Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This book is full of beautiful illustrations and information pertaining to the folklore and mythology of different species of birds. It was incredibly informative and held my interest. This book would make a wonderful gift for nature lovers or lovers of folklore and myth.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was an absolutely gorgeous look at bird symbolism. I loved that it pulled from literature, folklore, and popular culture to explain the symbolism/associations connected to each bird. I loved that the descriptions were simple and easily digestable. The illustrations were also beautiful!

I loved Floriography when it came out so I was overjoyed to see another book of the kind by the talented Jessica Roux!

The concept is the same: the reader gets a bird, its name, both in English and in Latin, its symbolic significance and, here, a bit of lore around it. Of course, each written piece is accompanied by a stunning illustration. If these were simple and beautiful in Floriography, in Ornithography, I loved that the author added something relating to the tale she tells about the bird: it was quite subtile at times, and always a nice touch!
As a bird lover, I was enchanted to learn so much about different species. It's also a great way to discover this animal in its variety, its complexity and its folklore for those who aren't yet seduced by birds! It's a bewitching way to enter the aviary world!

Of course, now, I want a physical copy to peruse regularly!

I enjoyed reading this book about ornithography. It had interesting information about 100 different birds with fun illustrations as well as clear and concise writing about the meaning and lore about each bird. I found this book to be very interesting. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A quickly-read tome, more like a gift book than anything. It offers a hundred birds and their associations, so the stork is for babies, the canary is the warning in the coal mine, and the albatross is sold in corners of dingy cinemas. Oh, sorry – the albatross means regret and burdens. One paragraph of text each, more or less, faces a portrait, and some of these – the blackbird with his huge extended wings – didn't really convey much accuracy, in my layman's eye. Still, for the completist of books about humanity's lore and for the lover of all avian critters, this is not going to be sniffed at – and it'll be a long time before a book of this specific purpose manages to better it. Certainly its scope, from Maori myth to Iceland and Native American thinking – and then on to sailor's tattoos – is as wide as a certain long migration. Three and a half stars.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A beautiful book about many of our birds, what their names mean, and some fun facts about each of them.

This book is stunning! I’d love to have a copy of this as reference or to keep on my coffee table. My personal favorite illustration was the Raven, I loved the use of Odin’s helmet. The crane illustration was also gorgeous. It’s more than just photos though, each bird comes with a nugget of lore and even look alikes to assist in identification.

Beautiful illustrations pair with fascinating tidbits about birds in myth, culture, and history. It would make a great coffee table book.

Ornithography by Jessica Roux is a visually stunning and elegantly crafted book that would make the perfect gift for any bird lover or nature enthusiast. It offers a quick yet enriching read filled with fascinating mythology and folklore surrounding 100 bird species.

What truly stands out are Roux's beautiful, darkly romantic illustrations. The art alone makes this book a joy to own, but the combination of art and lore makes Ornithography something special. One of my favorite entries was the Grackle, with its purple and black, glossy feathers perfectly captured in Roux's style. I also found the mythology behind the cuckoo bird fascinating, highlighting the cultural reverence for birds as symbols and messengers across various traditions.

Though it’s nonfiction, Ornithography strikes a perfect balance between being informative and artistically captivating. It doesn’t overwhelm the reader with facts but instead engages through storytelling and visual beauty. Whether you’re a birdwatcher, a history buff, or simply someone who appreciates art, this book is great. It's not just a book to read—it's one to display and revisit.

Gorgeous doesn't sum up Roux's artwork well enough. There really aren't enough adjectives to cover her stunning talent. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in the topic, for anyone who loves to-die-for artwork, for fans of Jessica Roux. This would be such a fun deck! I will absolutely buy this (and cross all appendages that it'll one day be signed by Roux), as I already own pieces of their drool-worthy art. Fun, whimsical, informative, intuitive, you can tell and feel the love and care put into this book.

A lovely book filled with gorgeous illustrations and interesting folklore and facts about the different birds. I looked through this with my son (9yo) and he loved finding birds he recognized.

Loved the stories and myths about all the different birds. Some gorgeous illustrations too. Would make a lovely addition to a coffee table to come back to.
Only reason I’m not giving it more is because I work with Kiwi and one of the facts is incorrect. The fruit was named after the bird as a marketing ploy. The fruits original name is Chinese Gooseberry. They are an import and just happen to grow well in our climate.
The name kiwi is an onomatopoeic Maori word that is similar to the call they make at night.

Great coffee table read! Beautiful imagery with insightful details. Short and sweet! I really enjoy the premise and lore associated with each bird, it presented an interesting introspection; I wish there was an oracle deck that accompanied this book! Thank you netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for access to this digital ARC!

In her second book, Roux offers readers a symbology for birds akin to the Victorian language of flowers. I really enjoyed the beautiful artwork and learning information about each type of bird and the meanings that are commonly associated with them. I wish the blurbs were longer, especially for the species I was less familar with. This is a great gift for anyone who loves birds and bird-watching.

This is a lovely and engaging review of the symbolism of birds around the world (it touches on a few countries on most continents, so this applies), with charming pictures by the author/illustrator. It was interesting to read about how the booby got its name, the Aboriginal Dreamtime tale of how the cassowary got its casque, egrets in Maori culture, cranes in Japanese mythology, and more. Did you know hornbills have their own festival in Nagaland? Or that nightjars were believed to suck goats’ milk at night? Or that there’s a peacock angel in the Yazidi religion?

So, this is a book bird lovers and those who enjoy stories will love; but it’s also a great reference book for storytellers. Recommended.

Many thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for early access.

A delightfully informative read served with gorgeous illustrations. Perfect for not just fans of bird-watching, but for those of us who appreciate the birds of the world in quieter ways.

I feel like I should first admit my bias: I own chickens as pets. I LOVE my chickens as pets. If this book hadn't had an entry about chickens (the rooster) I maybe would have dnf'd it (it did, so I'm definitely going to be ordering a copy for my sisters). So I'm a fan of not just the majestic birds like hawks, or the songbirds that fill the air with melodies; but also the birds that are...normal. Or even looked down on a bit. And this book contained those as well, which was fantastic.

This is a nonfiction book highlighting different species of birds and the traits (sometimes good, sometimes bad, and other times neutral) most associated with them. An artwork of the bird is included as well, which for me was extremely helpful on some of the names I didn't immediately recognize. The descriptions of the birds was short--a couple paragraphs at most--but what I especially enjoyed was that they weren't simply from western folklore. From the unassuming sparrow to the regal golden pheasant, birds are as diverse as they are widespread. And I very much appreciated this book showcasing that.

But while this book is educational, it is not a deep study of birds. The descriptions are short, the artworks are the feature, and this is a more casual read. A perfect book to share with a fellow bird-enthusiast, or even to go through with a child to show them all the different types of birds, and a perfect re-read on a lazy evening. But I feel anyone expecting to come away from reading this will in-depth knowledge of birds will be disappointed. As will those not already interested in birds--even if that interest is light.

I would absolutely recommend this book if asked, however, and as mentioned above will be purchasing copies to gift to my own family. So star-rating I will give this a 5/5.

This is an absolutely gorgeously illustrated and endlessly interesting book. This is something that my animal-obsessed 9-year-old self would have been ecstatic to find in my library. I loved to flip through nonfiction books about different animals and learn all about their lives and history. This fits the bill exactly and is packed with interesting lore about each bird species. Will definitely be looking to add a hardcover copy to my collection shelf soon!

This book is cute and has cultural or spiritual or even folklorish characteristics of many bird species. I thought the historical aspect of how certain birds got their symbolism. The illustrations lend a nice touch to each bird, and the representations seemed true to life. The coloration was also good and reflected the natural coloring in birds' plumage. I recommend this book as a resource for those interested in learning about different birds in different cultures around the world.

Strange admission, I hate birds. Or more accurately, I am terrified of birds. I enjoy them from a distance but I hate when they get near me. I know this is a strange book for me to read but I am trying to work past my aversion.

This book is beautiful. The illustrations took my breath away. The writing is informational, yet often lyrical and full of fantasy.

I am not sure this is a book that I want to add to my personal collection and it is too old for my students but I will seek out the other works by this illustrator!

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and Net Galley for the eARC!

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Ornithography by Jessica Roux in exchange for an honest review. What a beautiful book this is. I loved the drawings of each bird and the mythology behind each. This is a book that would be great in school.