📖 Bird Guides. These three guide books are very popular among birders of all levels: Peterson's Field Guides; The Sibley Guide to Birds; and The Stokes Field Guide to Birds. On Amazon, you will also find titles in these series that focus on the birds of a particular geographic region. – All

📖 A Place for Birds by Melissa Stewart. This little picture book explains how human activity can threaten the survival of bird populations, and suggests ways to create and protect safe spaces for different species of birds. – Elementary

📖 The Robin Makes a Laughing Sound by Sallie Wolf. Check out this lovely example of a birder's journal if you want to encourage the practice of bird journaling in children of all ages; it’s a great one to borrow from the library and use as inspiration, as the book is fairly short and light on detail. – Elementary

📖 Crow Smarts: Inside the Brain of the World’s Brightest Bird by Pamela Turner. This entry in the Scientists in the Field series takes us to New Caledonia where we meet scientists who are doing research into some truly remarkable crows. This in-depth book makes a great addition to a late elementary or middle school study of birds or animal intelligence. – Elementary • Middle

📖 The Long, Long Journey: The Godwit's Amazing Migration by Sandra Markle. "Follow the amazing journey of a young bar-tailed godwit. The book begins with her birth in Alaska and culminates with her first 7,000-mile migration to New Zealand. The birds fly without stopping eight days, farther than any other bird in the world." Another fine picture book from Sandra Markle. – Preschool • Elementary

📖 Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rita Gray. In this very simple rhyming book, children listen to the different birds singing in the neighborhood; only the nesting bird is silent. In a Q&A on the final page, the mother bird explains how she tends to her babies. – Preschool • Elementary

📖 Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward. Each two-page spread of this neat little book introduces a different kind of bird’s nest through a simple rhyming verse, a short descriptive text, and appealing collage art.​ Also along these same lines are the nearly word-free Nest by Jorey Hurley and the slightly more in-depth Even an Ostrich Needs a Nest by Irene Kelly. All three of these books are geared toward the very young and are well worth borrowing from the library. – Preschool • Elementary

📖 Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City by Janet Schulman. A good book for bird watchers and New York City dwellers alike, this is the story of the beloved family of red-tailed hawks who have nested on the roof of a high-end building overlooking Central Park for many years. The book does have a political viewpoint, expressed in the description of the building owners' efforts to remove the nest (considered a nuisance by the wealthy residents). – Preschool • Elementary

📖 Thunder Birds: Nature's Flying Predators by Jim Arnosky. In two-page spreads with several fold-out sections, Arnosky introduces readers to the birds of prey, including owls, hawks, herons, pelicans, and loons. You will find only limited information on each species, but the gorgeous oversized illustrations recommend this book as a good introduction to the topic. – Elementary

📖 Owls by Sandra Markle. A great introduction to owls for all ages. You will find plenty of information and many terrific photographs of owls in the wild. – Elementary

📖 The Call of the Osprey by Dorothy Henshaw Patent. Use this Scientists in the Field title to supplement a study of birds of prey or the environment. The book examines the perils of life at the top of the food chain: "Today the osprey is studied to monitor the effects of mercury on living things . . . In Missoula, Montana, the scientists have been following ospreys for six years, collecting data on the amount of contaminants found on their feathers and in their blood." – Elementary • Middle

📖 A Mother's Journey by Sandra Markle. This is a sweet story of a mother emperor penguin and her quest to provide food for her mate and newborn chick. Alan Marks' illustrations are wonderful; a great book for elementary aged kids. – Preschool • Elementary

📖 Little Puffin's First Flight by Jonathan London. Here's the gentle story of a young puffin's first year of life. The simple text is accompanied by lovely paintings from Jon Van Zyle. An end note provides background information. Just right for young kids. – Preschool • Elementary

📖 Puffling Patrol by Ted and Betsy Lewin. This nonfiction picture book describes how the Icelandic residents of the island of Heimaey help to care for the young puffins (pufflings) who call the island home.​ – Elementary • Middle

📺 March of the Penguins directed by Luc Jacquet. "In the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family." A great documentary film. – All

📖 Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan Roth and Cindy Trumbore.
The beautiful collage art alone would be enough to recommend this book. In simple, elegant prose, Roth and Trumbore interweave the story of Puerto Rico with that of the parrots who once thrived on the island, then dwindled to near-extinction in the 1960s. Protection efforts have led to a resurgence of the Puerto Rican parrot. ​– Elementary • Middle

📖 Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird by Stephanie Summer. This picture book tells the true story of psychologist Irene Pepperberg’s research with Alex, an African grey parrot who demonstrated an astounding ability to grasp complex concepts and communicate. The book is adapted from Pepperberg’s adult bestseller, Alex & Me. If the topic holds interest, consider listening to the audiobook version of Alex & Me—it’s an incredible and touching story of animal intelligence and interspecies bonds. – ​Elementary • Middle

📖 The Boy Who Drew Birds. A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies. This is a very nice picture book biography of the noted American naturalist, John James Audubon. – Preschool • Elementary

📖 Audubon's Birds of America by Roger Tory Peterson. Full-sized versions of this classic book are generally quite costly. Follow this link for an inexpensive pocket-sized version. – All

📖 Aviary Wonders Inc.: Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual by Kate Samworth. This brilliant book is disturbing, but it certainly leaves an impression. The premise is this: as species face extinction, Aviary Wonders manufactures enhanced bird specimens, custom-assembled to client specifications. The book itself is the company’s Spring Catalog, which offers “high-quality parts” that clients can mix and match to build a bird that will be better than anything that nature could assemble. Complete with Assembly Instructions and a hilarious Troubleshooting section. It’s fiction … for now. – Elementary • Middle