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A review by april_does_feral_sometimes
The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
4.0
Why did I read a book like ‘The Genius of Birds' by Jennifer Ackerman? I walk a few times a week for exercise. At first, I had earbuds for listening to music and audiobooks jammed into my ears most of the time because I assumed it would be a little dull walking. But eventually I realized I was hearing birdsong all over the place. I wondered what kind of birds were making those sounds. I identified:
https://youtu.be/LfMsUuU9KtQ
and
https://youtu.be/fpTsnpsJJ2k
and
https://youtu.be/ZNsF_tyHiUY
and
https://youtu.be/PkOnpk8Wmow
and maybe
https://youtu.be/umFe7NLfQFw
and day, I saw a hawk sitting on top of a tall evergreen tree; the hawk caused a birdsong pandemonium, much like this video:
https://youtu.be/nOeKqvop6rw
and the following sound was one I heard all of the time despite that I am a mile away from Elliot Bay:
https://youtu.be/A-79gD1gMco
Who were these little noisy fellows (some not so little)? Why so noisy? I live in a medium-sized city with chunks of tamed parkland and an occasional polluted stream around me. How do birds survive in my urban environment? What and who are these birds of all colors and sizes? Crows in particular surround my area, in fact every area I have ever lived on the west coast. Are they the bosses, top of the bird food chain? How do birds sing anyway? What are they thinking? Do they think?
No book about birds can answer every question about birds. An encyclopedia set couldn’t include everything we have seen through millennia about birds. What ‘The Genius of Birds’ explores is primarily what has been discovered about how some birds think and communicate their thoughts, if they have thoughts. If birds have thoughts, what do they think about, and how does it specifically relate to their lives?Jennifer Ackerman discusses some of the testing scientists have devised for observing birds’ thinking behavior. The chapters are:
From Dodo to Crow
The Bird Way
Boffins
Twitter
Four Hundred Tongues
The Bird Artist
A Mapping Mind
Sparrowville
One bird, the New Caledonian crow, is tested frequently because it may be the smartest bird in the world! The book describes the tests the crow passes with ease. It can solve three-step puzzles using tools!
https://youtu.be/LF77qpbvkxo
Scientists have only recently seen with what organ birds use to sing and communicate! The author, Jennifer Ackerman, describes bird vocal chords, recently seen by an MRI. She also discusses various theories of if and why a species of bird devises different tunes and even accents - are songs passed down from parent to child? Or does the knowledge of tunes come along with the baby birds at birth? Is the how of birds that sing and talk related to human brain mechanisms? Are birds actually saying anything intellectually meaningful? Scientists can only make guesses about observed bird sounds and behavior. For instance, why do birds imitate the sounds of other birds, chainsaws, human babies crying and doors opening? Do they sing just to hear themselves, or only to attract mates, or do they also sound off to warn and teach young’uns? Do other species of birds or animals listen for a different bird species’ warnings, or recognize songs as warnings?
https://youtu.be/GpfF1xUqbOE
Some lovely bird tunes:
https://youtu.be/q15dT8h-ORU
https://youtu.be/mSB71jNq-yQ
According to ‘The Genius of Birds’, scientists and amateur birdwatchers have made some fascinating discoveries about bird cognition, culture (omg, birds appear to have culture, and it varies around the world even within the same species!), aesthetics, building skills, mapping talents, and adaptation skills, particular in adapting to us humans. What brain neurons are at work? Are their neurons the same as humans? Do their neurons function like our neurons when doing the same task? Do birds intentionally trick other species of birds and animals and if so, what kind of mental cognition is involved? Can birds connive and scheme? Do birds play around just for fun? She describes the suspected brain talents of various bird species. Her writing is cogent, and she has chosen interesting things to describe to us readers.
Most of what Ackerman discusses is what scientists (professional and amateur) have seen in studies and tests showing what possible cognitive activity is occurring behind the actions different species of birds do under certain circumstances. She describes what bird owners have told about what their pet birds have done (some stories are very funny). This book is interesting, but while fairly comprehensive in some bird brain studies, it left me wanting more. But clearly birds have a working intelligence behind their beautiful eyes!
Thankfully, Ackerman has included sections for Acknowledgements, Notes and Index.
It is an interesting book!
I am not the only one who has wondered what birds do with their lives. People see remarkable bird behavior all of the time once they begin to look. If you want more, gentle reader, Youtube.com is a treasure trove of bird videos and songs.
Speaking of bird behavior and culture:
Dancing birds:
https://youtu.be/wTcfDCjBqV0
https://youtu.be/c2c8IhVRlvo
Pretty bird pretty bird!
https://youtu.be/axa5KI06RDE
Advice to those who want to own birds who can imitate human language: if you do not want guests to hear the things you and your family say, do not say things within the hearing distance of your pet bird. Talking birds can speak VERY clearly, even if it might be only a mindless imitation. And I do think some birds are NOT simply imitating you...they are TALKING. They have feelings. Some like to cuddle and play and do mischievous tricks. They get mad. They pick up on cues from living with people.
Imitating electronics, plus R2D2 gets raped by a budgie:
https://youtu.be/m4ju5Zzv1_0
Talking bird:
https://youtu.be/jXc9ylCXqCw
Some speech might actually mean they have done something and they know how to get to you if they say, “hear me now, b*cth?” They hear and memorize speech from Tv and video games, too, besides from you.
Warning: fowl language, as well as foul
https://youtu.be/b22nUygu7h0
This video, well, idk, it’s just kinda soothing.
https://youtu.be/cnxwsC1RYFY
Alfred Hitchcock was on to something about birds, gentle reader, when he made that movie ‘The Birds.’ This book will give some weight to the idea of no longer using the term “bird brain” to disparage anyone. Wow, birds are cool.
https://youtu.be/LfMsUuU9KtQ
and
https://youtu.be/fpTsnpsJJ2k
and
https://youtu.be/ZNsF_tyHiUY
and
https://youtu.be/PkOnpk8Wmow
and maybe
https://youtu.be/umFe7NLfQFw
and day, I saw a hawk sitting on top of a tall evergreen tree; the hawk caused a birdsong pandemonium, much like this video:
https://youtu.be/nOeKqvop6rw
and the following sound was one I heard all of the time despite that I am a mile away from Elliot Bay:
https://youtu.be/A-79gD1gMco
Who were these little noisy fellows (some not so little)? Why so noisy? I live in a medium-sized city with chunks of tamed parkland and an occasional polluted stream around me. How do birds survive in my urban environment? What and who are these birds of all colors and sizes? Crows in particular surround my area, in fact every area I have ever lived on the west coast. Are they the bosses, top of the bird food chain? How do birds sing anyway? What are they thinking? Do they think?
No book about birds can answer every question about birds. An encyclopedia set couldn’t include everything we have seen through millennia about birds. What ‘The Genius of Birds’ explores is primarily what has been discovered about how some birds think and communicate their thoughts, if they have thoughts. If birds have thoughts, what do they think about, and how does it specifically relate to their lives?Jennifer Ackerman discusses some of the testing scientists have devised for observing birds’ thinking behavior. The chapters are:
From Dodo to Crow
The Bird Way
Boffins
Four Hundred Tongues
The Bird Artist
A Mapping Mind
Sparrowville
One bird, the New Caledonian crow, is tested frequently because it may be the smartest bird in the world! The book describes the tests the crow passes with ease. It can solve three-step puzzles using tools!
https://youtu.be/LF77qpbvkxo
Scientists have only recently seen with what organ birds use to sing and communicate! The author, Jennifer Ackerman, describes bird vocal chords, recently seen by an MRI. She also discusses various theories of if and why a species of bird devises different tunes and even accents - are songs passed down from parent to child? Or does the knowledge of tunes come along with the baby birds at birth? Is the how of birds that sing and talk related to human brain mechanisms? Are birds actually saying anything intellectually meaningful? Scientists can only make guesses about observed bird sounds and behavior. For instance, why do birds imitate the sounds of other birds, chainsaws, human babies crying and doors opening? Do they sing just to hear themselves, or only to attract mates, or do they also sound off to warn and teach young’uns? Do other species of birds or animals listen for a different bird species’ warnings, or recognize songs as warnings?
https://youtu.be/GpfF1xUqbOE
Some lovely bird tunes:
https://youtu.be/q15dT8h-ORU
https://youtu.be/mSB71jNq-yQ
According to ‘The Genius of Birds’, scientists and amateur birdwatchers have made some fascinating discoveries about bird cognition, culture (omg, birds appear to have culture, and it varies around the world even within the same species!), aesthetics, building skills, mapping talents, and adaptation skills, particular in adapting to us humans. What brain neurons are at work? Are their neurons the same as humans? Do their neurons function like our neurons when doing the same task? Do birds intentionally trick other species of birds and animals and if so, what kind of mental cognition is involved? Can birds connive and scheme? Do birds play around just for fun? She describes the suspected brain talents of various bird species. Her writing is cogent, and she has chosen interesting things to describe to us readers.
Most of what Ackerman discusses is what scientists (professional and amateur) have seen in studies and tests showing what possible cognitive activity is occurring behind the actions different species of birds do under certain circumstances. She describes what bird owners have told about what their pet birds have done (some stories are very funny). This book is interesting, but while fairly comprehensive in some bird brain studies, it left me wanting more. But clearly birds have a working intelligence behind their beautiful eyes!
Thankfully, Ackerman has included sections for Acknowledgements, Notes and Index.
It is an interesting book!
I am not the only one who has wondered what birds do with their lives. People see remarkable bird behavior all of the time once they begin to look. If you want more, gentle reader, Youtube.com is a treasure trove of bird videos and songs.
Speaking of bird behavior and culture:
Dancing birds:
https://youtu.be/wTcfDCjBqV0
https://youtu.be/c2c8IhVRlvo
Pretty bird pretty bird!
https://youtu.be/axa5KI06RDE
Advice to those who want to own birds who can imitate human language: if you do not want guests to hear the things you and your family say, do not say things within the hearing distance of your pet bird. Talking birds can speak VERY clearly, even if it might be only a mindless imitation. And I do think some birds are NOT simply imitating you...they are TALKING. They have feelings. Some like to cuddle and play and do mischievous tricks. They get mad. They pick up on cues from living with people.
Imitating electronics, plus R2D2 gets raped by a budgie:
https://youtu.be/m4ju5Zzv1_0
Talking bird:
https://youtu.be/jXc9ylCXqCw
Some speech might actually mean they have done something and they know how to get to you if they say, “hear me now, b*cth?” They hear and memorize speech from Tv and video games, too, besides from you.
Warning: fowl language, as well as foul
https://youtu.be/b22nUygu7h0
This video, well, idk, it’s just kinda soothing.
https://youtu.be/cnxwsC1RYFY
Alfred Hitchcock was on to something about birds, gentle reader, when he made that movie ‘The Birds.’ This book will give some weight to the idea of no longer using the term “bird brain” to disparage anyone. Wow, birds are cool.