Synopses & Reviews
An entertaining and profound look at the lives of birds, illuminating their surprising world and deep connection with humanity.
Birds are highly intelligent animals, yet their intelligence is dramatically different from our own and has been little understood. As scientists come to understand more about the secrets of bird life, they are unlocking fascinating insights into memory, game theory, and the nature of intelligence itself.
The Thing with Feathers explores the astonishing homing abilities of pigeons, the good deeds of fairy-wrens, the influential flocking abilities of starlings, the deft artistry of bowerbirds, the extraordinary memories of nutcrackers, the lifelong loves of albatross, and other mysteries revealing why birds do what they do, and offering a glimpse into our own nature.
Noah Strycker is a birder and naturalist who has traveled the world in pursuit of his flighty subjects. Drawing deep from personal experience, cutting-edge science, and colorful history, he spins captivating stories about the birds in our midst and reveals the startlingly intimate coexistence of birds and humans. With humor, style, and grace, he shows how our view of the world is often, and remarkably, through the experience of birds.
Beautiful and wise, funny and insightful, The Thing with Feathers is a gripping and enlightening journey into the lives of birds.
Review
“[Strycker] combines the latest in ornithological science with snippets of history and his own vast experience in the field to hatch a thoroughly entertaining examination of bird behavior….In Strycker's absorbing survey, we find out how much fun it is simply to watch them.” Booklist, Starred Review
Review
“[Strycker's] prose is difficult to stop reading.” Publishers Weekly
Review
“A delightful book with broad appeal.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“A dazzling variety of avian subjects, including connections between birds and humans.” Library Journal
About the Author
Noah Strycker has studied birds in some of the worlds most extreme environments, and is associate editor of the American Birding Association's flagship magazine, Birding. His previous book, Among Penguins, describes a summer studying penguins in an isolated Antarctic field camp. Strycker writes, lectures, and lives near Eugene, Oregon, between field seasons.