'Whether you are new to wanting to understand birdsong, or are already a fully fledged birdwatcher, this book casts a spell. A truly lovely reading experience' - Love Reading

This is a book full of fascinating stories about birdsong for every week of the year, with QR codes to bring each song to life.

Leading bird expert and writer, Dominic Couzens, takes you on a journey to enjoy an authentic year of birdsong around the world, one for every week of the year. From the ancient song of the Rifleman that was likely the first sound made by a songbird to the Eurasian Skylark who evokes the zenith of summer, from the constant companion of the American Robin whose song resonates from the top of skyscrapers and complements the howling of a wolfpack in Alaska to the drumming rhythm of the Great Spotted Woodpecker. This book covers a myriad of topics including bird nature and behaviour, stories and literary masterpieces inspired by birdsongs, the musicality of the notes, and what different songs communicate.

Each of these fascinating stories are accompanied by illustrations by award-winning artist Madeleine Floyd and a QR code to let you listen to the birdsong while you read.

A natural wonder that has captivated and fascinated generations, birdsong is the soundtrack to life. This book offers the perfect tonic whether you are an avid birdwatcher or just want to understand the songs that are often the first thing we hear in the morning and the last thing we hear at night.



Dominic Couzens is a British birder, author and journalist specialising in avian and natural history subjects. He contributes regularly to Bird Watching and BBC Wildlife magazines; and is also a professional field trip guide. His books The Secret Lives of Garden Birds, The Secret Lives of British Birds, and The Secret Lives of Garden Wildlife all received high praise. He is also the author of A Bird a Day.

Madeleine Floyd is one of Britain's best-loved artists. She works from her studio in London and is widely commissioned around the world. Madeleine's creative talent is one of remarkable depth and diversity. She paints, she draws, she writes and she illustrates. This versatility allows Madeleine to produce hugely successful exhibitions, write and illustrate her own books. She has a particular passion for wildlife.

• Rifleman
• Song thrush
• Great horned owl
• Greater hoopoe-lark
• Common chaffinch
• Eurasian blackbird
• White-throated sparrow
• Great spotted woodpecker
• American robin
• Reed bunting
• Willow warbler
• White-crowned sparrow
• Common nightingale
• Sedge warbler
• Wood thrush
• Common cuckoo
• Marsh wren
• Eastern whip-poor-will
• Red junglefowl
• Chestnut-sided warbler
• Common hawk-cuckoo
• Brown thrasher
• Yellowhammer   
• Eurasian nightjar
• Eurasian skylark
• Northern cardinal
• Common snipe
• Northern mockingbird
• Lawrence's thrush   
• White bellbird
• Superb lyrebird
• Common wood pigeon
• Streak-backed oriole
• Eastern towhee
• Laughing kookaburra
• African fish-eagle
• European robin
• Regent honeyeater
• Musician wren
• Australian magpie
• Hwamei
• Tawny owl
• Coppersmith barbet
• Marsh warbler
• Common crane
• White-rumped shama
• Yellow-rumped cacique
• Ring-necked dove
• Common myna
• White-nest swiftlet
• Island canary
• Great tit