Birds Books

Chicken Coops: 45 Building Plans for Housing Your Flock

Judy Pangman

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Storey Publishing, LLC Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $12.18

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

A Ripoff 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is supposed to have plans on building a chicken coop. All of the drawings are incomplete and have no detail at all. We sent the book back.

Chicken Coops 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book has all kinds of chicken coops, whether you are on a large farm or just a small lot. It shows what you need and how to build them. This is an excellent book to get started at raising chickens.

I bit off the Norm! 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

While this book does have a variety of coop designs, they are mostly more whimsical and labor intensive then I needed. For a small backyard coup that is a landscape or art piece they work fine, but not very practical for most chicken coops that have flocks of any size.

very good 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The product was exactly what I asked for and it was a great price. I will definatly shop with amazon again.

Truly disappointing! 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is a truly disappointing source for good poultry housing plans. Though some of the housing may be interesting from an artistic standpoint, many of the designs are not practical when it comes to sanitation, vermin control, and sensible layout. It would appear as if the author capitalized on the entertainment aspect of the designs rather than on the usefulness of them. The details for the inside of the structures were lacking making it seem as if the book is basically a collection of photographs.

Of Parrots and People: The Sometimes Funny, Always Fascinating, and Often Catastrophic Collision of Two Intelligent Species

Mira Tweti

Amazon Price: $16.35 List Price: $25.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Viking Adult Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $10.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

There are an estimated 50 million parrots kept as pets the U.S. alone, their numbers surpassed only by dogs and cats, yet these complex creatures are not your typical domesticated animal, and they remain a mystery to many. Most people don’t know that parrots score at the level of 3-to-5 year olds on human intelligence tests. Nor that they can live to 100 years or more. Nor that pound for pound parrots are worth more on the black market than cocaine. Their startling beauty, social sophistication, and uncanny ability to bond with humans have made parrots sought-after pets, but few people realize how fragile and endangered many parrot species have become.

In Of Parrots and People, award-winning journalist and parrot expert, Mira Tweti, reveals the world of a family of birds that is far more complex and advanced than we’ve acknowledged. Tweti relates stunning scientific findings on the intelligence, personality, and rich lives of parrots that challenge our most widespread and flawed assumptions about non-primates. And she explores the intense and often humorous emotional connections these birds form not just with their flockmates, but with the “parronts” (as some “parrot parents” call themselves) who keep them as pets, often pampering them as they do children.

Of Parrots and People also takes on the much larger, serious issues of animal welfare that are the unfortunate consequences of the “bird boom” of the last few decades. Despite the high demand for them, many parrot species are endangered in the wild from rampant trapping and habitat destruction, while those in captivity are quickly becoming the fastest growing category of unwanted pets, living lives of neglect or abuse. Avian rescuers can’t handle the number of birds that need help, and the Humane Society of the U.S. is advocating euthanasia rather than warehousing birds that will outlive their caretakers. Yet unregulated bird breeders continue to put over a million young birds on the market each year from parrot mills across the country. It’s an untenable situation of cruelty, especially for such an evolved and intelligent species, and it’s just one of the many newsworthy topics that make Of Parrots and People just as hard-hitting as it is soft-hearted. Tweti tirelessly follows the parrot trail around the globe, from the living rooms and pet stores of America, to hotbeds of illegal trade in Mexico. She examines threats of avian flu, and takes a first hand look at encouraging progress in eco-tourism that may be our only way to protect these stunning species from being hunted to extinction.

Comprehensive in scope and passionately written, Of Parrots and People is a unique and vivid addition to popular works on animals and their behavior, and an important new voice in the burgeoning environmental and conservation movement.

Alex & Me LP: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process

Irene Pepperberg

Amazon Price: $16.29 List Price: $23.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HarperLuxe Amazon Marketplace: 17 new & used starting at $14.18

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

On September 6, 2007, an African Grey parrot named Alex died prematurely at age thirty-one. His last words to his owner, Irene Pepperberg, were "You be good. I love you."

What would normally be a quiet, very private event was, in Alex's case, headline news. Over the thirty years they had worked together, Alex and Irene had become famous—two pioneers who opened an unprecedented window into the hidden yet vast world of animal minds. Alex's brain was the size of a shelled walnut, and when Irene and Alex first met, birds were not believed to possess any potential for language, consciousness, or anything remotely comparable to human intelligence. Yet, over the years, Alex proved many things. He could add. He could sound out words. He understood concepts like bigger, smaller, more, fewer, and none. He was capable of thought and intention. Together, Alex and Irene uncovered a startling reality: We live in a world populated by thinking, conscious creatures.

The fame that resulted was extraordinary. Yet there was a side to their relationship that never made the papers. They were emotionally connected to one another. They shared a deep bond far beyond science. Alex missed Irene when she was away. He was jealous when she paid attention to other parrots, or even people. He liked to show her who was boss. He loved to dance. He sometimes became bored by the repetition of his tests, and played jokes on her. Sometimes they sniped at each other. Yet nearly every day, they each said, "I love you."

Alex and Irene stayed together through thick and thin—despite sneers from experts, extraordinary financial sacrifices, and a nomadic existence from one univer­sity to another. The story of their thirty-year adventure is equally a landmark of scientific achievement and of an unforgettable human-animal bond.

The Parrot Who Thought She Was a Dog

Nancy Ellis-Bell

Amazon Price: $15.64 List Price: $23.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harmony Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $13.46

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The last thing Nancy Ellis-Bell expected to descend on her life was a neglected, too-tall, smart-mouthed, one-legged, blue-and-gold rescue macaw named Peg Leg. And yet, it made perfect sense. A lifelong animal lover, Nancy could never turn away a stray cat, dog, squirrel, or raccoon from her California farm. But the macaw, quickly rechristened Sarah, was a whole new challenge, as Nancy, her husband, Kerry, and their furry menagerie would find out.

Initially timid of her new surroundings, Sarah soon imposed her four-foot wingspan into the family homestead—first claiming the laundry basket, then conquering a prized dresser—and achieved complete household domination. Nancy couldn’t “bird-proof” the place fast enough, and it was not long before Sarah started stealing the dogs’ toys—using her enormous beak to disembowel Ben the mutt’s treasured stuffed bear—and bathing her richly hued feathers in their water bowl. She also peppered Nancy’s phone conversations with expletive-laden outbursts. There seemed no end to Sarah’s realm, nor her destruction, and it dawned on Nancy that the entire house had slowly transformed into a birdcage.

On the other side of the coin, Sarah started to abandon her own raptor instincts when she discovered that dog food was pretty tasty and that she had a knack for “barking” (and a few other sounds that alarmed the neighbors). As they all learned to live together, Nancy marveled that Sarah had truly found a place to call home, but she sensed that there was something she could give Sarah to make her feel more complete: a chance to fly again.

Touching, eye-opening, and laugh-out-loud funny, The Parrot Who Thought She Was a Dog is a tender tale of two worlds colliding, two lives enriched, and two souls restored. It is also a rewarding reminder that love can come from the most unexpected places.

Keeping Chickens: The Essential Guide

Jeremy Hobson, Celia Lewis

Amazon Price: $13.59 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: David & Charles Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $12.97

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

very enjoyable-- but if only buying one book, not this one 4 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I really enjoyed this 2007 British book. It is designed for the family considering keeping a few hens in the garden, and is full of information and things to think about. There are (very) brief descriptions of many breeds. A great strength of this book is it's lovely and varied photography (it even has some nice paintings!). It's very entertaining and a FUN read, even including crafts to do with the kids related to chickens! Overall there's a lot crammed in to 150 pages.

Just don't believe the reviewer who said this could be the one book you buy- definitely not true. This is a fun, clearly written book for "dreaming about chickens"-- you'll still need other resources for more indepth information in different areas if you decide to take the plunge. More comprehensive info can be found in "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens" by Gail Damerow. I also really liked "Living with Chickens". "Choosing and Keeping Chickens" is a great guide to choosing the right breed for your family.

Editorial Review:

*Raising chickens as pets is a fashionable--and increasingly popular--hobby

*Responds to market demand: Sales of chicken-keeping supplies and books have skyrocketed

*Appeals to the growing number of people interested in a healthier, more organic lifestyle

Colorful, lively characters, chickens have become the hottest new garden accessory. This book shows enthusiasts exactly how to care for these endearing pets. The book covers everything from choosing the right breed to feeding and housing. In addition, there are fun sections on egg recipes, feather-and-egg craft projects and even a look at how chickens interact with children and other pets. From buying their first chicken to cooking with truly fresh eggs, readers will find advice and counsel for every step along the way!

Attracting Birds to Your Backyard: 536 Ways to Create a Haven for Your Favorite Birds (A Rodale Organic Gardening Book)

Sally Roth

Amazon Price: $12.89 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Rodale Books Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $6.93

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A wonderful resource from the goddess of birding! 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I really like the way this author writes: clear succinct explanation scattered with vivid personal anecdotes. This is a sturdy oversized trade paperback that will stand up to years of thumbing through it and carrying it outside.

It's stuffed with beautiful color drawings, side-bars, tables, and landscaping plans. The table of contents is a huge, comprehensive list of topics from A to Z, touching upon everything from bird anatomy to different types of feathers to the coloration and shapes of eggs to project lists to attract birds in all four seasons.

If you can have only one general book on birding, I would recommend this one. With its clear writing and all its illustration, it would be suitable for motivated fifth-graders on up. It also covers so many different common birds that it's not limited to just one American region. Highly recommended. Longer review at OrnateBirdGarden-dot-com.

Editorial Review:

Anyone can create a beautiful and colorful backyard that will attract many different species of birds. This comprehensive, A-to-Z guide will help serious and casual gardeners alike choose the specific plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees for attracting some of the best-loved backyard birds, including bluebirds, warblers, goldfinches, and cardinals. Readers will discover top plants for birds, profiles of more than fifty common backyard birds, special bird feeding and planting tips to attract specific birds, and other features making this book invaluable to gardeners and bird lovers alike!

The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman's Fight to Save the World's Most Beautiful Bird

Bruce Barcott

Amazon Price: $17.16 List Price: $26.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Random House Amazon Marketplace: 53 new & used starting at $12.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

“The first time we came here I didn’t know what to expect,” she told me as we paddled upstream. “What we found just blew me away. Jaguars, pumas, river otters, howler monkeys. The place was like a Noah’s Ark for all the endangered species driven out of the rest of Central America. There was so much life! That expedition was when I first saw the macaws.”

As a young woman, Sharon Matola lived many lives. She was a mushroom expert, an Air Force survival specialist, and an Iowa housewife. She hopped freight trains for fun and starred as a tiger tamer in a traveling Mexican circus. Finally she found her one true calling: caring for orphaned animals at her own zoo in the Central American country of Belize.

Beloved as “the Zoo Lady” in her adopted land, Matola became one of Central America’s greatest wildlife defenders. And when powerful outside forces conspired with the local government to build a dam that would flood the nesting ground of the last scarlet macaws in Belize, Sharon Matola was drawn into the fight of her life.

In The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw, award-winning author Bruce Barcott chronicles Sharon Matola’s inspiring crusade to stop a multinational corporation in its tracks. Ferocious in her passion, she and her confederates–a ragtag army of courageous locals and eccentric expatriates–endure slander and reprisals and take the fight to the courtroom and the boardroom, from local village streets to protests around the world.

As the dramatic story unfolds, Barcott addresses the realities of economic survival in Third World countries, explores the tension between environmental conservation and human development, and puts a human face on the battle over globalization. In this marvelous and spirited book, Barcott shows us how one unwavering woman risked her life to save the most beautiful bird in the world.

"Barcott’s compelling narrative is suspenseful right up to the last moment." –Publisher's Weekly

"An engrossing but sad account of a brave and quirky champion of nature."–Kirkus

“…A riveting account of one woman’s fight to save one of the last bastions of an endangered
Species. . . Barcott writes of international politics, ecology and endangered species, and human relations with equal facility. This real page-turner of narrative nonfiction is hard to put down.”
–Booklist

The Healthy Bird Cookbook: A Lifesaving Nutritional Guide and Recipe Collection

Robin Deutsch

Amazon Price: $15.95 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: NYLABONE CORP - Model: TS367 Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $8.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Healthy Bird Cookbook: A Lifesaving Nutritional Guide and Recipe Collection is the perfect solution to all of your bird's nutritional needs. It provides 150 creative, healthy, and easy-to-make recipes that are appropriate for almost all species of pet birds. The book also offers a thorough, extensive section on avian nutrition that clearly explains the roles of pellets and seeds, the food groups, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids in your bird's diet. You can take comfort in the quality and nutritional value of these original recipes---the author is an avian expert who spent ten years consulting with veterinarians and doing hands-on research to compose them.

The Healthy Bird Cookbook features: ---150 recipes that are easy to make and healthy ---Illustrations of many of the delicious dishes included ---A thorough nutritional guide, including sections on special diets, specific nutritional needs, and foods to avoid ---Helpful hints, cooking tips, and safety suggestions throughout ---Many recipes that are great for people, too!