The Wonder of Birds

Starred review from April 24, 2017
In this deeply felt and well-supported argument for avians’ value to humankind, science writer Robbins (The Man Who Planted Trees) hits the full trifecta for engrossing and satisfying nature writing. He displays a personal involvement with and “soul-stirring wonder” about his subject, a fondness for the sometimes-obsessed researchers who dive deeply into specifics of anatomy and behavior, and a smooth and engaging writing style through which he conveys a huge amount of factual information while keeping his narrative flowing. Robbins credits birds with helping researchers to better understand flight, metacognition, and the process of learning. Through birds we’ve learned more about the history of dinosaurs and ecological equilibrium (birds act as ecological sentinels). Birds provide humans with meat, feathers, and guano. And humans have long been simply enchanted by birdsong. Robbins keeps his focus as much on field laboratories and urban areas as on wild nature, and he values the insights of indigenous peoples gleaned in the field of ethno-ornithology. The world “is fantastically rich and alive with meaning,” Robbins reminds readers, offering correctives to “our inability to sense it” as well as pointers on where to look. Agent: Stuart Bernstein, Stuart Bernstein Representation for Artists.

May 15, 2017

In this engaging, thoughtful title, Robbins (The Man Who Planted Trees), an accomplished science reporter for the New York Times since 1980, surveys birds' notable characteristics and their impact on humans in a worldwide survey. Topics include evolution, flight, the qualities of feathers, birds both domestic and wild as food, language, intelligence, physiology, and extreme feats of migration. An astounding chapter on guano, once a vital economic resource, segues into a look at birds as spreaders of seeds. Though the single black-and-white drawings at the start of each chapter are effective, some readers may wish for more illustrations throughout the volume. Also, most of the authors and intriguing articles cited are not also listed in the bibliography. Despite some minor flaws, however, this work is worthy of a place alongside David Attenborough's documentary The Life of Birds or Graeme Gibson's The Bedside Book of Birds. VERDICT Of wide-ranging significance, this offering will appeal to naturalists, anthropologists, linguists, and even philosophers as well as to lay readers.--Henry T. Armistead, formerly with Free Lib. of Philadelphia

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