This might be the strangest thing I've ever felt cocky about, because I came into this book thinking I already know so much about pigeons I'm not sure that this book is going to really teach me anything but I bet it'll be cute if nothing else.

Shockingly I was actually not that far off! To be clear, I did learn a ton and it absolutely was as cute as I thought it would be. I'm familiar with the history of pigeons and their general anatomy so a cloaca was not a revolution to me. However there was still a lot that I didn't know, like about the way the different breeds and traits are mingled, and the horrifying state of their nests. So in all, this is probably a good read for a beginner or intermediate pigeon person. For an expert, you'd probably be more in the camp of "I know all these things but it sure is cute anyway. "

And of course, the humor was a delight! I follow Rosemary Mosco on Instagram and have for a while, so I'm not sure how I missed the fact that she had a book out until another blogger friend posted about it and I went wow that's right up my alley! So I was familiar with her art and enjoyed seeing it pop up throughout the book, especially with her cheeky silliness included. And even when I might have known some of the information presented, the tone and anecdotes that she provided kept them from feeling repetitive to me or anything like that. It was so silly and fun. 😊

This is a really good book about pigeons. I love the inclusion of Mosco's artwork—they really show off the differences in the (many!!) types of pigeon there are, plus give a good overview of the other kinds of birds mentioned. There's a bit of history in this book, along with a bit of humor and a whole lot of biology... but all presented in a way that is easy to digest and doesn't feel like the boring, stuffy kind of learning. Highly recommended. ( )

A fun book with a good amount of information presented with humor. I read the audiobook, which I think is not the best way to read this book. Rosemary Mosco is a lovely nature cartoonist, and I think the audiobook suffers from not being able to include her art. Plus, some of the sections would have been greatly enhanced by illustrations, for example when Mosco talks about different patterns on pigeon feathers or when she describes different pigeon breeds. Still an enjoyable book, but my feeling is that the written version is the superior version, ( )

Cute little guide to pigeons. I think mostly meant for kids, with a bit more gross-out jokes and puns than truly needed. Parts of it really felt like filler, and the part I was mostly interested in (watching and understanding pigeon behavior) wasn’t really very detailed. Sweet drawings by the author. ( )

In this short and entertaining read, Mosco writes about pigeons: their relationship to humans, their history, their anatomy and behavior, the various breeds of domesticated pigeons, the sorts of patterns and colors you might spot among feral pigeons, and how to help pigeons (stringfoot, spotting lost pets among feral pigeons, catching an injured pigeon, etc.). The book wraps up with a chapter on the sorts of animals you might begin to spot once you've become comfortable watching pigeons/doves.

I'm not a bird watcher, and I'm not particularly a fan of pigeons, although I don't hate them either. I now live in an area where I'm more likely to see doves (probably mourning doves?) than feral pigeons, but, growing up in Germany, I remember seeing the flocks of feral pigeons in my mom's hometown. I wish I'd had this book back then - I wonder what sorts of interesting things I'd have noticed?

I bought this primarily because I've read and enjoyed several of Mosco's Bird and Moon comics. I figured that, at the very least, it'd be an easy library donation once I finished it. Now I've finally read it, and it was delightful. Despite my horrific lack of shelf space, I doubt I'll be offloading it anytime soon.

This book contains no photographs, only Mosco's drawings, but those are charming and well-done enough that I mostly didn't mind. The only times I found myself looking up photos was when I wanted a better visual of the difference between check and t-check patterned birds, and when I wanted a better look at particular pigeon breeds. And of course some pigeons, like rollers, have characteristics that are best communicated in videos.

Mosco's interest in pigeons, bird watching, and nature were infectious. The writing was aimed at readers who might only have vague memories of their high school science classes, so some of the explanations of things like pigeon genetics were a bit simplistic for my tastes, but overall this was an enjoyable and interesting read. I very much appreciated the annotated "Further Reading" section and would like to try out several of the books Mosco mentions.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )