Nests, Eggs, Birds: An Illustrated Aviary

by Kelsey Oseid

Overview

Discover the world's birds, their homes, and their eggs in this gorgeously illustrated, entertaining, and educational guide.

Did you know that the tailorbird "sews" leaves together to make its nest? Or that hummingbird eggs are the size of jellybeans?

Birds are some of the world's most beautiful and interesting creatures, and their nests and eggs are no exception, displaying a stunning diversity of shapes, sizes, functions, and materials. In Nests, Eggs, Birds, celebrated artist and author Kelsey Oseid explores the fascinating ins and outs of where and how dozens of avian species—robins, birds of paradise, crows, owls, penguins, and more—make their homes and lay their eggs.

Full of striking naturalistic art and fun scientific facts, Nests, Eggs, Birds will delight bird lovers of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399581854
Publisher:	Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
Publication date:	03/10/2020
Edition description:	Illustrate
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kelsey Oseid is an illustrator, painter, artist, and amateur naturalist. She has illustrated a variety of children's books and runs an online shop where she sells prints and original pieces of her nature-themed work. Her work has been featured on Design*Sponge, Oh So Beautiful Paper, Everglow Handmade, and in magazines like Organic Life, Anthology, and Good Housekeeping. She is the author of What We See in the Stars and Whales: An Illustrated Celebration.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

What is it about birds that so captivates us? What makes a bird such a natural metaphor for hope? The simplest answer is probably that most are beautiful and graceful and can take flight. They exhibit some of the most colorful ornamentation in the animal world, from the peacock’s extravagant tail to the flashing iridescence of a hummingbird. And their beauty is somehow more accessible to us than the beauty of many other animals; even those of us who will never come near a pink flamingo in the wild or watch a bird of paradise flash its yellow and green chest feathers are still privy to red-breasted robins in springtime, or the bright blue feathers of the jays. And their beauty is auditory, too—they sing, and chirp, and caw, reminding us of their presence even when we can’t see them.

Maybe it’s that we see ourselves in them, in a way. They build homes for themselves and their young, hunt for food, and perform their regular routines, going about their daily business. They’re like us, but in some ways they seem better. They walk upright on two legs as we do, but they also do one thing that humans have strived after for centuries—they (nearly all) can fly. They’re symbols of love and devotion—many, though certainly not all, are monogamous, and many tenderly care for their offspring as we do. They’re figures of peace and power. We have a history of ascribing so much meaning to birds. And as we learn more—as our knowledge of birds grows and improves—the picture grows all the more incredible.

This book, an illustrated compendium of nests, eggs, and birds, can’t possibly come anywhere close to being comprehensive. There are birds on every continent of the world, and their species number in the thousands there’s just no way for one little book to cover them all. Instead, it attempts to highlight some of the most striking examples of the world’s birds, their nests, and their eggs. We’ll talk about the diversity of materials they use to build their nests, their stunning capacity for architecture, and some of the incredible lengths to which they go to protect their young. We’ll cover some of the most colorful, huge, tiny, and oddly shaped eggs produced by birds. And we’ll highlight some other amazing bird stories, touching on new discoveries about bird intelligence, record-setting birds, and more. Birds are some of the most amazing animals on Earth, and this book is a celebration of their lives.