The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think
- Downloads：6677
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-12 03:19:13
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Jennifer Ackerman
- ISBN：0735223033
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Aurora
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I enjoyed it a lot。 It was relaxing to listen to all the neat bird stuff。
K
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A wonderful follow-up to her Genius of Birds。 The scope is pretty much captured by the title。 Full of fascinating and eye-opening examples of the range of behavior of birds， written in a fun， accessible style。 Many examples are drawn from her Australian research， highlighting how biased our understanding is to the Northern temperate avifauna， obsessed as we are with migrants。
J。 Blair Hartman III
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Conversational and informative。 I would’ve loved some photographs or additional illustrations as words seems insufficient at times， I realize there is the internet though。。。
Hope Denney
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Sociology， but about birds。 An interesting discussion regarding the neurology of birds and how their wiring has adapted them to communicate， play， love， and parent。 If you are expecting an in-depth look at North American birds， look elsewhere; this book predominately focuses on Australian/New Zealand species。 However， the instincts， motivations， and intricacies of bird behavior depicted here are fascinating， and in many ways， they strikingly mirror those of their human counterparts。
Sasha
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Jennifer Ackerman has an amazing skill of turning complicated science into easy-to-read anecdotes。 I found this book to be fascinating and inspirational， and often laughed out loud at the wonderful behaviours of birds。 I am a little biased as a bird lover， but would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the Genius of Birds or is even a little bit interested。 Ackerman’s writing style stays pretty constant throughout， so read the introduction or first chapter and see what you think。 You may be Jennifer Ackerman has an amazing skill of turning complicated science into easy-to-read anecdotes。 I found this book to be fascinating and inspirational， and often laughed out loud at the wonderful behaviours of birds。 I am a little biased as a bird lover， but would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the Genius of Birds or is even a little bit interested。 Ackerman’s writing style stays pretty constant throughout， so read the introduction or first chapter and see what you think。 You may be pleasantly surprised！ 。。。more
Rachel Spivey
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A really enjoyable read from someone who never truly paid attention to birds - I find myself watching them now， and looking up bird calls。 Eye opening and interesting！
Paul
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Another amazing read from Ackerman about the intelligence of birds。
Beaumont
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Fun， informative book about several bird species and their interesting ways of interacting and surviving。 And it wasn’t a personal memoir for the author - it was just about birds。 So many educational books are more memoir than information， and I don’t love that。 I do love the way this author presented information and kept it pretty much on task without dragging。 Great book！
Charlie Rogers
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Birds are not what they seem。 Full of intricacies， exceptions and uniqueness， there is a huge range of variation between （and even within） species。 Ackerman explores exactly how these birds differ， highlighting both average and fringe types across the key areas of Talk， Work， Play & Parent that makes for some great reading！ Well worth a read if you wanted to explore that little more about birds like I did。 Get used to opening *just one more* Chrome tab and discovering the newest bird yourself th Birds are not what they seem。 Full of intricacies， exceptions and uniqueness， there is a huge range of variation between （and even within） species。 Ackerman explores exactly how these birds differ， highlighting both average and fringe types across the key areas of Talk， Work， Play & Parent that makes for some great reading！ Well worth a read if you wanted to explore that little more about birds like I did。 Get used to opening *just one more* Chrome tab and discovering the newest bird yourself though！ 。。。more
Peter Stangel
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Very enjoyable and lots of amazing information about birds。 Interesting insights into how bias develops based on geography and gender of those doing research—nothing intentional， just a result of a limited view of things。
Bob
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Ackerman takes us on a whirlwind tour of current scientific understanding of bird behaviors。 It's divided into major sections on talk， work， play， love， and parent， and from there into chapters on specific behaviors。 In the section on talk， for example， one chapter discusses the types of calls （alarm and mobbing）， and how much information about the specific danger are included in a call。 She illustrates the behaviors with stories of specific species， for which she has obvious affection。 An absol Ackerman takes us on a whirlwind tour of current scientific understanding of bird behaviors。 It's divided into major sections on talk， work， play， love， and parent， and from there into chapters on specific behaviors。 In the section on talk， for example， one chapter discusses the types of calls （alarm and mobbing）， and how much information about the specific danger are included in a call。 She illustrates the behaviors with stories of specific species， for which she has obvious affection。 An absolutely charming book and a joy to read。 。。。more
Roy Lotz
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It is amazing how little you can know about something right in front of your eyes。 For me， birds are a great example of this phenomenon。 After all， they are creatures that I see every day， flying overhead， perching in treetops， floating in fountains， skipping on the ground， filling the air with music。 Perhaps arrogantly， I had always assumed that these feathered bipeds were rather dim-witted， acting purely out of blind instinct。 Certainly， pigeons do not inspire much admiration。 But in this book It is amazing how little you can know about something right in front of your eyes。 For me， birds are a great example of this phenomenon。 After all， they are creatures that I see every day， flying overhead， perching in treetops， floating in fountains， skipping on the ground， filling the air with music。 Perhaps arrogantly， I had always assumed that these feathered bipeds were rather dim-witted， acting purely out of blind instinct。 Certainly， pigeons do not inspire much admiration。 But in this book， Ackerman demonstrates that birds—or at least some birds—are far cleverer than I ever suspected。This book is full of surprising bird behaviors。 Bird song， for example， is not just the mindless repetition of melodies to mark territory， but full of information。 Most birds have a repertoire of alarm calls， and use these calls to distinguish between types of dangers （whether a predator is grounded， aerial， acutely or only somewhat dangerous， or a brood parasite）。 Even more impressive， some birds use alarm calls （often mimicking those of other species） to fool their neighbors， setting off false alarms in order to steal food or defend their nests。 And singing is not simply genetic; social learning plays a large role in the process。 The superb lyrebird， for example， does not primarily learn its imitative song by mimicking other birds in the area， but by imitating other lyrebirds。 And many weeks of diligent practice are required in order to give a passing performance。One of the most astonishing sections in this book concerns the Australian fire hawks。 For decades， scientists have known that birds of prey gravitate towards bush fires， in order to pick off escaping animals。 More controversial—but attested to by a great many observers， including Abroginal Australians—is the possibility that these hawks intentionally spread fires by picking up burning sticks and dropping them in a dry patch。 If this is true， these hawks would be the only non-human species to intentionally manipulate fire。 Another， marvelous chapter describes the intricate behaviors that have developed around army ants。 Much like a fire， the marching ants cause other creatures to flee; and some birds have evolved to specialize in this kind of foraging。 They even keep track of where the ants nest， and periodically check up on old nesting sites。My favorite section was on bird intelligence。 I had no idea that corvids （crows， jays， magpies， and ravens） were such brainy creatures。 Ravens especially are adept at manipulating tools， solving puzzles， and working together in order to solve complex problems。 Somewhat less clever， though far more endearing， are the kea parrots of New Zealand。 What makes this species so special is their penchant for play， even giving primates a run for their money when it comes to curiosity and buffoonery。 Ravens like to play， too， though their curiosity is tempered by a powerful fear of novel objects; they are neophobes， whereas the kea are neophiles。 What is more， ravens live in social groups defined by strict hierarchies， with lots of in-fighting， while the kea seem to live in relatively egalitarian arrangements with almost no conflict。 It is curious that intelligence could take such different forms。The final section concerns reproduction， and is equally fascinating。 I was most intrigued by the genetic arms race between brood parasites and their hosts。 To avoid Cuckoo’s parasitizing their nests， birds learn to make ever-more subtle distinctions between genuine eggs and imposters。 Some birds even go a step further， and sing a special note while eggs are incubating， which a fledgling bird must reproduce or risk eviction。 But Cuckoo’s respond by ever-more convincing imitations of their hosts’ eggs and young。 Nature can be a pretty gruesome place。 Somewhat more heartening is the practice of cooperative breeding， wherein unrelated birds work as a team to tend and guard their nest。 Ironically， however， this practice may have originated when birds started becoming brood parasites on members of their own species， though this is just speculation。In all， it is hard for me to imagine a better book on birds than this one。 Ackerman is a talented writer who brings a palpable love of the subject into every sentence。 More importantly， like any great book on science—maybe any great book in general—Ackerman manages to find the astounding within the mundane， putting some wonder back into our quotidian lives。 。。。more
Pam
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I listened to this book。 I see birds differently now。 Very educational， and the author does a nice job of keeping it interesting。
Emily Avery
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If you love birds， read this book。 I learned so many interesting things about many species of birds。 And most of all I learned that there is not one way to be a bird。 🦅 This book will make you want to watch and listen and learn from our bird friends。
Evelien Demeulenaere
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Een boek lezen over vogelgedrag is alsof je kijkt naar een dierendocumentaire zonder beeld。 Voortdurend wil je de beschreven soorten zien of horen （bij het hoofdstuk over de geluiden en zang）。 Ik heb geprobeerd om de vogels op te zoeken tijdens het lezen， maar dat was niet doenbaar， gezien de enorme hoeveelheid aangehaalde soorten。 Ik liet het dan maar los en genoot van de poëtische beschrijvingen die Jennifer Ackerman ten berde brengt en de zeer interessante informatie die van mij een aspirant Een boek lezen over vogelgedrag is alsof je kijkt naar een dierendocumentaire zonder beeld。 Voortdurend wil je de beschreven soorten zien of horen （bij het hoofdstuk over de geluiden en zang）。 Ik heb geprobeerd om de vogels op te zoeken tijdens het lezen， maar dat was niet doenbaar， gezien de enorme hoeveelheid aangehaalde soorten。 Ik liet het dan maar los en genoot van de poëtische beschrijvingen die Jennifer Ackerman ten berde brengt en de zeer interessante informatie die van mij een aspirant vogelaar wist te maken 。。。 。。。more
Marti Stephens-hartka
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Not a particular bird lover but enjoyed this book about the vast and surprising behaviors of many bird breeds。
Olive Fellows （abookolive）
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The below review originally appeared on Open Letters Review:Following the success of The Genius of Birds in 2016， science writer Jennifer Ackerman returns with another avian-centric book， The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk， Work， Play， Parent， and Think。 While The Genius of Birds zoomed in specifically on bird intelligence， this new work takes a broader approach and aims to aid the human species in understanding what the world looks like to our feathered friends。Readers， particularly tho The below review originally appeared on Open Letters Review:Following the success of The Genius of Birds in 2016， science writer Jennifer Ackerman returns with another avian-centric book， The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk， Work， Play， Parent， and Think。 While The Genius of Birds zoomed in specifically on bird intelligence， this new work takes a broader approach and aims to aid the human species in understanding what the world looks like to our feathered friends。Readers， particularly those who have not yet fallen under the spell of birds， may wonder why Ackerman would add to the teetering pile of bird books already published （which includes not one， but two of her own previous works）， but the endlessly entertaining content of the book provides the answer: not only does there seem to be a limitless well of information about these fascinating creatures， but our understanding of them is constantly growing and changing。 Observations made in previous decades and cemented in textbooks can change on a dime when prolonged studies or advanced technologies reveal long-hidden secrets。For example， we have only begun to understand that there exists an immense world outside of human perception; dogs can hear pitches the human ear can’t perceive， sound waves illustrate a world for bats and dolphins that we cannot navigate without special equipment， and birds have a seat at that table as well。 It turns out that bird movements don’t merely seem zippily fast， they’re actually far too nimble for the human eye。 In a chapter discussing male bird courtship displays， Ackerman explains:We humans are constrained not just by our limited senses but by our perception of time。 In the bird world， things happen fast， sometimes too fast for us to see。 To make a point in talks， Mike Webster of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology shows a real-time video made by biologist Lainy Day of a male black manakin displaying in the forests of Guyana。 In the film， the male manakin looks like it's simply hopping up and down。 Then Webster plays Day’s high-speed video， which shows hundreds of frames per second， as the female manakin would see it。 Jaws drop， and there’s an audible gasp from the audience。 Between the little hops， the male completes a full-body， 360-degree flip， a high speed somersault too quick for us to see。She adds an additional example of high-speed cameras picking up a species of African songbirds tap-dancing “in perfect time with their song。” Birds have been staging their own variety shows this whole time， and our limited eye capacity leaves us painfully without tickets。With countless scientists wielding binoculars faced upwards， new information about the estimated 10，000 species of birds on the globe continues to flood in， expanding our knowledge base， shattering previously conceived notions， and making it abundantly clear that birds are far more impressive than ever realized。 Beyond their transcendent visual abilities， birds communicate， hunt down food， engage in play， and raise young in unique ways suited to the challenges of their environments。 Some choice examples from each of these categories appear in The Bird Way; Ackerman pulls from the latest studies and makes the science sing。At the core of the book is a desire for the readers to see that， while we share a planet with birds， we occupy very different worlds。 Our limitations as a species may keep us from ever getting the true bird’s-eye view of the planet in the literal sense， but advances in science can give us an idea。 Ackerman takes that new science and makes it accessible for the bird-loving laymen amongst us。 Equally as approachable as The Genius of Birds and with an enthusiasm that will make the reader excited to turn the pages， The Bird Way gives us visiting privileges into the world of these winged wonders。 。。。more
Gaysel
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I really enjoyed reading this book 。。。 if only I could remember all of it。As the author wrote in the last chapter， “writing this book has changed the way I see birds，”。 Well reading this book has changed the way I see birds。 Excellent read。
Louise
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This is a survey of bird behavior。 It is organized in topical chapters: Talk， Work， Plan， Parent and Think。 I was not too far into it when I realized that I am more suited to a book on a particular species than to a book covering the birds of the world。 Because there are so many bird species， some of the chapters are overloaded with examples。 At times examples are merely sentences or paragraphs。 While I wanted more information on many of the topics， I realized the impossibility of that in a book This is a survey of bird behavior。 It is organized in topical chapters: Talk， Work， Plan， Parent and Think。 I was not too far into it when I realized that I am more suited to a book on a particular species than to a book covering the birds of the world。 Because there are so many bird species， some of the chapters are overloaded with examples。 At times examples are merely sentences or paragraphs。 While I wanted more information on many of the topics， I realized the impossibility of that in a book on “Birds”。I learned how some bird species attack ants and humans， start fires to prey on fleeing creatures， communicate danger and form "mobs" to attack large prey， have nest eggs that are not necessarily from monogamous relationships， may destroy their own eggs and hatchlings， can be taught to construct and use tools and connect nouns with their object， kidnap and enslave young birds， attack people near their nests and steal sunglasses， pens and tie up traffic。 I also learned that in addition to bird population declines due to pollution， Europe is experiencing a 13% decline in birds that feed on insects。 My favorite parts were where several pages were devoted to one or two species focusing on a specific behavior。 The chapter in the Play section mostly devoted to ravens and kias was the best for me。 Here， Jennifer Ackerman gave a good feel for the research and the researchers as well as bird behavior。 Other sections with similar focus were the shared parenting colonies of the wooing habits of the bowerbirds。 If you like a survey style book， and want to learn some interesting things about birds， this is for you。 。。。more
jiji
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I’ve never really enjoyed bird-watching， but this book made me wish I did （and maybe now I will， who knows！）。 If I ever did get to birdwatching and/or bird-friending， I’d really really like to get to know kea birds or ravens！！ Cool bird facts:- penguins slow their heart rate down from 175 beats per minute to 57 beats per minute when they are underwater， which allows them to slow the use of their oxygen stores- birds recognize each other and sometimes humans （some see kids growing up， and know th I’ve never really enjoyed bird-watching， but this book made me wish I did （and maybe now I will， who knows！）。 If I ever did get to birdwatching and/or bird-friending， I’d really really like to get to know kea birds or ravens！！ Cool bird facts:- penguins slow their heart rate down from 175 beats per minute to 57 beats per minute when they are underwater， which allows them to slow the use of their oxygen stores- birds recognize each other and sometimes humans （some see kids growing up， and know them）， and they hold grudges - pigeons can remember hundreds of images for longer than a year - （not a bird fact but twas in this book） by the last trimester of pregnancy， a human fetus can memorize what it hears from the external world （like music & language） - seagulls vomit on their predator （！！！） apparently with excellent aim - crows make and keep tools - they’re the only species other than humans to make and use hook tools- in some studies， ravens outperform apes and young children （self-control， reasoning， flexible planning for future） - they also learn from watching each other and emulate each others’ strategies - hummingbird eggs are 0。007 of an ounce - ostrich eggs are 3 pounds， and require 120 pounds of pressure to smash 。。。more
Steven
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I'd read Ackerman's The Genius of Birds about three years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it。 I knew I'd like this one， too。 And I did。Ackerman looks at three broad categories of bird behavior -- talk， work， play， love and parenting -- and writes about species that are changing our ideas about how birds behave and what is going in on their tiny yet powerful brains。 Several times she makes the point that a lot of this new research is being done on southern hemisphere and tropical birds， which have I'd read Ackerman's The Genius of Birds about three years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it。 I knew I'd like this one， too。 And I did。Ackerman looks at three broad categories of bird behavior -- talk， work， play， love and parenting -- and writes about species that are changing our ideas about how birds behave and what is going in on their tiny yet powerful brains。 Several times she makes the point that a lot of this new research is being done on southern hemisphere and tropical birds， which have been much less studied than the more familiar （and often migratory） birds of North America and Europe。 Turns out that not having to devote brain space and energy to long-distance migration leaves a lot of room for developing very innovative mating， hunting and child-rearing strategies。 A lot of the examples she describes come from Australian bird researchers。 I think my favorite species she examined were the extremely playful Kea parrots of New Zealand。 I really admired her ability to describe to the general public the incredibly innovative studies that ornithologists around the world are doing to try and figure out why birds do all the amazing things they do。I'm currently taking a birding class， and I'm constantly thinking about birds。 I kept checking eBird to find out about the various species Ackerman mentions in the book。 It really slowed me down！ 。。。more
Brian Schnack
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Wow。What an amazing adventure into an entirely other world all around us — birds。 Amazing stories with a personal touch on birds’ mating， building， playing， creating， scheming。
Chris Leuchtenburg
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After reading just a few pages of this book， I was thrilled。 Page after page of fascinating tidbits about my beloved birds。 But I quickly became overwhelmed by the flood of facts and put the book aside after a few chapters。 I may return to it a read the chapters on play， for instance。
Jane Comer
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Amazing！ Who could know that a bird could inform its unborn fledglings the temperature so that they can prepare by adding more fat to survive？ Parasite birds lay eggs in other species' nests for that species to raise the young。 So many startling facts about birds from their songs， their hearing， their planning， their problems solving to their mating are in this book。 If you have even a slight interest in birds， you'll delight in this book。 Amazing！ Who could know that a bird could inform its unborn fledglings the temperature so that they can prepare by adding more fat to survive？ Parasite birds lay eggs in other species' nests for that species to raise the young。 So many startling facts about birds from their songs， their hearing， their planning， their problems solving to their mating are in this book。 If you have even a slight interest in birds， you'll delight in this book。 。。。more
Ann
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I have always loved birds， observed them with field glasses ， drew and painted them over the years and took an ornithology class so this book was a treat for me to read。 I learned so much more about birds from reading this book than I knew before plus this book and research has put an end to many aspects of misinformation。
Susan
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I did read this one in fits and starts， but overall I found it fascinating。 We have bird feeders and also throw out food for ground-feeding birds as well， and I gained a new appreciation for the birds I see in my own backyard every day。
Lorenzo Coopman
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This is a very nice read for those who are interested in birds and don't only want cute stories！ The author brings compelling facts about bird intelligence and behaviour in a very pleasant way。 You never look again to birds as wings driven by an eye！ This is a very nice read for those who are interested in birds and don't only want cute stories！ The author brings compelling facts about bird intelligence and behaviour in a very pleasant way。 You never look again to birds as wings driven by an eye！ 。。。more
Terrie L Winkates
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I have a science and research background。 I thought the book was well written。 Very informative。 I learned a lot about birds I did not know。
Karen
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A fascinating inside look at amazing bird behaviors。 I just wish I could memorize it all！
Scott Wozniak
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