In the leech-infested rain forest of Queensland, you'll come face to face with a cassowary-a 150-pound, man-tall, flightless bird with a helmet of bone on its head and a slashing razor-like toenail with which it (occasionally) eviscerates people-proof that Birds Are Dinosaurs. The first lesson of 'Birdology 'is that, no matter how common they are, Birds Are Individuals, as each of Montgomery's distinctive Ladies clearly shows. By way of her adventures with seven birds-wild, tame, exotic, and common-she weaves new scientific insights and narrative to reveal seven kernels of bird wisdom. In 'Birdology, 'beloved author of 'The Good Good Pig' Sy Montgomery explores the essence of the otherworldly creatures we see every day. And you'll come to know and love a host of other avian characters who will change your mind forever about who birds really are.Įach of these birds shows a different and utterly surprising aspect of what makes a bird a bird-and these are the lessons of 'Birdology': that birds are far stranger, more wondrous, and at the same time more like us than we might have dared to imagine.

You'll meet Harris's hawks named Fire and Smoke. Snowball is a cockatoo whose dance video went viral on YouTube and who's now teaching schoolchildren how to dance. Their lives hang precariously in the balance-but with human help, they may one day conquer the sky. In these pages you'll also meet Maya and Zuni, two orphaned baby hummingbirds who hatched from eggs the size of navy beans, and who are little more than air bubbles fringed with feathers. Meet the ladies: a flock of smart, affectionate, highly individualistic chickens who visit their favorite neighbors, devise different ways to hide from foxes, and mob the author like she's a rock star.

Birdology by Sy Montgomery