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| The Singing Life of Birds: The Art and Science of Listening to Birdsong | 
| Author: Donald Kroodsma
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $6.00
You Save: $10.95 (65%)
New (29) from $6.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 48240
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 496
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6.7 x 1.3
ISBN: 0618840761
Dewey Decimal Number: 598.1594
EAN: 9780618840762
ASIN: 0618840761
Publication Date: April 25, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Perfect cross between research and casual observation July 4, 2005
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Perhaps its birdsong which is the attraction: if so, pick up Donald Kroodsma's The Singing Life Of Birds: The Art And Science Of Listening To Birdsong. Learn about how birds acquire their songs, how they vary between species and places, and how to identify birds through song. First-person observation and reporting accompanies scientific facts and research. Professor Kroodsma has studied birds and their songs for over thirty years; but his The Singing Life Of Birds is that perfect cross between research and casual observation which makes it engrossing to a wider audience than college-level students of ornithology.
Perfect cross between research and casual observation July 4, 2005
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Perhaps its birdsong which is the attraction: if so, pick up Donald Kroodsma's The Singing Life Of Birds: The Art And Science Of Listening To Birdsong. Learn about how birds acquire their songs, how they vary between species and places, and how to identify birds through song. First-person observation and reporting accompanies scientific facts and research. Professor Kroodsma has studied birds and their songs for over thirty years; but his The Singing Life Of Birds is that perfect cross between research and casual observation which makes it engrossing to a wider audience than college-level students of ornithology.
A Superb Masterpiece June 7, 2005
23 out of 23 found this review helpful
I found myself in complete agreement with the preceding 5-star reviews by Laura Allender, John Matlock and Laura L. Erickson. I only wish there was a way to rank the book higher than 5-stars.
Reading the book took me on a journey into an amazing, beautiful, and complex world that I previously had no idea existed. I kept finding myself saying "wow!" at the wonderful and startling discovers I came across. I especially liked the fact that the author is completely honest about what he doesn't know, explaining the many mysteries about bird singing that still remain to be solved. Rarely does one see the humanities so beautifully merged with science. The book is one of the best I have ever read, barring none.
My only regret is that there is as yet no edition of this book that uses color images of the birds and sonograms (the stunning cover jacket is in color). I would be willing to pay a little extra for such a version of this fantastic book.
Suberb--a lovely merging of science and poetry May 5, 2005
34 out of 34 found this review helpful
I was predisposed to like this book, since I love birdsong and have long been drawn to research about it. But this book far exceeded my high expectations. Don Kroodsma takes us through the entire process of listening to a song, thinking up questions about how the species acquired it, and step by step through the process of learning the answer, setting up the sections like little mysteries. He's recognized by the American Ornithologists' Union as an authority on acquisition of birdsong, and although the book is authoritative and scientific, he somehow manages to infuse every paragraph with his own sense of wonder and joy in his subject. This book may look like a textbook, but it reads like a cross between a mystery novel and lovely poetry. I can't recommend it highly enough.
A masterpiece of Avian Bioacoustics. April 22, 2005
30 out of 30 found this review helpful
A masterpiece of avian bioacoustics (Sorry, I just had to use those words).
I have a bird outside my window just now singing a song of some kind. I've long thought it was pretty, but thought no more acout it. Now this book has come along and my casual listening has become much more interesting. I found the bird outside my window in the book and sure enough here is a sonogram, a voice print if you will of what the bird sounds like. Further, there is a track on the CD that comes with the book that has this bird's song recorded. It's not exactly like the bird outside the window, but birds (I've learned) are individuals too.
Birding is one of the more popular pastimes in this country, and growing quire rapidly. This book would be a supurb gift to any birder, even if you have to give it to yourself.
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Wildlife, nature and the Environment
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