The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World by Matt Kracht

The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World Reviews

• 
  Kay ❦

  First and foremost before you read this book, please make sure your expectations are in line with what this book has to offer. I see this book as a "parody" bird guide, not to say that's the author's intention. It is hilarious if you don't take things too seriously and don't mind bad words. The title of the book should be a BIG giveaway, but if you're still unsure, I would say that if calling birds dumbf*ck or that they are weird looking sh*t hurt your feelings or make you cringe then this book is probably not for you.
  
  This second book by Matt Kracht and is just as funny as his first
  The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America, but at a larger scale. Since I'm unfamiliar with birds from other continents besides North America, I enjoy learning about other species, their markings, behaviors, and fun facts from this book. Examples of new birds (to me) that I'm intrigued by are; Red-billed firefinch (Africa), Peruvian Sheartail (S. America), Ruddy Shelduck (Europe-Asia), and Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill (Africa). The last part of the book includes a bird drawing lesson (lol), historical artifacts, and arts with birds on them, cool!
  
  Laugh out loud is always welcome and this book delivers. I have family members who looked over my shoulder to see what's so darn funny.🐦
  
  Thank you Chronicle Books, and Netgalley for my ARC.
• 
  Montzalee Wittmann

  The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World
  by Matt Kracht
  Chronicle Books
  
  I have to say that I read the first book and bought it. I couldn't wait for another one! This one didn't disappoint. I loved it! I kept me laughing at the silly descriptions of birds, the drawings, the added notes, and all the extra info! LOL! Having a whole world of birds to pick from really added to the fun!
  
  Although it was hilarious, there was a bit of education in there too. I mostly just read it for the fun. I love birds and humor so this was perfect. This would be the perfect gift for animal or bird lovers. (Or for someone that just needs a pick-me-up.)
  
  I really enjoyed the new exercises at the end of the book! That was a hoot! So funny. Will be buying this after it comes out too!
  I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this terrific book!
• 
  Geoff

  The gimmick wears a little thin by the end, but the illustrations are gorgeous, some of the jokes did make me laugh, and there's actually some cool information about birds, adaptation, behavior, and birdwatching in here. I will probably buy a copy of this for my seven year old (and then wait a few years to give it to him because of the expletives!).
  
  **Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Marianne

  The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World is the sequel to The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America by American author, Matt Kracht. After explaining his reasons for writing the guide, Kracht goes on to criticise the accepted nomenclature system for its complexity and provides an alternative. He disagrees with the geographical regions that scientists divide the planet into, and provides his own.
  
  He systematically insults scientists, ornithologists, bird watchers, teachers and the birds themselves. He frequently inserts expletives into his descriptions; initially this is mildly amusing, but it soon wears thin; it is likely intended to be funny and clever, but it falls short, more like juvenile comments playing to grade school boys, even including a fart joke.
  
  Each bird monograph provides an illustration, the bird’s geographical range, and some facts about the bird, including appearance. Kracht often anthropomorphises the bird’s behaviour to justify his annoyance with it. He gives it a name using a play on the bird’s common name. The most innocuous of these is probably the Boring Chickadee (from the Boreal Chickadee).
  
  Birds Throughout History consists of a number of photographs of artefacts including birds for which Kracht’s interpretations draw rather a long bow. The final pages include a few word games. From 23 ratings on GoodReads this book has a rating average of 3.78, so it clearly appeals to a number of readers, but this brand of humour is not for everyone.
  This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Chronicle Books
  
• 
  Alicia Bayer

  Okay, this was a lot funnier than I thought it would be. It is even a little bit educational, once you get past the cussing, sarcasm and obvious nonsense. Kracht profiles a variety of birds from around the world and gives them slightly different, insulting names that are generally filled with foul language. If you have a problem with foul language or mock insults, this won't be your book. As someone who likes birds, cussing, humor and sarcasm, I got a kick out of it. Most of these books just seem to cram cuss words in without nailing the funny part, but Kracht manages a great balance. Yes, he talks like a 13 year old but he also makes it clear that he secretly knows a lot about birds and likes them, and he's also just good at being funny (okay, especially if you can be entertained by 13 year old boy humor). I'm thinking of getting a copy for my birding husband and I'm sure my kids will also enjoy it. And yes, it gets redundant at times but even the author pokes fun of this and that adds to the appeal. And all the little extras at the end really add to the strange combination of education and parody.
  
  I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via Net Galley.
• 
  Laura

  OK, the thing about reading and enjoying The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World by Matt Kracht is knowing the actual birds that the author is talking about.
  
  When you know them, and you know what they do, it is hilarious. For example, he talks about the Scrub Jay, whom he calls the Smug Jerk. He says “Due to climate change, this smug [bird] has expanded its range from California up the western coast [...] and is now regularly disturbing the peace of my backyard with its f****ing loud, harsh call.
  
  Another example I was able to laugh at was his description of the Red-Tailed Hawk (which he calls the Red-Tailed F***)
  
  “Look at this [bird]. You can tell he thinks he’s some kind of hot s***, but don’t be fooled because he often gets chased around by smaller birds such as crows. “ All true. Crows and ravens do go after the hawks.
  
  Recommend for those who love birds, and study birds, and have birds.
  
  Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review
  
• 
  Christine

  Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
  
  Can I just say this is the world wide bird guide you should use?
  
  I think birds are funny. I love sparrows. They are so cool. But let’s face it, this book is correct. Birds can be stupid little f**kers. Or at least mean ones. I have seen birds dive bomb dogs. And peacocks attack everything. Or those birds that take all the cherries off the tree before you pick them. Yes, I am bitter about that. The tree was producing fruit for two years before I even got to try one.
  
  So yeah, birds aren’t really nice.
  
  And this book proves that. Herein, you will discover the birds that do disgusting things with blood. There are the birds who don’t really wear shoes. The birds who think they are cool but aren’t really.
  
  Some of the humor does get a little repetitive. The inclusion of other ways to look at birds on artwork is also quite funny.
  
  If you are a serious birdwatcher, you might want to skip this book. But if you are like me and like birds because they can be mean little buggers, you might enjoy this.
• 
  Morris

  I did not expect to laugh so hard while learning about birds! The illustrations are great and the irreverent tone is wonderful. The facts will definitely stick with me.
  
  This unbiased review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.
• 
  Rod Brown

  A humorous, spiteful look at birds. The main gag is that every real bird in the book has been given a new name that uses scatological or swear words, so the Eurasian Bullfinch becomes the "Eurasian Buttfinch" and the Green Catbird is now the "Green Cat Turd." Despite these mild examples, the language is very adult.
  
  The author also goes on diatribes about how much he hates each particular bird as well as birds in general.
  
  It's pretty repetitive, but it stays fun if doled out over many days a little at a time.
  
  I slightly prefer
  Tits, Boobies and Loons: And Other Birds Named by People Who Clearly Hate Birds by Stu Royall as it mocks real bird names and makes the people who named them so poorly the butt of the joke.
• 
  Kim Lockhart

  This was a lot of fun and I recommend it if you need a chuckle, especially if you have annoying co-workers, kids, or neighbors. You can use these bird names for them.
• 
  Mackey

  I absolutely loved the first book Kracht wrote and purchased it for everyone in my family last Christmas. It was irreverent, funny and totally informative. When I saw this new book for the Whole Stupid World, I couldn't wait to get it!! It was such a disappointment. It makes me so incredibly sad to write that but it's true. There was an overload of cursing and I honestly don't mind a full share of it but this was just overkill. The humor was just bleh. In fact, it all was. I'll just stick to North American funny birds and I'd recommend you do the same. So sorry.
• 
  Erin

  Hilarious look at birds. Perfect for birders - new and experienced alike!
• 
  Tasha

  This is a fabulous books with lots silly and useful information. The illustrations and artwork are wonderful as well.
• 
  Joe Schenck

  Hilarious. Especially when read aloud to friends.
• 
  Holli

  Hilarious, niche and right up my ally.
• 
  Constance

  This probably made me laugh more than anything else I've ever read. Warning: serious birders might take offense. Thank you. Michele!
• 
  Patience

  I think I would have greatly enjoyed this book if not for the fact that it is absolutely riddled with foul language. As it is, this book is a superb illustration of the fact that profanity for its own sake (or as an attempt at humor) is simply boring, crass, and unoriginal.
• 
  Kelly Long

  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
  This book isn't for everyone as there is a lot of language and sarcasm and you can't be easily offended to enjoy this book to the greatest extent. I personally thought it took a subject that could be quite boring and feel more like reading an encyclopedia on birds and turned it into something that is educational yet funny. I love the illustrations of all the birds. The description about each bird is educational yet spun in a less formal and more sarcastic manner. The slight name changes to the birds, or even the few that just have weird names, makes me laugh. Overall, this book is humorous and surprisingly full of facts too. Very enjoyable read.
• 
  Ben Rogers

  This was a fun read.
  
  Very silly and goofy.
  
  There were a few moments that I laughed out loud at.
  
  Also had some good bits of actual education in it - a few birds I had no idea existed, and I thought it was pretty interesting.
  
  I have to admit, I enjoyed this more than
  The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America.
  
  Great.
  
  3.8/5
• 
  Kelly

  If you liked the first book, you'll like this one.
  
  If you loved the first book, you'll love this one.
  
  If you didn't like the first book, what's wrong with you?
• 
  Darrick

  I too hate birds
• 
  Ami

  I'm not completing any more books this year, because I want this to be the last review of the year.
  
  It made me laugh.
• 
  Erikka

  Lost its humor pretty quickly and I found myself just flipping through. Feels like something a high schooler would create for laughs.
• 
  Aiyesha

  I read a book about birds to decompress.
  
  ***THE VERSION OF THIS THAT I READ WAS AN ARC***
  
  Do you ever need something dumb? Something that sincerely loves its subject enough to know when it's stupid and should be made fun of? Are you acquainted with a dad, or someone that exudes Big Dad Energy?
  
  This book is a small, silly review of some of the birds of the world, and the horrifying ways nature has chosen to present them to us. It's a light, breezy, quick read that would go well with a coffee table, or a gift of a stuffed toucan.
  
  My only gripe is that it doesn't have the space to insult more birds. I've got one that sounds like a machine gun going off outside my house, and I'd love to yell some scientifically accurate imprecations at it.
• 
  Patricia

  Come for the birds stay for the cursing. 🐦🦅🦤🐧
• 
  Sheeraz

  A worthy follow-up to the
  The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America diving into other dumb birds from around the world. There is again a primer for birders/birdwatchers about common etiquettes, features of the bird one should know about for identification, and then a straight dive into some details of these stupid peckers. Quick dose of hilarity! Choice quotes:
  
  "but in the end it’s just another hummingbird that does all the usual hummingbird stuff, like hovering around and drinking nectar from flowers. Boring."
  
  "Anyway, when threatened, this freak writhes its neck around like a goddamn drunken snake. I mean, what the fuck? Maybe that’s supposed to frighten predators. It can’t be that effective, though, because mostly it just looks like a bird with severe neck spasms. Also, it will sometimes let its whole neck go limp and its head dangle like it has died. Charming."
  
  "They are typically found in pairs or in small groups and rarely form large flocks—probably because their loud, breathy honking and insistent cooing are delivered in a weird duck falsetto, which is just too much to take, even for themselves."
• 
  Dasha Slepenkina

  A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.
  
  4.5/5 - Really, really liked it.
  
  This book was absolutely delightful. I've been curious about birds for some time and am dabbling in bird watching, though really this consists of seeing cool birds outside and pointing them out saying: "That's a cool bird." This book taught me that, while birds are cool, they also need to be knocked down a peg or two - but of course only figuratively. The humor resonated well with my own and I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the birds, along with the beautiful illustrations. I also appreciated that despite the tongue-in-cheek tone, there was a section about respecting wildlife. The only reason this book isn't rated higher is that I felt it got a little disjointed towards the end, which explored birds in art. This seemed out of place for me and I would have liked to just have seen more examples of birds themselves. But still - fantastic book! I'll definitely be looking out for more books by this author.
• 
  Ivonne Rovira

  This sequel to
  The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North Americais not as funny — which would have been a heavy, heavy lift. That book actually make me laugh until I cried; however, The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World was stupendously funny. Author Matt Kracht repeats his categories of “Hummingbirds, Weirdos and Flycatchers,” “Egotists and Show-Offs,” “Murder Birds” and a few profane ones.
  
  But like the first book, The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World contains plenty of facts alongside the jokes, and Kracht’s illustrations are fabulous. You’ll find yourself re-reading this gem whenever you need some cheering up.
  
• 
  Liz

  I really loved Kracht’s first book, but this one didn’t grab me the same way. Maybe it’s because there are SO MANY BIRDS in the world and I found myself feeling slighted that some of my favorites weren’t included (no hoopoe?! really?!). That said, I share the author’s affection/annoyance with birds and once told a friend that if I had to give a TED talk, it would be about why some birds are better than others, so I appreciate and salute him.