The Thing with Feathers: The Surprising Lives of Birds and What They Reveal About Being Human

Noah Strycker

Jan 2017 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Paul Boehmer

About this audiobook

Birds are highly intelligent animals, yet their intelligence is dramatically different from our own and has been little understood. As we learn more about the secrets of bird life, we are unlocking fascinating insights into memory, relationships, game theory, and the nature of intelligence itself. The Thing with Feathers explores the astonishing homing abilities of pigeons, the good deeds of fairy-wrens, the influential flocking abilities of starlings, the deft artistry of bowerbirds, the extraordinary memories of nutcrackers, the lifelong loves of albatrosses, and other mysteries-revealing why birds do what they do, and offering a glimpse into our own nature. Drawing deep from personal experience, cutting-edge science, and colorful history, Noah Strycker spins captivating stories about the birds in our midst and shares the startlingly intimate coexistence of birds and humans. With humor, style, and grace, he shows how our view of the world is often, and remarkably, through the experience of birds.

About the author

Noah Strycker is a writer, photographer, and bird man based near Eugene, Oregon. In 2015, during a quest spanning forty-one countries and all seven continents, he set a world record by seeing 6,042 species of birds-more than half the birds on Earth-in one calendar year. He is also the author of Among Penguins.

Paul Boehmer is a seasoned actor who has appeared on Broadway, film, and television, including The Thomas Crown Affair and All My Children. Coinciding with another of his passions, sci-fi, Paul has been cast in various roles in many episodes of Star Trek.