The Thing With Feathers: The Surprising Lives Of Birds And What They Reveal About Being Human (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
Easy read for anyone (i.e., background in ornithology, biology, animal behaviour, etc. not required) & well-sourced. Covers several major areas of study in ethology/animal behaviour & psychology and provides some nice background on these subjects in an engaging way, using well-studied avian species. Frequently relates these areas of study and what we've learned from birds back to humans/ human societies. Lots of fun and interesting facts throughout. I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't trying to make any earth-shaking points, and most of the science was probably basic for people with a strong interest in ornithology. Still, it often had me exclaiming over what I read and wanting to share it with others. A Dickinson allusion in the title can't help but make a former English teacher smile as well. Strycker does a great job of mixing science facts, philosophical musings, and personal anecdotes to create a compelling read. I would have liked the various sections to connect to each other a bit more, but that's a tall order for a book of this type. The chapters on humming birds and bower birds were particularly revelatory for me. I wouldn't say they did anything to change my view of the world beyond showing that it's even more wondrous than I knew, or of humanity. That makes the subtitle seem a bit overblown, but people have to make a living. I would recommend this for people who like personal essays in the style of Annie Dillard (minus God), people who have feelings, people who like evolution, and people who think birding would be interesting if it didn't require going to inconvenient places at inconvenient times and holding really still for long stretches.
What do You think about The Thing With Feathers: The Surprising Lives Of Birds And What They Reveal About Being Human (2014)?
Really liked the chapters on the turkey vulture, parrots, bowerbird, and the fairy helpers.
—CoolGma
A really interesting book - I will never look at birds the same way again!
—Nightsong
Interesting book about birds and evolution.
—kawai
Easy read...Entertaining and informative.
—rafmary
