Kingbird Highway Review: A Classic Big Year Memoir Every Birder Should Read

Introduction

Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufman is a must-read if you are a birding enthusiast. Kaufman is probably best known for the Kaufman field guides to birds of North America, but this book covers something different: his own big year in 1973, hitchhiking across the United States as a teenager to find as many bird species as possible. It is part road adventure, part coming-of-age story, and part birding history, and it holds up remarkably well.

Who This Product Is For

This book suits dedicated birders, casual backyard bird watchers, and general nature lovers alike. Anyone who enjoys travel memoirs or stories of personal growth will find plenty to like here, even without a deep interest in listing. Readers who want to understand where modern birding culture came from will get the most out of it.

Main Strengths

The book opens with a teenage Kaufman hitchhiking across the United States in pursuit of as many species as possible, a format that makes it remarkably digestible since you move through a calendar year and always know where you are in the story. He was around 16 or 17 when he started, and seeing how much American culture has changed since then, including the simple fact of a teenager thumbing rides across the country, adds a fascinating layer to the narrative.

Kaufman also included small maps throughout the book showing where he is in the United States, which makes it easy to follow the journey. His own illustrations are scattered through the pages and genuinely add to the naturalist feel of the whole thing.

Birding History and Early Big Year Culture

One of the book’s real gifts is a great overview of birding history: the founding of the American Birding Association, and many of the early players in the game before most people even knew birding existed. This was slightly before the days of a hotline you could call to find rare birds, so news of a rarity might already be a week or two old by the time word got around.

There is also a friendly competition with another birder running through the book, though we will not spoil the totals or who comes out ahead. The book even uses old species names, which adds to the period feel: the bird he travels to Mexico to find as the eared trogon is now known as the eared quetzal, and it turned up in Arizona after his expedition. Along the way you meet other legendary figures, including a young Ted Parker and a young Victor Emanuel, later of Victor Emanuel Nature Tours.

Perhaps most interesting is watching Kaufman mature. He starts out as a competitive young lister and gradually questions whether a high total really means anything, ultimately shifting toward the observational field-guide-oriented ornithologist he became. You can see the seeds of his later field guides taking root in the decisions he makes at the end of the book.

Things to Consider Before Buying

This is a book about a 1973 big year, so some readers should set expectations accordingly. The species names are dated, the birding infrastructure described no longer exists, and readers sensitive to spoilers should note that reviews like this one inevitably touch on story details, though the major revelations are left alone. If you want a modern big year account with current technology and logistics, this is not that book. That said, the dated nature of it is arguably part of the charm.

Buying Advice

If you are a birder or nature lover, this is an easy recommendation. The places Kaufman visits come alive on the page, and it is genuinely inspiring: you will find yourself thinking “that is the place I want to go, that is the species I want to see.” It left us with a greater knowledge of the birding world as a whole, and we suspect it will do the same for you. It may even change how you think about what birding is for.

Conclusion

Kingbird Highway is a fascinating adventure that doubles as a history of birding’s formative era. Whether you are a committed lister or simply someone who loves the outdoors, Kaufman’s journey from competitive teenager to thoughtful naturalist is a rewarding read, and one we would call a must-read for anyone with an interest in birds.