The Bird Way by Jennifer Ackerman

For once, I have read the author's books in the correct order. I am very new to tuning in to birds and bird behavior and this book, which follows The Genius of Birds, is a celebration of the dizzying variety of bird life. The book is arranged according to different aspects of bird behavior. It begins with birdsong, moving from the dawn chorus to alarm calls to mimicry; then there’s a series of chapters on “work” – how birds go about providing for themselves and their offspring. After this comes “play” and "love", which is more about reproduction. And most fascinating is the raising of the offspring. The parasitic behavior of cowbirds and fan-tailed cuckoos I was familiar with, but the cooperative chick rearing of the ani, with large collective nests and group guarding and feeding of unrelated offspring is very unusual and cool. All of these cover the science of what we have learned about birds--a remarkable story of progress--and then translating what that means by using stories from her continent-hopping succession of astonishing encounters with birds. It is an enjoyable read, and one that would appeal to anyone who is interested in biology and the natural world.