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Title details for Gifts of the Crow by Tony Angell - Wait list

Gifts of the Crow

How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans

by Tony Angell
John Marzluff
Audiobook
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New research indicates that crows are among the brightest animals in the world. And professor of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington John Marzluff has done some of the most extraordinary research on crows, which has been featured in The New York Times, National Geographic, and the Chicago Tribune, as well as on NPR and PBS. Now he teams up with artist and fellow naturalist Tony Angell to offer an in-depth look at these incredible creatures—in a book that is brimming with surprises.
Redefining the notion of "bird brain," crows and ravens are often called feathered apes because of their clever tool-making and their ability to respond to environmental challenges, including those posed by humans. Indeed, their long lives, social habits, and large complex brains allow them to observe and learn from us and our social gatherings. Their marvelous brains allow crows to think, plan, and reconsider their actions. In these and other enthralling revelations, Marzluff and Angell portray creatures that are nothing short of amazing: they play, bestow gifts on people who help or feed them, use cars as nutcrackers, seek revenge on animals that harass them, are tricksters that lure birds to their deaths, and dream. The authors marvel at crows' behavior that we humans would find strangely familiar, from delinquency and risk taking to passion and frolic. A testament to years of painstaking research, this riveting work is a thrilling look at one of nature's most wondrous creatures.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    June 5, 2012

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781452627717
      • File size: 238052 KB
      • Duration: 08:15:56

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Through numerous revealing, funny, and even poignant anecdotes and solid scientific research, the author demonstrates the complex brains and behaviors of corvids--crows, ravens, and jays. He also shows how humans and these complex creatures share behaviors, including the use of language as well as risk-taking, awareness, and problem-solving. The book is interesting but heavily scientific. And this makes for difficult listening. At times, the book's tone shifts from conversational to highly scientific in succeeding paragraphs. Narrator Danny Campbell's tone makes the work sound more like an upper-level college course than a book for a general audience. The authors' enthusiasm for the subject is evident, but it's not enough to quickly engage the listener. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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