Courage of Birds

2024 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist for Nature

From our own backyards to the rim of the Arctic ice, countless birds have adapted to meet the challenges of the winter season. This is their remarkable story, told by award-winning birder and acclaimed writer Pete Dunne, accompanied by illustrations from renowned artist and birder David Sibley.

Despite the seasonal life-sapping cold, birds have evolved strategies that meet winter’s vicissitudes head on, driven by the imperative to make it to spring and pass down their genes to the next generation. The drama of winter and the resilience and adaptability of birds witnessed in the harsher months of the calendar is both fascinating and astonishing.

In The Courage of Birds, Pete Dunne—winner of the American Birding Association’s Roger Tory Peterson Award for lifetime achievement in promoting the cause of birding—chronicles the behavior of the birds of North America. He expertly explores widespread adaptations, such as feathers that protect against the cold, and unpacks the unique migration patterns and survival strategies of individual species. Dunne also addresses the impact of changing climatic conditions on avian longevity and recounts personal anecdotes that soar with a naturalist’s gimlet eye.

Filled with unforgettable facts, wit, and moving observations on the natural world, Dunne’s book is for everyone; from the serious birder who tracks migration patterns, to the casual birder who logs daily reports on eBird, to the backyard observer who throws a handful of seed out for the Northern Cardinals and wonders how the birds magically appear in the garden when temperatures begin to fall.

Praise for Pete Dunne

“Dunne’s prose is lyrical, sensitive, and full of feeling.”

—Ted Floyd, editor, Birding 

“Pete is arguably North America’s best and best-known birder—and he’s also a terrific writer.”

—Scott Shalaway, author and former syndicated nature columnist

Praise for David Sibley

“There are 47 million birdwatchers. But there is only one David Sibley. . . . He is a boon to both the birding world and the art world.”

—The National Audubon Society

“[His] exacting artwork and wide-ranging expertise bring observed behaviors vividly to life.”

—Birdwatching