The Genius of Birds

By: Jennifer Ackerman

Narrated by: Margaret Strom

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Birds are astonishingly intelligent creatures. In fact, according to revolutionary new research, some birds rival primates and even humans in their remarkable forms of intelligence. Like humans, many birds have enormous brains relative to their size. Although small, bird brains are packed with neurons that allow them to punch well above their weight.

©2016 Jennifer Ackerman. (P)2016 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"[Narrator Margaret] Strom sounds suitably amazed by it all, too--a fine match of material and voice." ( AudioFile)

Fascinating topic, odd narration

A great layperson's overview of bird cognition, but the narrator's odd pronunciations and weird mid-sentence pauses were distracting.

Great book, Narrator not so much

Would you listen to The Genius of Birds again? Why?

I would read this book again, but probably not listen. The narrator seems to forget that this is not a fiction story. her random pauses, and general reading cadence just does not work with a non fiction book. At first it didn't bother me, but at times, her cadence and varying tone is more distracting and I cannot focus on the information being presented.

Who was your favorite character and why?

non fiction book-no charecters

How could the performance have been better?

If the narrator did not add her own punctuation, or read it like a fictional book.

Any additional comments?

I am glad I purchased this as a physical book so I can go back and read it.

Asks the right questions

I enjoy how this book makes you think about what's really going on in a bird's brain. Ackerman does a great job of bringing in scientific studies and anecdotal evidence to create one day and to inform while still allowing for other possibilities to be true.
She is honest about the anecdotal evidence and doesn't use it as absolute truth, but still creates wonder.

Excellent book

it's mind boggling how smart birds are. even if you know a lot about this, the book lays our very thoroughly the thinking and findings in this field and it has tremendous implications for all sorts of other areas in society and science

Sorry this wasn't better

I was really looking forward to this book, but disappointed. The organization of the information seemed scattered and repetitive. That being said, I may purchase the physical book to refer to certain sections as the subject matter was fascinating. It just may be that a book with so many references and so much research doesn't lend itself well to oral presentation.

Migrating birds are amazing!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, birds are common enough to be understandable yet there is so much we don't know. This book does lay a foundation to better understand birds.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the analysis of migrating birds and homing pigeons. Homing birds have such a strong ability to make it back home despite being blindly transported hundreds of miles away. The book analyzes how such a feat is possible while acknowledging that much science remains to be done before we'll have the answer.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Margaret Strom?

Margaret Strom is a straightforward narrator with a pleasant voice - I'd definitely consider listening to another book she has narrated.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This book is interesting, but not the type of story I'd want to listen to in one sitting.

For bird, science, and nature-lovers

Excellent book, bought a hard copy after listening.
Fun, well-written, and very informative listen.

I have a new appreciation for the birds around me

Narrator was good, very engaging. The mispronounced words weren't as frequent or annoying as a previous reviewer noted. Interesting tidbits for your next trivia night.

Great book, but, small mistakes in recording

Loved the overall book, but, several scientific terms were mispronounced! Please double check pronunciation before releasing audiobooks.

It's Not Just Corvids!

This book was a wonderful way to expound upon the knowledge I had of cognitive abities of birds and the way they operate, and how.

For example, if you've ever been curious as to how pidgeons home then you may know from your seeking the answer that they have a magnetic connection to the earth. DId you know that that connection is honed alongside the observation of the sun and moon activity in their area and they this is retained in the hippocampus of their brains?

Pigeons aren't even the start! This speculative insight into how bird brains work is an amazing introduction to the avian-inquisitive.

Birds are cool...even if they may all be government drones!