Title: The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent and Think
Author: Jennifer Ackerman
Date: July 28, 2020, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Discussion Leader: Bob Phreaner
Virtual Meeting by Zoom - Sign up below to receive meeting information
Cost: Free
From Jennifer Ackerman, acclaimed author of The Genius of Birds you will read that there is no such thing as a singular “bird way.” Indeed, for every aspect of bird life, the “bird way” varies across species. As E.O. Wilson said “When you’ve seen one bird, you’ve not seen them all”.
Ackerman explores birds that are capable of sophisticated behaviors, from crows that manufacture their own hook tools; to ”firehawks” that some scientists believe intentionally start fires to flush out prey; to hummingbirds that work “traplines’’returning only after the flowers have had time to replenish their stores.
Do only males sing complex songs at dawn and dusk and defend their territories exclusively during the short breeding season?
You will want to add Australia to your post pandemic travel plans where bell miners call all day long, year-round; male and female whipbirds duet so seamlessly they sound like a single bird calling; and birds defend their territory in all seasons. But wait, there is more to explore, from fairy wrens and lovebirds to choughs. The birds down under are where birdsong began. While there you could fly to New Zealand to learn about the Kiwi and the amazing Keas.
Ackerman continent hops from Costa Rica to Alaska to Austria to add to our virtual travel experience. She doesn’t write much about bird behavior in the U.S. but I think you will find she has the ability to translate research papers into stories that are fascinating to birders like us.
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