A review by piperclover
The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think by Jennifer Ackerman

adventurous emotional funny informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

This was such a good time to listen to. The narrator is the author which is always so fun and she does a really great job. There are so many absolutely fascinating examples given in this book that I have told to every single person who will listen.

My favorite example was of the kite birds in Australia that have been proven to start fires get the animals that evacuate the land and how it might also be happening in the US. I live in a drought stricken state that is prone to massive wildfires and the idea that birds could be a small percentage of the fires is wild and fascinating in a scary way. Im absolutely going to deep dive into this. 

There was one main problem I had though. There are so so so many examples given that I couldn't process it all. In every chapter, Ackerman would name at least a dozen examples before focusing on 2 or 3, and while I appreciate that focus, having so many names and behaviors thrown at me every chapter left me struggling to catch up and remember what long example we were on. 

Having recently listened to Owls of the Eastern Ice by Jonathan C Slaght, I was overjoyed to have a section on him and the Blackiston's fish owl with quotes from him. The author is great at giving quotes from experts and making it clear when evidence or explanations aren't hers but rather an experts.