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banana_hutch's review
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Curious about how birds perceive the world? Then this book is for you! I learned a lot. If you're a bird lover, you'll appreciate this one. A bit dense at times, but very interesting.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty
pattricejones's review
This is book about sensation by someone who seems to have no feelings. What's even more odd is that this is a book about "what it's like to be a bird" by someone who seems to have zero interest in that question.
"In the late 1960s, I dissected my way through much of the animal kingdom.... I loved it.... the dogfish was a delightful dissection" (pp 134-135).
In addition to demonstrating Birkhead's callousness, that quote gives you a tip on where Birkhead's true interests lie: In determining the structures and mechanics of vision, taste, touch, hearing and other sensations in birds. How that adds up... what it might feel like to be a bird... that question seems to fall so far outside of the ambit of Birkhead's curiosity that he has never once troubled himself to even try to imagine it.
And so he is able, without flinching, to describe the most horrific experiments on birds (and on other animals, such as mice) as if these were unremarkable and self-evidently justifiable activities. He also describes his own interventions into the lives of both captive and free-living birds without once feeling the need to justify them. One can only imagine that he, like so many scientists, is operating under the unspoken maxim of might makes right, as follows: (1) I am curious about something; (2) I have the power to do something that might satisfy my desire for an answer; thus (3) I have the right to do that thing, with reckless disregard for who it might hurt.
I imagine that his publishers came up with the subtitle of the book and that the subtitle --which speaks to the curiosity that so many people other than Birkhead have about birds-- is responsible for its sales, regardless of the fact that the book itself does not delve very far into the question of what it's like to be a bird.
Birkhead does devote a few pages toward the end to the question of bird emotion, ever so generously allowing that the animals who share all of the biological infrastructure responsible for emotion probably do experience emotion. Having acknowledged the hurtful effects of stress in particular, he does not refer back to the stressful experiments (such as pulling parents away from their nestlings) to in any way justify having caused such distress. Might makes right, I guess.
Read this book only if knowing something more about the mechanics of sensation in birds will help you to be helpful to birds (e.g., if you are a wildlife rehabilitator or, like me, care for birds at a sanctuary). If possible, check it out from the library rather than buying it, in order to avoid further rewarding Birkhead for his callous mistreatment of birds.
"In the late 1960s, I dissected my way through much of the animal kingdom.... I loved it.... the dogfish was a delightful dissection" (pp 134-135).
In addition to demonstrating Birkhead's callousness, that quote gives you a tip on where Birkhead's true interests lie: In determining the structures and mechanics of vision, taste, touch, hearing and other sensations in birds. How that adds up... what it might feel like to be a bird... that question seems to fall so far outside of the ambit of Birkhead's curiosity that he has never once troubled himself to even try to imagine it.
And so he is able, without flinching, to describe the most horrific experiments on birds (and on other animals, such as mice) as if these were unremarkable and self-evidently justifiable activities. He also describes his own interventions into the lives of both captive and free-living birds without once feeling the need to justify them. One can only imagine that he, like so many scientists, is operating under the unspoken maxim of might makes right, as follows: (1) I am curious about something; (2) I have the power to do something that might satisfy my desire for an answer; thus (3) I have the right to do that thing, with reckless disregard for who it might hurt.
I imagine that his publishers came up with the subtitle of the book and that the subtitle --which speaks to the curiosity that so many people other than Birkhead have about birds-- is responsible for its sales, regardless of the fact that the book itself does not delve very far into the question of what it's like to be a bird.
Birkhead does devote a few pages toward the end to the question of bird emotion, ever so generously allowing that the animals who share all of the biological infrastructure responsible for emotion probably do experience emotion. Having acknowledged the hurtful effects of stress in particular, he does not refer back to the stressful experiments (such as pulling parents away from their nestlings) to in any way justify having caused such distress. Might makes right, I guess.
Read this book only if knowing something more about the mechanics of sensation in birds will help you to be helpful to birds (e.g., if you are a wildlife rehabilitator or, like me, care for birds at a sanctuary). If possible, check it out from the library rather than buying it, in order to avoid further rewarding Birkhead for his callous mistreatment of birds.
christygrauley's review against another edition
4.0
WSJ weekend book reviews have led me to some really wonderful books I wouldn't have found on my own. This is once of them. Fabulous book. Loved his descriptions of what ornithologists have learned over the years but also really appreciated that he is curious and hopeful regarding potential new discoveries.
sjgrodsky's review against another edition
1.0
I am quitting on page 96. I have other books — more engaging books, I hope — waiting for me at the library.
I might like Tim Burkhead if I met him. If he were patient with my elementary bird watching skills, I’d love to go birding with him. Though I would NOT discuss the issues described later in this review.
Maybe I expected too much. The subtitle, “What it’s like to be a bird” promises quite a lot. But the promise isn’t fulfilled. You learn a lot about the structure of birds’ sense organs, you learn how ornithologists devised clever experiments to test their hypotheses. But you don’t become a bird. Not even close.
I did learn some interesting things. For example, I learned how that robin (charmingly called “the American robin” by the British writer ) knows when peck at the soil and get an earthworm. I’ve never even stopped to think about how those robins hopping around my front yard know when to peck. Turns out that it’s probably a combination of senses. He may see movement in the grass. He may smell the worm. He may even hear the sound as the worm’s body brushes against the soil.
There is another issue. And that is that many of the experiments described sound as if they were intrusive at the least, and quite possibly painful for the bird subjects.
I suppose that the author would tell me that this is the pursuit of knowledge and it’s worth whatever pain the birds suffer so he can complete his PhD.
Hmm. Would the author gladly suffer discomfort if the birds were the ones running the experiments and blithely dismissing HIS pain?
I might like Tim Burkhead if I met him. If he were patient with my elementary bird watching skills, I’d love to go birding with him. Though I would NOT discuss the issues described later in this review.
Maybe I expected too much. The subtitle, “What it’s like to be a bird” promises quite a lot. But the promise isn’t fulfilled. You learn a lot about the structure of birds’ sense organs, you learn how ornithologists devised clever experiments to test their hypotheses. But you don’t become a bird. Not even close.
I did learn some interesting things. For example, I learned how that robin (charmingly called “the American robin” by the British writer ) knows when peck at the soil and get an earthworm. I’ve never even stopped to think about how those robins hopping around my front yard know when to peck. Turns out that it’s probably a combination of senses. He may see movement in the grass. He may smell the worm. He may even hear the sound as the worm’s body brushes against the soil.
There is another issue. And that is that many of the experiments described sound as if they were intrusive at the least, and quite possibly painful for the bird subjects.
I suppose that the author would tell me that this is the pursuit of knowledge and it’s worth whatever pain the birds suffer so he can complete his PhD.
Hmm. Would the author gladly suffer discomfort if the birds were the ones running the experiments and blithely dismissing HIS pain?
karp76's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, an interesting read. Lacking a comprehensive knowledge of birds, I did not always have visual well of an assortment of birds to draw from. Also, there were a surprising lack of visuals, either in the way of drawings and/or photographs. For one with a background in Academia, Birkhead's writing is surprisingly easy and well digested. It was a small delight to read and I only wish the book, as well as avian research, was more inclusive.
tangleweed's review
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
Really fascinating overview of a broad topic, with a lot of enthusiasm carrying complex topics well.
xenobio's review against another edition
4.0
Very entertaining book for anybody who likes animals and is interested in learning about how they experience the world..
mark_lm's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good. I don't feel that the book actually told me what it was like to be a bird.