Ever Wonder 'What It's Like To Be A Bird'? David Allen Sibley Has Some Answers
"A bird's experience is far richer, complex, and 'thoughtful' than I'd imagined."
"This sentence on the first page of David Allen Sibley's What It's Like to Be a Bird is a stunner. A renowned author-illustrator of bird field guides, Sibley is a top bird expert. When he did research for this new volume, though, he became convinced of something he had not previously anticipated: Birds routinely make complex decisions and experience emotions."
"And if that was news to me after a lifetime of watching birds," Sibley writes, "it must be surprising to other people as well." Wholly engaging, What It's Like to be a Bird is a feast for the mind and, thanks to Sibley's gorgeous illustrations, the eye.
"Often when birds forage, they think. Titmice are small songbirds related to chickadees who use reasoning to figure out which seeds offer the best return for effort expended. It won't automatically be the biggest seeds around, because "if a small seed has high fat content and a lot of calories it could be the best choice." This "multi-faceted decision-making is going on every time a titmouse visits a bird feeder." Birds may decide to eat later in the day when they spot predators near, thus keeping at flight-ready status in case escape maneuvers are needed."
"To be called "bird-brained" is clearly a compliment. Egrets strike at fish in the water to make a meal. But thanks to refraction, the fish isn't actually located where it appears to be. "Knowing where the real fish is requires a complex calculation of light and depth," Sibley notes. Experiments reveal that when"