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The genius of birds / Jennifer Ackerman.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York, New York : Penguin Press, 2016Copyright date: ©2016Description: 340 pages : illustrations ; 25 cmContent type:
  • text
  • still image
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781594205217
  • 1594205213
Subject(s):
Contents:
Introduction : the genius of birds -- From dodo to crow : taking the measure of a bird mind -- The bird way : the avian brain revisited -- Boffins : technical wizardry -- Twitter : social savvy -- Four hundred tongues : vocal virtuosity -- The bird artist : aesthetic aptitude -- A mapping mind : spatial (and temporal) ingenuity -- Sparrowville : adaptive genius.
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. In The Genius of Birds, acclaimed author Jennifer Ackerman explores the newly discovered brilliance of birds and how it came about."--provided by publisher.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library NonFiction 598 A182 Available 33111008164168
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 598 A182 Available 33111008406502
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"Lovely, celebratory. For all the belittling of 'bird brains,' [Ackerman] shows them to be uniquely impressive machines . . ." -- New York Times Book Review

"A lyrical testimony to the wonders of avian intelligence." -- Scientific American

An award-winning science writer tours the globe to reveal what makes birds capable of such extraordinary feats of mental prowess

Birds are astonishingly intelligent creatures. According to revolutionary new research, some birds rival primates and even humans in their remarkable forms of intelligence. In The Genius of Birds , acclaimed author Jennifer Ackerman explores their newly discovered brilliance and how it came about.

As she travels around the world to the most cutting-edge frontiers of research, Ackerman not only tells the story of the recently uncovered genius of birds but also delves deeply into the latest findings about the bird brain itself that are shifting our view of what it means to be intelligent. At once personal yet scientific, richly informative and beautifully written, The Genius of Birds celebrates the triumphs of these surprising and fiercely intelligent creatures.

Ackerman is also the author of Birds by the Shore: Observing the Natural Life of the Atlantic Coast.

"Illustrations by John Burgoyne"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 273-327) and index.

Introduction : the genius of birds -- From dodo to crow : taking the measure of a bird mind -- The bird way : the avian brain revisited -- Boffins : technical wizardry -- Twitter : social savvy -- Four hundred tongues : vocal virtuosity -- The bird artist : aesthetic aptitude -- A mapping mind : spatial (and temporal) ingenuity -- Sparrowville : adaptive genius.

"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. In The Genius of Birds, acclaimed author Jennifer Ackerman explores the newly discovered brilliance of birds and how it came about."--provided by publisher.

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