Amazon.com Review
Do birds have emotions? Do they play? Do they remember? Alexander Skutch, one of the deans of contemporary ornithology, answers in the affirmative in this anecdotal, genial look at avian intelligence. Birds have long memories, he suggests, citing as evidence a garden thrush that came to visit him year after year, even recognizing him when he donned a particularly silly disguise. They can also use tools, feel attachment to other birds and humans, and communicate information of various kinds to one another. Not all that birds do, Skutch writes, speaks to their genius (one chapter is entitled "Apparently Stupid Behavior"), but their actions suggest a surprising depth of knowledge and ability. Birders will treasure his insights. --Gregory McNamee
Review
The Minds of Birds is a marvelous anthology of classic bird stories, a measured brief for a radical judgment ... questioning a basic tenet of our self-assumed uniqueness in nature. -- The New York Times Book Review, Joseph Kastner
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
