Bestselling author and acclaimed nature illustrator Clare Walker Leslie invites beginning birdwatchers to hone their observational skills with this easy-to-use visual guide.

Using her signature nature journal illustrations, Leslie shows readers the key clues to look for, from the shape of the beak or talons to distinctive feather colorings, flight patterns, and behavioral traits. She offers simple prompts that encourage readers to embrace curiosity and take a closer look: Where are you? What season is it? How is that bird moving or eating? With an emphasis on the birds that are most likely to be seen at a feeder, in a city park, or at a nature preserve, How to Look at a Bird makes bird watching, identification, and appreciation accessible to everyone, no matter where they live.

Why Are We Drawn to Birds?

Seeing Birds
Just Look Around
Start with Size
Look at Shapes
Observe Flight Patterns
Look Up!
Look at Color & Pattern
Learn a Few Field Marks
Notice Beaks
Notice Feet

Learning to Listen
What Am I Hearing?
Calls vs. Songs
Bird Language

Observing at Feeders
Some Birds Don't Come to Feeders
In the City
In the Country

Understanding Activity
Noticing Behavior
Nesting Habits
Where Do They Go at Night?
Birding by Habitat
Migration: Where Do They Go?

Drawing 101
Some Basic Drawing Tips
Capturing Basic Shapes

Going Deeper
A Word on the Taxonomy of Birds
Resources
Your Bird List
Acknowledgments