Deborah Richie Oberbillig | Feats of Montana

Published: June 27, 2008

Budding naturalists of all ages are apt to enjoy Bird Feats, a fascinating compendium of facts about our winged and feathered neighbors.

Missoula writer Deborah Richie Oberbillig writes about the cool accomplishments of 40 birds that reside in, or migrate through, Montana in a book aimed at 8-to-12-year-old readers. She chronicles everything from the fastest bird (peregrine falcon) and smartest (common raven), to birds with the biggest bills (white pelican), best sense of smell (turkey vulture) and messiest nest (black-billed magpie).

Close-up photographs by Don Jones augment nifty charts that tell where and when to find each bird, and list habitat, foods and best viewing spots. Illustrations by James Lindquist give a fascinating look at the inner-workings of birds, from the five-inch tongue of a northern flicker that helps it nab insects, to the hooked talons that enable osprey to snag fish.

This book is bound to inspire some would-be ornithologists to head for the hills with binoculars in hand.

Bird Feats was published by in May 2008 by Farcountry Press, Helena, MT, and sells for $14.95 softcover.

– Kristi Niemeyer