Targeted to beginners and beyond, National Geographic’s fun, inspiring guide to the art, craft, and science of bird-watching combines practical know-how and expert knowledge. Browsable and bursting with helpful illustrations and photographs, Birding Basics offers new ideas for when, where, and how to get to know the birds in your world.

Not a field guide but a primer in best practices, authored by birding expert Noah Strycker, this breezy book features easy-to-follow advice on what to look and listen for, how to use field guides and birding apps, the best equipment to start with, and ways to engage with other birders around the world. Filled with fun facts and seasoned advice, this useful book will help you attract birds to your backyard, master bird identification, name a bird by its song, and witness the magic of migration. Sidebars feature fun facts, identification tips, and easy projects for exploring the world on the wing.

For everyone who loves watching the birds, whether out the window or on the trail, this colorful, easy-to-use guide to better birding has everything you need.

NOAH STRYCKER is associate editor of Birding magazine and the author of five books, including National Geographic’s Birds of the Photo Ark and, with Jonathan Alderfer, Backyard Guide to the Birds of North America. A research scientist specializing in penguins in Antarctica, he has studied birds worldwide and guides expedition cruises to Antarctica and the Arctic, spreading the inspiration of birds from pole to pole. In 2015, he set a world record by seeing 6,042 species of birds--more than half the birds on Earth--in one year. Strycker writes, lectures, and lives near Eugene, Oregon, between field seasons.

Chapter 1. Getting Started
Chapter 2. The Diversity of Birds
Chapter 3. How to Identify Birds
Chapter 4. Understanding Birds
Chapter 5. Field Craft
Chapter 6. Birding at Home
Chapter 7. Go Farther