Bird Sense

March 12, 2012
With clear gusto for his subject, animal behavior expert Birkhead (The Wisdom of Birds) breaks down what it might be like to see, hear, touch, taste, and smell as a bird. Tracing the insights, clever experiments, and surprise contributions that have helped debunk myths about birds’ senses, he takes us to Caripe, Venezuela, where a Harvard undergrad discovered that the cave-dwelling guácharo can navigate in total darkness via echolocation, and introduces us to Betsy Bang, the amateur ornithologist who persuaded the scientific community in the 1960s that birds can smell. After walking us through the five familiar senses that birds share with humans, he also shows how they may be able to orient themselves by the earth’s magnetic field using magnetite crystals within their beaks or even by seeing the field, the way we might a cloud or a tree. And he considers less tangible feelings, too. Although little is known about birds’ emotions, Birkhead makes reasonable behavior-based guesses about what a bird might feel when glimpsing a predator, losing a skirmish with a rival, or reuniting with a mate. The well-organized book takes pains to explain any avian jargon, making for an uncomplicated, entertaining read perfect for birdwatchers and animal enthusiasts. Agent: Felicity Bryan, Felicity Bryan Associates (U.K.).

May 1, 2012
This book helps readers understand what it's like to be something else--in this case, a bird. Ornithologist Birkhead (animal behavior & history of science, Univ. of Sheffield, UK; "The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology") writes about avian senses, with chapters on seeing, hearing, touch, taste, smell, magnetic sense, and emotions. He illustrates the history of scientific thought regarding birds' senses. Birkhead argues that it is difficult for humans to imagine themselves as birds because birds see a different ultraviolet spectrum, hear at higher frequencies, and somehow sense the earth's magnetic field. Moving among field locations (e.g., New Zealand, Florida, Atlantic islands), he illustrates the abilities of birds and their survival techniques, and, in the postscript, describes how all their senses function together. VERDICT Birkhead provides fascinating information for birders and naturalists, but his story often lacks smooth transitions between topics. His jargon may be unfamiliar to nonbirders, and because the author is British some terminology is different from American usage. Still, birders, naturalists, animal scientists, and students will be interested.--Sally Bickley, Del Mar Coll. Lib., Corpus Christi, TX

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