave these birds. The author does gibe the correct name of the bird under his “own” bird name. The illustrations are drawings by the author. While it is funny, you do get some facts about the bird. I found that he covered birds in North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe' and Oceania. There is a matching game, bird descriptor checklist, and how to draw a bird. It also tells you things that annoy him about these birds. It will give you facts with a snarky wit. It’s a sequel to a previous book which I wasn’t aware of. Its “The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book isn't for everyone as there is a lot of language and sarcasm and you can't be easily offended to enjoy this book to the greatest extent. I personally thought it took a subject that could be quite boring and feel more like reading an encyclopedia on birds and turned it into something that is educational yet funny. I love the illustrations of all the birds. The description about each bird is educational yet spun in a less formal and more sarcastic manner. The slight name changes to the birds, or even the few that just have weird names, makes me laugh. Overall, this book is humorous and surprisingly full of facts too. Very enjoyable read.

A hilarious and quick read! I have an elementary knowledge of birds and love to travel so this sequel was perfect for me. It’s the perfect combination of funny angry rants and interesting information. Would be great as a gift for just about anyone with a sense of humor.

I laughed out loud several times when reading this book. Obviously, this book about birds is meant to be funny and sharply sarcastic. While it’s definitely not for the easily offended, I actually learned quite a bit about birds! An enjoyable read.

If birds were real and not government drones, this would be a perfect read. I especially loved the historical aspect, as well as the fact that other people find the Potoo as deeply unsettling as I do.

The author presents a different guide of bird field guide to birds. It is obvious that the author knows a thing or two about birds although chooses to dumb down in a slightly crude take at poking fun a birds. This book is obvious meant not to be taken seriously although for a non-birder reading it for humor, they may actually come away with learning real facts about birds. Some of the crudeness in this book is the use of profanity and suggesting certain birds deserve to be hunted because of their stupid behaviors. Because of this the audience for this book is adults who can recognize what is actually going on in this book.

First and foremost before you read this book, please make sure your expectations are in line with what this book has to offer. I see this book as a "parody" bird guide, not to say that's the author's intention. It is hilarious if you don't take things too seriously and don't mind bad words. The title of the book should be a BIG giveaway, but if you're still unsure, I would say that if calling birds dumbf*ck or that they are weird looking sh*t hurt your feelings or make you cringe then this book is probably not for you.

This second book by Matt Kracht and is just as funny as his first, but at a larger scale. Since I'm unfamiliar with birds from other continents besides North America, I enjoy learning about other species, their markings, behaviors and fun facts from this book. Examples of new birds (to me) that I'm intrigued by are; Red-billed firefinch (Africa), Peruvian Sheartail (S. America), Ruddy Shelduck (Europe-Asia), and Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill (Africa). The last part of the book includes a bird drawing lesson (lol), historical artifacts and arts with birds on them, cool!

Laugh out loud is always welcome and this book delivers. I have family members who looked over my shoulder to see what's so darn funny.🐦

Thank you Chronicle Books, and Netgalley for my ARC.
Publication date Oct 5, 2021

OK, the thing about reading and enjoying The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World by Matt Kracht is knowing the actual birds that the author is talking about.

When you know them, and you know what they do, it is hilarious. For example, he talks about the Scrub Jay, whom he calls the Smug Jerk. He says “Due to climate change, this smug [bird] has expanded its range from California up the western coast [...] and is now regularly disturbing the peace of my backyard with its f****ing loud, harsh call.

Another example I was able to laugh at was his description of the Red-Tailed Hawk (which he calls the Red-Tailed F***)

“Look at this [bird]. You can tell he thinks he’s some kind of hot s***, but don’t be fooled because he often gets chased around by smaller birds such as crows. “ All true. Crows and ravens do go after the hawks.

Recommend for those who love birds, and study birds, and have birds.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review</em>

A fitting sequel to one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long while. It’s more of the same, sure, but that doesn’t work against it. Kracht keeps that successful model and adds in *more* birds and cursing to give the people what they want.

Equal present here are the tools to actually get one started and somewhat integrated into birdwatching, lest this seem like a futile exercise. Evident from the moment he dedicates the book, you can see that it’s all in good fun.

So: If you liked the first one, you’re in for some more laughs but, if it wasn’t your jam the first time around, then don’t be expecting anything different.

Like his previous book, this too will adorn my coffee table.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the advance read

Thank you for the E Arc NetGalley and Chronicle Books. I love birds and I have a sense of humor so I throughly enjoyed this read. Our backyard is home to many a California Smug Jerk and Red-tailed F*@!. The names and descriptions we’re all hilarious and the illustrations were beautiful. Must pick up for any bird lover who likes a good laugh.

This is the kind of book that I would pick up in a bookstore because of the eye-catching title and ironically aesthetically pleasing cover art. While I enjoyed the first section detailing the author's journey, I felt that the rest of the book fell a bit flat. I loved the artist renderings of the birds and enjoyed the satirical descriptions, but I also found myself wanting more detailed and helpful/accurate information about each bird or artpiece to be included. I will admit that I felt personal vindication when the author bashed a particularly obnoxious bird that I am familiar with, so that was satisfying. I also liked that the author included beginner birding information but, again, I found myself wishing that the author also included actual helpful information along with his signature sass.
This book was eyecatching and fun but I felt it was lacking in some areas that could have made it a beloved and valuable resource while standing out from all the other birdwatching books out there.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
Can I just say this is the world wide bird guide you should use?
I think birds are funny. I love sparrows. They are so cool. But let’s face it, this book is correct. Birds can be stupid little f**kers. Or at least mean ones. I have seen birds dive bomb dogs. And peacocks attack everything. Or those birds that take all the cherries off the tree before you pick them. Yes, I am bitter about that. The tree was producing fruit for two years before I even got to try one.
So yeah, birds aren’t really nice.
And this book proves that. Herein, you will discover the birds that do disgusting things with blood. There are the birds who don’t really wear shoes. The birds who think they are cool but aren’t really.
Some of the humor does get a little repetitive. The inclusion of other ways to look at birds on artwork is also quite funny.
If you are a serious birdwatcher, you might want to skip this book. But if you are like me and like birds because they can be mean little buggers, you might enjoy this.

This one brings me to tears as much as the first one did. Everyone could use some childish humor once in awhile. If the title doesn't give the you an idea as to the contents of the book, I don't know what else possible could. Perfect for when you need a good giggle.

I can see this appealing to a certain type of irreverent, newbie birder. Maybe my son who is 12 years old.
and it is a good thing . Love the drawing and the descriptions and hope the book does well.

Oh, my! This bird book is very...irreverent to say the least. Definitely memorable, completely unexpected. The author highlights several birds with factual information such as Latin nomenclature, drawings and a zone map showing where they are found. He then uses his own rather descriptive names such as Southern Yellow-bill Horse-face, Stupid Eyes and Hoodlum Crow. But those are the mild ones. Most include expletives as do details.

My favourite (slightly redemptive) bits are examples of birds found in various forms of art in history such as a Greek gold coin and a Roman oil lamp and the hilarious testing your skills, how to read a bird and how to draw a bird sections. If only the majority of names and descriptions weren't so terribly crude. Birds are wondrous creatures and while they can indeed have laughably funny traits and names, this books takes them into a different realm altogether.

Best picked up here and there for short bursts of reading. Very funny and for lovers of a particular flavor of cursing and general sourness but with a underlying layer of sweetness (to me) about birds and birding. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World
by Matt Kracht
Chronicle Books

I have to say that I read the first book and bought it. I couldn't wait for another one! This one didn't disappoint. I loved it! I kept me laughing at the silly descriptions of birds, the drawings, the added notes, and all the extra info! LOL! Having a whole world of birds to pick from really added to the fun!

Although it was hilarious, there was a bit of education in there too. I mostly just read it for the fun. I love birds and humor so this was perfect. This would be the perfect gift for animal or bird lovers. (Or for someone that just needs a pick-me-up.)

I really enjoyed the new exercises at the end of the book! That was a hoot! So funny. Will be buying this after it comes out too!
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this terrific book!

I'm going to be honest this was a difficult one to read but only because I was laughing so hard I could hardly see the print through my tears. What an absolute joy this was.

I absolutely loved 'The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America' and this sequel doesn't disappoint. The author has provided us a hilarious romp through the world's various birds, with great artwork and even greater names for each of these dumb birds.

This is such a funny book.I love the illustrations. It's the funniest book of the year hands down. The play on words in regards to the bird names is A+

Do Not: Pick up this book if you want a field guide to birds

Do: Pick this up if you want to laugh at the big dumb fucking birds from all across the whole stupid world.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I found the first book to be quite funny but this is just a continuation of the same thing. One book was enough for me.

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I adored the precursor to this book (The Field Guild to Dumb Birds of North America), and so I was THRILLED to see we are getting a second edition. This book was absolutely hilarous, with plenty of snark and irreverence. The perfect book for any bird lover. Or bird hater. ;)

I loved the Field Guide to the Dumb Birds of North America and this is a great follow-up. The artwork perfectly complements the wry humor, which I find laugh-out-loud funny. I will definitely be adding this to my field guide collection and gifting it to my bird-loving friends.

The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World is the sequel to The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America by American author, Matt Kracht. After explaining his reasons for writing the guide, Kracht goes on to criticise the accepted nomenclature system for its complexity and provides an alternative. He disagrees with the geographical regions that scientists divide the planet into, and provides his own.

He systematically insults scientists, ornithologists, bird watchers, teachers and the birds themselves. He frequently inserts expletives into his descriptions; initially this is mildly amusing, but it soon wears thin; it is likely intended to be funny and clever, but it falls short, more like juvenile comments playing to grade school boys, even including a fart joke.

Each bird monograph provides an illustration, the bird’s geographical range, and some facts about the bird, including appearance. Kracht often anthropomorphises the bird’s behaviour to justify his annoyance with it. He gives it a name using a play on the bird’s common name. The most innocuous of these is probably the Boring Chickadee (from the Boreal Chickadee).

Birds Throughout History consists of a number of photographs of artefacts including birds for which Kracht’s interpretations draw rather a long bow. The final pages include a few word games. From 23 ratings on GoodReads this book has a rating average of 3.78, so it clearly appeals to a number of readers, but this brand of humour is not for everyone.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Chronicle Books

I want to thank the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World describes birds in an amusing and irreverent way. I didn’t like that it sometimes used foul language to describe some birds. But the book is not intended to be an actual field guide. People with an understanding and knowledge of birds would “get” the jokes and more likely enjoy this book.

As a librarian,, when choosing books, one of the top questions I consider is "who's the audience for this?" My impression of this book is it is trying to do for the stereotype of bird-watchers as nerdy, obsessed, and socially in-ept what the cringe-worthy "sexy librarian" label was supposed to do for librarians. (By the way, the overwhelming majority of us fall somewhere in between the stern bun and sensible-shoes wearing shusshers and the sexy librarian.) I'm all for breaking out of stereotypes and expanding perspectives, and it's not a bad thing to get to know birds, but based on tone and language, I actually like the less-than-pristine, yet accurate drawings that illustrate the book compared to the perfection of a illustrations in a typical bird guide, they have a lot of energy. I'd say the audience for this book may be the curmudgeon type, who claim to don't really give a sh-- but actually kind of do.

I am not a big fan of birds, but I found this book to be interesting. It is clear that this is book falls under humor. There were some parts that were funny to me, but there were parts where the jokes became a bit repetitive. The book is broken down into four sections. My personal favorite section was the third section which was about birds throughout history.

Bird watching for an easy A science credit in college. . . made a lot of sense. But those darn birds - they'll get you every time. My college bird-watching course garnered me my first and worst grade on my college transcript, so while I did learn a bit of appreciation for ornithology, it's veiled behind a bit of resentment. Matt Kracht's The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World comes from a similar place in his heart.

Love and wonder for the birds of the world, in all their glorious and yet terrible, boring, or even sometimes stupid glory. His book is a farcical look at the famous fields of my college course (organized just so by ornithologists). It doesn't take itself too seriously, brings to mind many familiar birds we may tolerate or despise, and shows off a smidge of actual bird knowledge, while never being stuffy or presumptuous.

The humor and farce were pleasing & will be enjoyed by most amateur bird enthusiasts, but I can't recommend too highly due to the crassness of the comedy. The alternate names chosen for every bird are not much more than the daily string of potty-talk rhymes my boys could conjure if I let them and the use of the f* word and other profanity is rampant. While it might have been funny a few times, it felt relentless and unnecessary. Sadly, ruined the fun for our family-minded home. If you're more tolerant of language and crudity, and hold even a small grudge toward any of our feathered-friends, the comedy of this book will be quite engaging.

The gimmick wears a little thin by the end, but the illustrations are gorgeous, some of he jokes did make me laugh, and there's actually some cool information about birds, adaptation, behavior, and birdwatching in here. I will probably buy a copy of this for my seven year old.

Kind of dumb, but I was chuckling all the way through. I probably wouldn't read this one cover to cover again, but I'd love to have a copy so I could flip through it occasionally.

Received via NetGalley.

The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World by Matt Kracht caught me by surprise. I was new to this author and his art and writing style. The book was incredibly funny. I had not expected the sarcasm and dry humor as each bird was mocked in the author's descriptions. I will say that I am uncertain about the usefulness of the work beyond a one time humorous read through. Because none of the descriptions are accurate or useful for bird watching or on the field use, it seems like more of a gag gift or flip through book.

his book is anyone who calls a Yellow-Rumped Warbler a "Butter Butt", or who has never managed to get a clear photo of a Marsh Wren, or manages to catch a view of the east end of the bird who is headed west. That said, I'd recommend it as an additional amusing bird book, or a book for the young birder whose sense of humor runs to the messier side. This is because Matt Kracht is one cranky birder, and he's willing to share his opinions, along with choice swearing, with the reader..

He knows enough about why the scientific classiications for birds exist, and to think it's a seriously annoying thing. He's annoyed by birds and how they don't cooperate with his attempts a birding. This comes out with his names for the birds, where he uses wods like "butt", "poo", and others that puts the book into PG territory.

I just wish he'd ben a bit more clever with his bird names--I was able to guess what wods were going to be used just by the actual name of the bird. The birds in art portion of the book seems to be pasted on--as if the bird description pages ran out before the required pagecount.

These are minor quibbles, and i'll be buying copies to send to my grandnieces and nephews, Hey kids--just don't tell grandma, okay?

If you have a love of Ornithology and sarcasm, this is definitely the book for you. The scientific term, common name, synopsis, and nickname for each bird species is given, along with an illustration to help you spot the bird in the wild. The humor helps the book to be entertaining as well as informative, so the casual birder can also enjoy it.

Thanks to Chronicle Books and Netgalley for an ARC.

Do you care nothing for birds and have no desire to possess any knowledge of them? This book is not for you. Are you a serious ornithologist who can wax on for hours about birds in minute detail? This book is also not for you. Offended by cursing or crass language? You guessed it. Stay away from this book. But if you are someone who enjoys some casual bird watching and possesses a healthy sense of humor and the ability to laugh at yourself, this might just be a book you would enjoy perusing.

In the sequel to The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America, Matt Kracht takes us through another adventure in The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World. No longer must we contain our distain of various bird habits to a single continent but can instead shake our heads at birds around the world. Kracht effortlessly slides in factual information while having us quietly chuckle along with his outrageous descriptions of our fine-feathered frenemies.

So happy to see this second volume from Chronicle Books! I adored the first and gave it to all of my bird-loving relatives for Christmas several years ago. Glad to know what to get them this holiday season!

More funny than strictly informative, this book was well worth a read, but might not be one that I reach for over and over. THe perfect gift for some people though!

A cute parody book about various birds of the world and their characteristics. I wouldn't have minded some more images, or maybe ones that were more finished looking but I think it is a fun way to learn some things about birds.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review, but all opinions are my own.

This humorous guide to birds of the world describes them while also making fun of their appearance, their calls, and their habits. An entertaining book for birders, but not really something I would have chosen to read otherwise.

I received this book for review purposes from the publisher and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Note: uncorrected proof edition
I would recommend this book only as a gift book to a birder. Coarse language and childlike illustrations make it a “fun” book but not for serious study. Coarse language so prolific, I didn’t finish the book.

I absolutely loved the first book Kracht wrote and purchased it for everyone in my family last Christmas. It was irreverent, funny and totally informative. When I saw this new book for the Whole Stupid World, I couldn't wait to get it!! <sigh> It was such a disappointment. It makes me so incredibly sad to write that but it's true. There was an overload of cursing and I honestly don't mind a full share of it but this was just overkill. The humor was just bleh. In fact, it all was. I'll just stick to North American funny birds and I'd recommend you do the same. So sorry.

Matt Kracht had me laughing from the minute I cracked this book. The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World is snarky, funny, and informative. It's much easier to remember the different types of birds using Kracht's categories (like "lump" and "murder") than the normal types ("perching birds" and "hawklike").I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a laugh, or wants to learn more about birds, or both!

I liked the humor of this book but found it very similar to the first book. Some of the birds may even have been repeated. It does have some helpful information regarding birding, but is definitely not a traditional field guide. I wish it would have been a little more unique than the first edition.

Do you ever need something dumb? Something that sincerely loves its subject enough to know when it's stupid and should be made fun of? Are you acquainted with a dad, or someone that exudes Big Dad Energy?

This book is a small, silly review of some of the birds of the world, and the horrifying ways nature has chosen to present them to us. It's a light, breezy, quick read that would go well with a coffee table, or a gift of a stuffed toucan.

My only gripe is that it doesn't have the space to insult more birds. I've got one that sounds like a machine gun going off outside my house, and I'd love to yell some scientifically accurate imprecations at it.

This book was not only hilarious, but also brought back some wonderful memories of summers birdwatching in my front yard with my dad, and all the bird books I borrowed from the library to help identify them. I kinda wish I had this book on hand though, because the personality descriptions of some of these birds is spot on and would have had me rolling!

If you're starting a birdwatching journey just for fun, or even just want a quick laugh in between the (not so serious) birdwatching, this is the book for you! It's jam packed full of snarky facts, and even includes a mini-history lesson! I'll have my eyes out for more from this author!

I can not fault the author because NetGalley is having a problem with it’s protected PDF downloading. This is the 3rd time this has happened. Authors are saying you may not be able to download the book. I really wanted to see this book, b/c it’s funny, but it also identifies beautiful different kinds of birds. I live in a more rural area and every morning people take stunning pictures of different types of birds. I had a decorative small birdcage I put outside for decoration. It has a little cotton matte and 3 small fake eggs. Now a real bird has laid eggs in there and the entire cage is filled up. It is really fascinating.

I always prefer having both the kindle option and the NetGalley app. First, the books I love expire on the NG app. I sometimes can add more days and sometimes not. With the Kindle I always have them. How would I use this book if I have it for a week? Anyway, in this case that would have been fine because I wanted to see if I would like this book enough to order it. Still, I did want to make a post on 2 of my favorite FB Book Sites, since I love nature books and wanted to start a thread on that. I would have included this book. I see the layout and lovely birds and pictures on Amazon, so I think I will just order it.

So thank you NetGalley (please look into the PDF issue), and Matt Kracht, and Chronicle Books for an ARC of this book. I think it is a terrific book. If it can be resent and I can see the material that would be helpful. Otherwise, thank you and I will just purchase the book in November.

I will also give you my mailing address, perhaps you can send the physical book instead and I can also order one in November for our Library. I am going to start working there and add newer books in. This one I believe would interest many people here.

Okay, this was a lot funnier than I thought it would be. It is even a little bit educational, once you get past the cussing, sarcasm and obvious nonsense. Kracht profiles a variety of birds from around the world and gives them slightly different, insulting names that are generally filled with foul language. If you have a problem with foul language or mock insults, this won't be your book. As someone who likes birds, cussing, humor and sarcasm, I got a kick out of it. Most of these books just seem to cram cuss words in without nailing the funny part, but Kracht manages a great balance. Yes, he talks like a 13 year old but he also makes it clear that he secretly knows a lot about birds and likes them, and he's also just good at being funny (okay, especially if you can be entertained by 13 year old boy humor). I'm thinking of getting a copy for my birding husband and I'm sure my kids will also enjoy it. And yes, it gets redundant at times but even the author pokes fun of this and that adds to the appeal. And all the little extras at the end really add to the strange combination of education and parody.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via Net Galley.

It's mildly humorous and also mildly informational. I'm not sure I see much value in it. The artwork is good and the names are funny. But I'm not sure it has much value for a library.

Heed the title: this is not a serious book.

That’s not to say you won’t learn anything about birds here; it’s still an informative read, to a point. In fact, I’d be willing to declare this book surprisingly informative.

It takes a little while to actually get to the birds. The first 20% or so of the book is introductory preamble and background information about regions of the world as they relate to bird species. Don’t worry, this beginning section still does its best to be humorous.

Onto the birds themselves, as with the author’s first bird field guide, each illustrated entry is both informative and insulting to the bird. Make no mistake, that is the whole point of this book: pick on birds for the sake of comedy. The author does it well, and I found this book to be as enjoyable as the first field guide, but it’s probably not for everyone. If you like birds, or animals and nature generally, and you don’t mind poking fun at how silly they can be, then you might like this. It’s quite entertaining if it’s your cup of tea.

Content note: this book contains foul language (f-bombs abound), so this probably isn’t for kids unless they’re old enough or you’ve prepared them for this kind of content.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the ARC.

After reading The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America by the same author, I had to follow up and read The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World. Same premise. Sprinkled in among the sarcasm and language are some interesting facts about the birds. Certainly not for the easily offended. I read this book with a smile.

The book is a sarcastic take on the usual bird books. For each bird, there is a sketch of its appearance, a funny name that the author gave it, then the real scientific and common names in smaller font not to distract you from silliness. The description is also all silly and fun. I enjoyed the book a lot.

I received a free digital copy of the book from NetGalley

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

Birds in general are a total crack up. Not only are they stupid, but they also seemingly have not a care in the world. Which is what makes this book so genius. Our author comes at birds with a hilarious viewpoint that manages to report the science and keep it light enough to breeze thru this read without much effort. Also, I'm not sure I'll ever look at a hawk or buzzard again without thinking "murder."

This will be a great gift for any bird-watcher with a sense of humor, but maybe not grandma.

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this ARC

Exactly what it says on the tin. Kind of silly, lots of drawings. Not particularly informative, but probably funnier if you're more into birds than I am.

*Received for free from netgalley for honest review* Hilarious read, would love to buy a hardcover copy of this for sure lol

I'm an avid backyard birdwatcher, so this book was right up my alley. I LOVED all of the hand illustrations and the snarky descriptions...but I didn't see the need for all of the curse words.. I'm not a prude or a killjoy --- by any means... IMO a well-written, sardonic quip is much more effective to reach the masses.