The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman (Epub)

Description

Birds are astonishingly intelligent creatures. According to revolutionary new research, some birds rival primates and even humans in their remarkable forms of intelligence. In The Genius of Birds, acclaimed author Jennifer Ackerman explores their newly discovered brilliance and how it came about.

As she travels around the world to the most cutting-edge frontiers of research, Ackerman not only tells the story of the recently uncovered genius of birds but also delves deeply into the latest findings about the bird brain itself that are shifting our view of what it means to be intelligent. At once personal yet scientific, richly informative and beautifully written, The Genius of Birds celebrates the triumphs of these surprising and fiercely intelligent creatures.

Ackerman is also the author of Birds by the Shore: Observing the Natural Life of the Atlantic Coast.

User’s Reviews

Review “[A] gloriously provocative and highly entertaining book. Jennifer Ackerman provides a masterly survey of research in the last two decades that has produced a revolution in our understanding of bird cognition. The Genius of Birds [is] important not only for what it says about birds, but also about the human ingenuity entailed in unraveling the mysteries of the avian brain. It is at once a book of knowledge but also a work of wonder and an affirmation of the astonishing complexity of our world.” —Wall Street Journal“Lovely, celebratory. For all the belittling of ‘bird brains,’ [Ackerman] shows them to be uniquely impressive machines . . .” —New York Times Book Review “Richly researched . . . The Genius of Birds provides engrossing evidence that will have readers looking at birds in a completely new way.” —The Daily Progress“A lyrical testimony to the wonders of avian intelligence.” —Scientific American“Ackerman is a pro at parsing scientific con­cepts in an accessible style, and her lyrical writing underscores her appreciation for the beauty and adaptability of birds.” —BookPage “Ackerman writes with a light but assured touch, her prose rich in fact but economical in delivering it. Fans of birds in all their diversity will want to read this one.” —Kirkus Reviews “Ackerman offers plenty of interesting tidbits and backs them up with the relevant history or science, using footnotes to avoid cluttering the text with anything that might slow a reader down. This is one of those terrific books that makes a scientific topic fun without dumbing it down.” —Washington Independent Review of Books“I love birds; always have. The only thing better than love is love plus deep appreciation. The Genius of Birds is a journey of deep appreciation for the beautiful geniuses all around us, in our gardens, sharing our air, and sharing more of our minds than we might have expected.” —Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel“Delightful, revolutionary, and illuminated by the clean, curious gaze of an intelligent seeker, The Genius of Birds is fueled by awe and always, its close cousin, deep respect for the condition of life. It’s a book that demands a moral consideration of the world.” —Rick Bass, author of The Ninemile Wolves and For A Little While: New and Selected Stories

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ Full disclosure, I did not get very far into this book, so I gave it one star instead of 0. over the past few years I have come to appreciate keeping an eye out for birds while hiking in Pennsylvania, which is why this book was attractive to me, but as I said, I had to stop reading because I feared if I kept reading I would come to hate birds. The syrupy nostalgic personal summer camp grandfatherly homemade canoe tone of this book was very hard for me to stomach. Birds are awesome. We can see this by watching them and listening to them in the wild. This book does nothing to enhance that. But as I said, I didn’t get far into it, but a few random spot checks throughout was enough to confirm to me that I should not keep reading it. beautiful illustration on the cover, though.

⭐ Birds are not the little feathered automatons we once believed, says this fascinating book. Their brains may be small, and they are built differently from mammalian brains, but they can still execute prodigious feats of intellect–tool-making, map-making, memory, and the creation of beauty. The study of bird intelligence is more complex than you might think. Even the definition of intelligence is a daunting task, with much room for controversy. Most fascinating to this reviewer was the question of whether intellect correlates to the survival of an individual or a species. Perhaps the answer is ‘it depends.’Author Jennifer Ackerman writes in a somewhat dry manner, but she makes the extensive research on bird intelligence accessible and leaves the reader wanting more. How do birds carry out those vast migrations, how do they find their way home, why do male birds pour their hearts out in song and why do female birds choose their mates by these efforts? These and many other questions are explored, with no final answers, but the raising of more questions. Why does the bower-bird build elaborate, artistic structures to impress potential mates? Do birds appreciate beauty itself? Well, you can’t stop reading.The book is extensively referenced for readers who want to pursue the topic in more depth. I only wish the author had included some illustrations–the basic anatomy of the avian brain would have been helpful. Or, some of the tools birds make. Or those incredible “bowers” that bower-birds build for their music and dance performances. Still, this is an outstanding book and I recommend it highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

⭐ While this book focuses on bird intelligence, the overall theme is much larger. It is appealing to anyone who is interested in birds, intelligence in general, culture and diversity and how individuals, species and generations thrive. It is both scientifically grounded and philosophically reflective. The most recent information on research into bird intelligence is fascinating. But it sheds light not only on birds but on types of intelligence and modes of adaptation that are not just avian but can be seen in humans as well: the specialist, group problem solving, the innovative, the generalist and the timid. It highlights the importance of diversity and how that diversity can contribute to the success of a population. And, of course, it highlights our need to take a long hard look at how we are affecting our world, often to the detriment of our feathered friends. This is an interesting and thought-provoking read overall and particularly enjoyable if you are captivated and enthralled by those beautiful winged creatures of the air.

⭐ The Genius of Birds may not be for everyone, but for this bird lover and biology major, it was absolutely marvelous.The author—a bird lover herself—is a journalist who traveled the world to observe the work of researchers studying avian intelligence. She relates amazing stories of many species of birds—the New Caledonian crows, the bowerbirds of Australia, the tits of Great Britain, mimic birds and migratory birds—whose intelligence, as measured by fascinating and well-constructed experiments, is far greater than previously thought. In some cases, these birds rival primates and even humans in their intricate behaviors.From complex song patterns to the construction and use of tools, to impressive social behavior (e.g., deception, manipulation, gift-giving, consoling, alerting to danger), Ackerman gives us an inside look at almost unbelievable avian characteristics, elegant experiments, and fascinating conclusions.This research is not without issues—birds must sometimes be captured, operated on, and killed to be studied. The studies themselves can alter their behavior. But the work she describes is furthering our knowledge and understanding of intelligence—not just avian, but also all animal intelligence.I was fortunate to hear the author, who lives in the Charlottesville area of Virginia, speak at our state arboretum, Blandy Farm. Her commitment to learning and her passion for discovery were as evident in person as in her book.One thing for sure: the next time I call someone a birdbrain, it will be a sincere compliment.

⭐ The Genius of Birds, by Jennifer Ackerman is a gamechanger for the way in which the curious reader will think concerning birds. Perhaps you thought birds were cute but not very bright, for example. Get ready to change your mind when you read in chapter one about “007”, a corbid (kind of crow from New Caledonia), who goes through 8 steps, using tools, within two and a half minutes to get to a piece of food, after one scrutiny of this puzzle. Many types of birds are very smart, in the manner which humans are smart. Interestingly, the birds which take the longest to raise in the nest are the smartest and have the biggest brains (with the appropriate neurons). This section discusses the brilliance of some kinds of birds.Here you will find the tool users and others, such as the kees, who love clowning around and horseplay. As an illustration of this, the author mentions a kee who was seen rolling up a doormat and pushing it down a flight of steps.The writing by the author Jennifer Ackerman is at times beautiful ( as when she is describing the rainforest at nightfall),or laugh-out-loud funny (she discusses attempts by a bird biologist to measure intelligence in his test subjects by disguising himself, wearing at different sessions: a kimono, a wig,sunglasses, or walking with a limp, or hopping. They always recognized him). I was totally rolling when I read this, thinking of Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther movies. She is always fresh too, with new news on birds right up to this year. As things have changed dramatically in what we know about birds within the past ten years, this book is welcome as an overview, now. This is a book for bird lovers of all sorts.There is a section about the social aspect of birds, subtitled “twitter”. This is fascinating too. The reader will learn about how different types of birds bond, and how they teach their young to perform certain important actions they will eventually need to survive. Also discussed is how some types of birds teach others in their particular “group” techniques they have been trained. , Incredibly, researchers have taught certain birds to open feeders in a special manner. They then were able to watch and track as their trained birds performed the tasks in the woods. The birds they had trained managed to train additional wild members to do exactly as they did, What collaborative little creatures!Further on, you learn about vocal virtuosity. I particularly love bird song, as I find it incredibly uplifting. I didn’t know that birds must be tutored to sing however. I understand this now, from this book.In this chapter you learn that among Thomas Jefferson’s favorite pets were his mockingbirds. Later,when you read about Honey Child, a hand raised mockingbird, your jaw will drop with amazement at the repertoire of his songs, which he would add to and occasionally drop throughout the length of his life. Woodpeckers, wrens, jays, you name it, Honey Child is worth the read! You will learn that this intricate process of vocal learning is termed “advanced”, because, it’s done “our way”, eg., the way humans teach their children, and the way children learn to selectively speak.The male songbirds who have better songs appeal to the females more, too.As the author writes, “Listening for super-sexy syllables allows female canaries to rule out males with poor bilateral co-ordination” This is important, if you are a lady canary!Read on, through this award-winning author’s book, to learn about birds who decorate: “the bird artist”, birds who can map: “a mapping mind” and finally, sparrows: “sparrowville”.This is a book to curl up with in the winter, or to take along on your cruise. It doesn’t really have photos, just a few sketches of birds opening each chapter, but that is not the point of this book. The Genius of Birds is about behaviors, patterns, reversal learning, which bird is the “world’s dumbest”–yes, it has an offering for that, but not the author’s (and I cracked up at that part!!!), the importance of studying birds in their natural environment to learn more and better understand them, and plenty more. The Genius of Birds is a big read, but nothing in it is wasted on the willing reader. I applaud Ackerman for taking me outside and to all sorts of amazing places, when she wrote this uplifting, extraordinary book about beautiful, beautiful birds.

⭐ I find birds fascinating and only had a basic knowledge of their behavior until I read this book. Jennifer Ackerman writes so well and makes it easy for a beginner bird aficionado like me to learn about these wondrous creatures. Every chapter was engaging. Ackerman traveled around the world to where the latest research was taking place. She tells us about the brains of the various species of birds and their behavior. There are chapters on their singing, nesting, social behaviors and more that left me even more in awe of these incredible creatures. I look forward to her next book which will be coming out in Spring 2020.

⭐ It comes down to respect. It really does. Humans typically either diminish or exaggerate what they can’t explain. God created all the world’s animals as they presently are and we can do whatever we want with them or animals are simply mindless unfeeling creatures acting on instinct. Well, like any scientist worth their salt, Ms. Ackerman utilizes evolution as a solid reality in ‘The Genius of Birds.’ Anthropomorphizing is avoided in the work. The book is written in layman’s terms with an occasional word I had to look up because they didn’t even look remotely familiar. For instance, she casually used the word ‘pianissimo’ instead of simply saying ‘very soft.’ Some other examples are taxonomic, euryphagous, petiole, boffin, altricial, and taxa. Heck, even while typing some of these words into the review, the Amazon program underlined them in red as to say, “Not a word, dude.” It is not a complaint. I look up words in practically every book I read. It’s just a head’s up that, unless you’re the big brain in the bunch, some words will be above your ken. Keep a dictionary handy.If you have an interest in birds, Ms. Ackerman’s work is a good start. The author focuses on scientists’ attempts to define bird intelligence (scientists prefer the term ‘cognition’ instead of intelligence). There are aspects in which birds clearly have superior mental functions than us humans. ‘The Genius of Birds’ covers such areas as what is intelligence, the birds’ technical abilities, how they socialize and its probable functions, their vocal abilities, their aesthetic aptitude, their spatial and temporal aptitude, and their ability to adapt. Naturally, at 266 pages, the book cannot possibly cover all species. It is an overview, highlighting some of the more impressive bird talents. Maybe this is why chickens are not truly addressed in the work. There are plenty of scientific facts in the book but also even more that are simply speculation. Like much in science, discoveries lead to more questions. Measuring bird cognition is still in its infancy. The book has some wonderful black-and-white illustrations but they are decorative and not informative. I was googling my a** off looking for images of the birds referenced in the thing.Near the end of the book, Ms. Ackerman addresses the effects that global warming are having on birds. It’s yet another work that gives examples of what we humans are doing to the other animals sharing this planet with us. ‘The Genius of Birds’ kept me engaged. It is a mixture of scientific tests, their results, and interesting anecdotes. If you have an interest in birds, you’ll likely enjoy the book. It may even help you view intelligence in a different light.

⭐ Here we have a wonderful exploration of the inside of birds’ heads and a dismissal of several old chestnuts about our avian friends. It seems they are not ‘bird brains,’ or simple creatures acting only on instinct, but very smart, in some cases astonishingly smart critters. An African Grey parrot named Throckmorton that apes a cell phone’s ring, a sneeze, a vacuum cleaner. Another talking bird whose favorite expression reveals its owner’s frustration as it yacks over and over, ‘talk, damn you, talk!’ Much of this section is laugh out loud fun, as for example when Ackerman talks about a bird that imitates a nearby shepherd calling his dogs, and puts those dogs through their paces till they’re exhausted.Despite tossing around terms like ‘syrinx,’ lateral magnocelluar nucleus of the nidopallium,’ ‘subsong,’ and ‘Cencontlatolly,’ (meaning four-hundred tongues) Ackerman never condescends or over-simplifies but explains. A bit Annie-Dillard mixed with another Ackerman, Diane by name, this author clearly respects, understands and idolizes birds. Avoiding her own admonition to steer clear of ‘the danger of anthropomorphism,’ Ackerman maintains her objectivity throughout, ever curious and willing to admit bewilderment. With citations to Thoreau, Darwin, Lorenz and others, she’s crafted a narrative about our feathered friends that’s timely, considering climate change and its effects on birds, and authoritative. Well worth reading, four stars only because it was too darned short. Maybe there’ll be a sequel.Byron Edgington, author of A Vietnam Anthem. A Vietnam Anthem: What The War Gave Me

⭐ I certainly disagree with the magazine and newspaper reviews: She did not parse scientific jargon into readable prose. There is too much unnecessary information, almost as though she was writing her dissertation. On the other hand, when she addresses person encounters with birds or just talks about Black-capped chickadees, Great Blue herons, or Keas, her prose flows as it should. I gave up looking for definitions of some scientific terms when I decided (in Chapter 3) that it wasn’t necessary for my enjoyment. Yes, I read to learn, but mostly what I want is to read for just sheer enjoyment. I wish that some of these authors would treat the reader as though I was a 10 year old: I don’t like being talked UP to. I’m not there yet … and I’m never going to get there.Would I recommend this book? Well, if you’re into nature photography specializing in avian lifeforms, yes. But I’ve been “at this” for 65 years. Amateurs? Well, I did learn quite a bit about the intelligence of birds, but much of that wasn’t completely new.Last, I swear that the print is 8 point Times Roman, about 2/3rds of what you’re reading right now. It is very small, and more gray than black. While I cannot read books on my Kindle (not matter how I adjust the print and background, it’s just uncomfortable), I would recommend that you purchase the Kindle form if you’re going to buy this at all. And if you can tell me how to make my tablet comfortable on my chest while reading in bed, that would be a much desired revelation!

⭐ This is the most beautifully written, organized and interesting non-fiction book I have read in a long time. I learned so many fascinating facts about birds. Not just the birds I have never heard of, but birds I see almost every day. I didn’t know chickens prefer large eggs and great blue herons will eat rays.Yes, a bit of it was above my head–or maybe I should say my brain. I don’t know anything about brain neurons, but not too much of the book is devoted to physiology. It is truly a fascinating read that I will never forget.

Keywords

Free Download The Genius of Birds in Epub format
The Genius of Birds Epub Free Download
Download The Genius of Birds 2017 Epub Free
The Genius of Birds 2017 Epub Free Download
Download The Genius of Birds Epub
Free Download Ebook The Genius of Birds