The Social Lives of Birds

Flocks, Communes, and Families

By: Joan E. Strassmann

Narrated by: Joan E. Strassmann

An exploration of all the ways in which birds are social creatures—from breeding to nesting to babysitting

In The Social Lives of Birds, evolutionary biologist and author of Slow Birding Joan Strassmann examines what it means for birds of a feather to flock together. Some birds sleep together. Some join the foraging groups of other species. Some are only social during breeding season, forming nesting colonies in trees, cliffs, and sandbanks. Some are altruistic, helping to rear young that are not their own. Some males perform mating dances together.

Strassmann explains how flocks provide safety in numbers, roosts offer warmth and shelter, and colonies allow for protected breeding. But group behavior is not without its costs—including increased competition, tick infestations, and more. Strassmann exposes the conflicts birds face and the many ways in which they resolve these conflicts.

With stories of birds from around the world—from broad-winged hawks that migrate south together in the fall, tree swallows that roost together in the thousands, and guira cuckoos that nest in communes—The Social Lives of Birds explores the different kinds of bird groups and what to look for when watching them. Above all, it reveals this fact: solitary life, it seems, is not for the birds.

Decent

i think the book would have been better with a diffetent narrator. I learned what I already have observed myself although the book is based on actual studies.

The loving treatment of birds

I found the narrator (the author) voice to be nasal and oddly paced. This may be the way the author naturally speaks, but in an audiobook it was distracting.

The story itself was great, very worth reading.