What it's Like to be a Bird

About the Author

Tim Birkhead is a professor at the University of Sheffield where he teaches animal behaviour. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and his research has taken him all over the world in the quest to understand the lives of birds. He has written for the Independent, New Scientist, BBC Wildlife. Among his other books are Promiscuity, Great Auk Islands, The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Birds which won the McColvin medal, The Red Canary which won the Consul Cremer Prize, The Wisdom of Birds, Bird Sense and The Most Perfect Thing. He lives in Sheffield.


Award winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner grew up in the countryside of West Yorkshire, but studied illustration at Edinburgh College of Art. She has drawn animals ever since she could hold a pencil, encouraging unsuspecting pets to pose for portraits. Catherine’s first picture book Augustus and His Smile (Macmillan, 2006) published to much acclaim, winning the Booktrust Best New Illustrator Award for Early Years. Catherine has been nominated, shortlisted, longlisted and won countless awards since. In 2009, she won CILIP Greenaway Medal for Harris Finds His Feet. As well as writing her own stories, Catherine has collaborated with many other authors, such as Julia Donaldson and Michael Morpurgo. As well as writing and illustrating books for children, Catherine exhibits her artwork in galleries worldwide. She loves meeting little readers and can regularly be found visiting libraries, schools and book festivals.