The Birding Dictionary By Rosemary Mosco — Review

An amusing and yet accurate dictionary of birding terms that includes delightful birdorable art on nearly every page.

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Cover for The Birding Dictionary by Rosemary Mosco. Workman Publishing, 2025.

If you are a birder, or want to be, you’ll be mesmerized by Rosemary Mosco’s latest book, The Birding Dictionary (Workman Publishing, 2025: Amazon US / Amazon UK). This captivating book is quirky, amusing and, as its name suggests, educational. Ms Mosco, a science communicator, acclaimed cartoonist, and — of course — a birder, combines expertise with her whimsical art and point of view so this dictionary is filled with often hilarious — and yet surprisingly accurate — definitions for more than 200 terms commonly used by birders, accompanied by 50 charming full-color illustrations. Terms include some bird species, some bird anatomy, and some behaviors (often peculiar) as well as the super-secret birdwatching jargon that all birders know and speak fluently, from “alcid” (“Many alcids look like someone put men’s formal wear on a potato”) to “zugunruhe” (“The seasonal, anxious motions of birders who are getting ready for migration. They may hop about, jump from perch to perch, or blow a paycheck on a scope.”)

The method behind her madness stems from Ms Mosco’s belief that using humor to explain science (or birding) will excite people, make them laugh, and…