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Bernd Heinrich

Ravens in Winter Paperback – October 1, 1991

by Bernd Heinrich (Author)

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Why should ravens--which are usually solitary birds--share valuable food in the dead of winter? How clever are these birds? Do they have a language? These are some of the riddles that noted sociobiologist Bernd Heinrich, author of Bumblebee Economics and winner of the John Burroughs Medal, explores in this intriguing book. 16 pages of drawings.

Print length

400 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vintage
Publication date

October 1, 1991
Dimensions

5.32 x 0.83 x 7.68 inches
ISBN-10

0679732365
ISBN-13

978-0679732365
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ravens are among the most elusive and yet (or, consequently) fascinating animals of North American I have ever encountered. Heinrich--an incredibly patient and cold-hardy fellow, not to mention, a heck of a writer--studied ravens in the dead of winter in Maine, and made some remarkable discoveries of how these normally solitary birds would actually engage in food sharing. Few of the many works on behavioral ecology I have read so compellingly capture the tedium of field work, the inscrutability of subject animals, and the satisfaction of discovery that provides even greater warmth than a blazing wood fire in the middle of a northern winter. Highly Recommended.

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avens--which are usually solitary birds--share valuable food in the dead of winter? How clever are these birds? Do they have a language? These are some of the riddles that noted sociobiologist Bernd Heinrich, author of Bumblebee Economics and winner of the John Burroughs Medal, explores in this intriguing book. 16 pages of drawings.

Product information

Technical Details

Publisher

‎Vintage; Reprint edition (October 1, 1991)

Language

‎English

Paperback

‎400 pages

ISBN-10

‎0679732365

ISBN-13

‎978-0679732365

Item Weight

‎12.8 ounces

Dimensions

‎5.32 x 0.83 x 7.68 inches

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Bernd Heinrich

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Bernd Heinrich is a biologist and author of numerous books on the natural world. He lives in Richmond, VT, and in a cabin in the forests of western Maine.

Customer reviews

5 star		82%
4 star		11%
3 star		4%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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r paul moody

Bought this for the second time

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2020

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Great book, lost the first one in a loaning mix up. If you have any interest in finding out about this interesting bird, this book is perfect. It gives you a chance to follow the author as he studies them in the cold Northern area of New England. Great blend of science and humor and interaction with the people he works with.

7 people found this helpful

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Paul Haspel

A thought-provoking look at a fascinating bird

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2011

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The raven is a fascinating bird. It plays an important role in the Bible (Noah sent out a raven before he sent out a dove), it appears in different cultural traditions from Norse myth to Native American folklore, and it inspired one of the greatest American poems, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven." In "Ravens in Winter," Bernd Heinrich describes how he left his teaching position at the University of Vermont, repeatedly trekked to a remote Maine forest, and sought to draw scientific conclusions regarding the phenomenon of raven "recruitment," whereby ravens seem to recruit one another to carcasses found in the wintertime. Heinrich's dedication to his research is impressive, as he chronicles four years of wintertime observations in subzero temperatures, often from a blind or from an unheated cabin. He is systematic in his observations, and readers who do not share an appreciation for scientific method may find some parts of the book slow going. But Heinrich's enthusiasm for his research is contagious, and the way in which he combines his research findings with invocations of raven mythology and accounts of social interaction with fellow researchers helps to keep the book energetic and interesting. Even if you do not share my support of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, you will enjoy this book if you appreciate the unique intelligence of ravens, or if you want an often poetic setting-forth of how very beautiful a bitterly cold winter can be.

10 people found this helpful

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Eight tons of meat, four Maine winters, and crowds of ravens

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2001

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"Ravens in Winter" is about solving a biological puzzle: "Do common ravens, 'Corvus corax,' actively disclose to strangers of their species the valuable and rare food bonanzas that one of them is lucky enough to find?"
In order to solve his self-discovered mystery, Bernd Heinrich spent four winters in the woods of Maine and Vermont, hauling eight tons of dead animals to bait stations in the midst of howling blizzards. All in the name of fun---I mean, science.
This is one of the best, most exuberant books I've ever read on how an academic field biologist actually solves a scientific conundrum. The only other book I can compare it with is Farley Mowat's "Never Cry Wolf." Mowat was dropped alone onto the frozen Canadian tundra, where he studied the ways of wolves. Heinrich spent his winters in a tiny tarpaper shack in the Maine wilderness, galumphing through thigh-deep snow with a hundred pounds of cow entrails slung over his back, in order to study the ways of ravens.
Maine Ravens are almost exclusively carrion eaters, so in order to lure them to his observation posts the author had to feed them. He also had to crawl out of his half-frozen sleeping bag (the tarpaper shack had no amenities such as central heating) at 5:30 in the morning in order to beat the ravens to their frozen breakfast, because they are such notoriously wary birds. One false move or sound from him would send them winging away from his bait, sometimes never to return.
Heinrich makes all this sound like wonderful good fun. He periodically lured his graduate students and friends up into the endless forest and through the blizzard to help him trap and band ravens.
I wish I had been one of his students. Ever since I became acquainted with ravens during a canoe trip through the Northwest Territories, I've been curious about these elusive and complex corvids. Heinrich's working diary more than satisfies that curiosity. The text of this book was derived from his field notes, and he doesn't omit any of his observations, or any of his hypotheses whether they led to dead ends or not---that was part of the fun.
After reading "Ravens in Winter," I wanted to go out and do my own field observations---except that I can't quite see myself crawling like Heinrich from privy to tarpaper shack in the midst of a snowstorm, so as not to disturb the ravens at their breakfast.
Now that crows have returned to Detroit (I never used to see them in the city when I was a kid), maybe ravens will be soon to follow. Then I can observe them from the comfort of my centrally-heated living room.

49 people found this helpful

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Lawrence S

Follow a scientist as he tries to unravel a perplexing problem in bird behavior

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2020

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It was fascinating to follow the observations of the scientist and his daily activities as he tried to figure out what the ravens were doing and why. He also points out various theories of why this behavior is happening and why his observation further each idea or disprove it. You feel you are watching right over his shoulder on this discovery trip.

One person found this helpful

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Lynn

Love Ravens

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2020

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Very interesting and informative. I love ravens so this was a great book for me!

One person found this helpful

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D.H.

Conversation...

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2019

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Great coffee table book!

One person found this helpful

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gerald sullivan

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2017

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Corvids rule.

2 people found this helpful

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A. Morrison

Wonderful Book

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2018

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Beautiful and fascinating book by a wonderful writer!
So much information and a look into the world of these incredible, oft overlooked birds.

One person found this helpful

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Sophie Winsome

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2016

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Great seller, would highly recommend. Thank You

SMAP

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2015

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A wonderful book.

Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2017

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a master in action

Fa144

An insightful study, and a immersive story

Reviewed in Italy on April 9, 2018

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A very well written book, by a man who is not only a biologist, but a real Nature lover (which is not obvious). He makes you feel the surrounding American forest of the north, the beauty and the harshness of the wild, and above all, he keeps you interested in his researches like a mistery novel. If you love animals, I mean, if you are deeply fascinated, through and through, aesthetically and scientifically, by animals (in this case ravens), this book is a dream came true.

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Mamba

Spannend und realitätsnah

Reviewed in Germany on January 6, 2017

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Manchmal etwas mühsam zu lesen, da der Auto die oft frustrierende Forschungsarbeit beschreibt. Trotzdem für Interessierte absolut spannend und meiner Ansicht nach sehr sinnvoll als Grundlage für das zweite Buch, "Mind of the Raven".

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