Reviews
"Montgomery weaves a delightful, insightful story of the unusual lives of familiar birds to show us that they are personable, fun, annoying, lovable, and awesome and do indeed, strike into our very souls. Her tales are an astonishing, wide-ranging blend of science, art, humor, understanding, and love, and a must read for all animal lovers. Montgomery captures not only the incredible and astonishing variety of bird behavior and intelligence, but the essence of the very soul of birds." -- Joanna Burger, Distinguished Professor of Biology, and author ofThe Parrot Who Owns Me, "This is my favorite kind of book: charming, witty, and wise, idiosyncratic and inspiring. AndBirdologyis Sy Montgomery at her very best. Not a catalog, list, or inventory,Birdologyis more like a novel, a confession, or an engaging memoir of life lived with soul and wings. I love this book." -- Dale Peterson, author ofJane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined ManandElephant Reflections, "Spell-binding, absolutely compelling, and so beautifully expressed,Birdologytells stories that everyone should know. Nobody has ever gone so far into the minds of birds as Montgomery has. She completely conveys the life, the obsession, the fascination with birds in an intimate, personal, and engaging style. A magnificent achievement." -- Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author ofWhen Elephants WeepandDogs Never Lie about Love, "From the first greeting of her charming hens to her celebration of crows in all their smarts and wit, Sy Montgomery has me hooked. One cannot read this book without imagining birds as special people, with emotions and personalities and sometimes an intellect not all that different from our own." -- Dr. Don Kroodsma, author ofThe Singing Life of Birds, "An original, even brilliant, account of seven species of birds-their fundamental strangeness and their strange familiarity….I have learned something from every chapter." -- Living Bird, “An original, even brilliant, account of seven species of birdstheir fundamental strangeness and their strange familiarity&.I have learned something from every chapter.� -- Living Bird, "Sy Montgomery has the mind of a scientist and the fierceness of a raptor as she dives beneath the skin and deep into the bones of the avian world inBirdology. Brimming with insights about hidden bird abilities and the secrets of their behavior, the book is at its heart about the emotional bond between birds and people. Whether describing the gentle art of keeping hens or the bloodcurdling perils of falconry, Sy's writing dazzles like hummingbird feathers drenched in blazing sunshine."-- Bob Tarte, author ofEnslaved by DucksandFowl Weather, "There could be no better guide to the wonder of birds than Sy Montgomery. Her empathy with wild things is as real as it is rare; yet she seems to like the people who study, care for, and work with birds just as much. This is a book about intense connections between people and birds. Montgomery unlocks some of the secret of how and what birds may be thinking. Read it, and you will never look at a parrot, chicken, hawk or pigeon in quite the same way again."-- Julie Zickefoose, NPR commentator; author ofLetters from Eden, "Sy Montgomery has once again taken animal writing to another level of consciousness, compassion and understanding.Birdologyis a brilliant, strikingly original, and beautifully written look into the fragile, rich story of birds, whose lives as more varied, endangered, individualistic, and powerful than dogs and cats. I've never read anything like this about birds. These stories will haunt and enrich you, and they remind us how important birds are to our history and ecosystem. And how much they need our attention." -- Jon Katz, author ofA Dog YearandKatz on Dogs, "An original, even brilliant, account of seven species of birds-their fundamental strangeness and their strange familiarityhellip;.I have learned something from every chapter." --Living Bird, "One of America's pre-eminent writers on animals, the immensely talented Sy Montgomery leads us on a compelling journey of exploration into the very depths of what makes a bird a bird. With wit, compassion, and a cornucopia of fascinating facts, she delves into the lives and sensibilities of seven types of birds, tracing our relationship to them throughout evolution and human history. From hawks to hummingbirds and crows to cassowaries, Sy highlights bird language, individuality, homing and hunting abilities, and relationship to dinosaurs in a manner that not only reveals her deep love for birds, but also her inner quest to understand all living things. With this book, birders, animal-lovers, or anyone with a with a mild curiosity about birds, will gain a new-found respect and appreciation for the essence of these avian marvels." -- Don and Lillian Stokes, authors ofStokes Field Guide to Birds, "An original, even brilliant, account of seven species of birds-their fundamental strangeness and their strange familiarity....I have learned something from every chapter." -- Living Bird, "Sy Montgomery may be the best interpreter of animals of all time. With impeccable science and profound respect,Birdologydescribes the miracle of these apparently familiar beings. We take them for granted and that is our mistake. In fact, they are dinosaurs, still living on earth after two hundred and thirty five million years, with minds and abilities that often far surpass our own. One seldom finds a real page-turner as a source of important information, yetBirdologyis all of that and more." -- Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author ofThe Hidden Life of DogsandThe Social Life of Dogs, "An original, even brilliant, account of seven species of birds--their fundamental strangeness and their strange familiarity....I have learned something from every chapter." -- Living Bird, "Sy Montgomery does for birds what Jane Goodall did for apes. With an infectious sense of adventure, and a sense of awe and mystery, her stories change the way we look at even the most 'common' birds and instill in us a deep sense of gratitude that we are privileged to share this planet with such delightful creatures.Birdologyis bound to become a classic."-- Stacey O'Brien, author ofWesley the Owl
