Montgomery - Birdology : adventures with a pack of hens, a peck of pigeons, cantankerous crows, fierce falcons, hip hop parrots, baby hummingbirds, and one murderously big living dinosaur

PRAISE FOR SY MONTGOMERYS

Birdology

Sy Montgomery has the mind of a scientist and the fierceness of a raptor as she dives beneath the skin and deep into the bones of the avian world in Birdology . Brimming with insights about hidden bird abilities and the secrets of their behavior, the book is at its heart about the emotional bond between birds and people . Sys writing dazzles like hummingbird feathers drenched in blazing sunshine.

Bob Tarte, author of Enslaved by Ducks and Fowl Weather

One of Americas preeminent writers on animals, the immensely talented Sy Montgomery leads us on a compelling journey of exploration into the very depths of what makes a bird a bird. With wit, compassion, and a cornucopia of fascinating facts, Sy highlights bird language, individuality, homing and hunting abilities, and relationship to dinosaurs in a manner that reveals her deep love for birds, but also her inner quest to understand all living things. With this book, birders, animal lovers, anyone with a mild curiosity about birds will gain a newfound appreciation for the essence of these avian marvels.

Don and Lillian Stokes, authors of Stokes Field Guide to Birds

There could be no better guide to the wonder of birds than Sy Montgomery. Her empathy with wild things is as real as it is rare; yet she seems to like the people who study, care for, and work with birds just as much. This is a book about intense connections between people and birds. Montgomery unlocks some of the secret of how and what birds may be thinking.

Julie Zickefoose, author of Letters from Eden

Montgomery weaves a delightful, insightful story of the unusual lives of familiar birds to show us that they are personable, fun, annoying, lovable, and awesome and do indeed strike into our very souls. Her tales are an astonishing, wide-ranging blend of science, art, humor, understanding, and love, and a must-read for all animal lovers.

Joanna Burger, author of The Parrot Who Owns Me

This is my favorite kind of book: charming, witty, and wise, idiosyncratic and inspiring. And Birdology is Sy Montgomery at her very best . Birdology is more like a novel, a confession, or an engaging memoir of life lived with soul and wings. I love this book.

Dale Peterson, author of Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man

Birdology allowed me to see even birds I know well with new eyes. Sy Montgomery writes about seven avian species and the people who love and protect them with skill, knowledge and empathy. Her prose is filled with beauty. A thoughtful, fascinating book for bird lovers and nonbird lovers alike.

Suzie Gilbert, wildlife rehabilitator and author of Flyaway

In Birdology , Sy Montgomery explores the wonders and mysteries of the living dinosaurs among us, revealing not only their beauty but their strangeness and individuality. Her explorations show birds as they really are, both like us and other, with startling intelligence and almost magical abilities.

Steve Bodio, author of Eagle Dreams

OTHER BOOKS BY SY MONTGOMERY

For Adults:

Walking with the Great Apes:
Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, Birut Galdikas

Spell of the Tiger:
The Man-Eaters of Sundarbans

The Curious Naturalist:
Natures Everyday Mysteries

The Wild Out Your Window

Journey of the Pink Dolphins:
An Amazon Quest

Search for the Golden Moon Bear:
Science and Adventure in Pursuit of a New Species

The Good Good Pig:
The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood

For Children:

The Snake Scientist

The Man-Eating Tigers of Sundarbans

Encantado:
Pink Dolphin of the Amazon

Search for the Golden Moon Bear:
Science and Adventure in the Asian Tropics

The Tarantula Scientist

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo:
An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea

Saving the Ghost of the Mountain:
An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia

Kakapo Rescue:
Saving the Worlds Strangest Parrot

Birdology

Adventures with a Pack of Hens,
a Peck of Pigeons, Cantankerous Crows, Fierce Falcons,
Hip Hop Parrots, Baby Hummingbirds, and
One Murderously Big Living Dinosaur

Sy Montgomery

Free Press
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Again, as always, for Dr. Millmoss

Free Press
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright 2010 by Sy Montgomery

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or
portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Free Press
Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas,
New York, NY 10020.

Photography credits are listed after the index.

First Free Press hardcover edition April 2010

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Book design by Ellen R. Sasahara

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Montgomery, Sy.
Birdology : adventures with a pack of hens, a peck of pigeons,
cantankerous crows, fierce falcons, hip hop parrots, baby hummingbirds,
and one murderously big living dinosaur / Sy Montgomery.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Birds. 2. BirdsPsychology. I. Title.
QL676.M7585 2010
598dc22 2009031303

ISBN 978-1-4165-6984-8
ISBN 978-1-4165-7016-5 (ebook)

Birds Are Everywhere

I have waited a long time to write this book.

Ever since I was privileged to live among and study wild emus in South Australia in 1984, I have wanted to write a book about birds. Though I have written elsewhere about those emus, I never got around to a whole book about birds, mostly because mammals kept jumping the line: chimps, gorillas, and orangutans. Man-eating tigers. Amazon River dolphins. Snow leopards. Tree kangaroos. Our wonderful pig, Christopher Hogwood. Putting off this book was not intentional, but perhaps fortunate. It is easier to understand our fellow mammals; birds are more distant and enigmatic. It has taken me all this time even to begin to learn how to probe their mysteries.

Birds have been trying to educate me since I was a child. I have always loved watching and reading about and learning from them. But even more importantly, birds always come into my life at critical moments to enrich my spirit and enlarge my heart.

The first male ever to court meI was only a child but I loved him deeplywas a bird. I was seven. His name was Jerry. He was a green parakeet who came home with me from a dime store. And although I was delighted when he first agreed to perch on my hand and thrilled when he would finally fly to me, I was most honored when he threw up on my finger. Even though I had never seen any other creature do this in quite the same way, I understood what was happening: he was feeding me. This was a mark of deep trust and affection, and he would do this only with me. He had taken me as his mate.