Enjoyable book on how and why birds sing. Kroodsma presents a series of case studies that are drawn from his research but presented in a language easily understandable to non-scientists.

I actually abandoned this book which I rarely do because it was just too technical. It's not really for the lay bird watcher, but more for researchers working in the field.

This book was one I bought to keep Mommy-brain at bay. Wow. The author does a really good job of making studying birdsong seem like the most fascinating thing in the world. My only gripe is that after going on and on about how intricate and amazing some particular aspect of birdsong is, he'll interject a comment on evolution.

While I was reading this book, I couldn't stop talking about it. It had never occurred to me that some birds are born with their song in their genes, and others must learn to sing. The process of song learning, as described by the author, is fascinating. The significance of bird song encompasses so many things, from simple calls of communication, to pleas for a mate, to the defense of territory.

The book contains numerous sonograms which correspond to tracks on a CD of bird songs, which also comes with the book. I still refer to this book regularly, and I have all the bird songs on my mp3 player!

I am a fairly new bird enthusiast, and this book has inspired further enthusiasm. I'm reading it very slowly with my sweetie (also a birder), over many many months. Kroodsma's fascination and delight in birds, and his insatiable questions are infectious. He is meticulous (as one would expect a scientist to be), but not often to a fault (though for some people, it would be too much). The genetic and morphological diversity you'll come to understand through this book will undoubtedly amaze you, and likely lead you to notice the bird songs you hear day-to-day and season-to-season with an ever-curious and understanding ear.

great book for bird lovers but i could not read it through. it's more of a reference book about recording bird song and making sonograms of them. the author writes well with an entertaining style but he goes into technical scholarly details on every bird species he's ever encountered (hyperbole much?).

i had this on loan through interlibrary loan and i sent it back unfinished. in fact, i did not get very far in but i would like to own it, i think.

"As dawn's first light sweeps the globe, so too does a wave of birdsong sweep from east to west, endlessly, day after day, millenium after millenium."
Kroodsma writes about birdsong with a poet's ear and with a scientist's passion for detail and veracity. Or more accurately, his writing actually reveals the deep kinship possible between poetry and science. The level of detail was sometimes hard to follow as I am just learning to distinguish a very few songs Still, though the level of detail is challenging, it is also wondrously revelatory, of the brilliance and complexity of birdsong, of how much there is to learn. I haven't read the whole thing yet. This book is one to grow into, over a long time.

An amazing look into birds and their song. Lots of natural history.

Not a birdsong guide; rather an introduction to the variety of sounds bird make, how they are researched, and what this tells us about the birds, their evolutionary history, and ourselves. A great introduction to the science of studying birds, and just enough "waxing poetic" to keep it from being too dry.

recommending this to my good friend Dr. Orsborn, who loves bird watching...

My sister, Tina, and her husband gave me this book. Ric heard a lecture by Donald Kroodsma at Hartwick and knew I'd love it. SO TRUE! I've since heard him interviewed along with the son of the man who authored the Peterson's Field Guide. Delightful.
There is a CD in the back of this book that is simply fun to put on and listen to while working in the kitchen. So many amazing birds. Such an incredible world the Lord hath made.

I haven't checked out the other books Kroodsma has written, but I'm sure they'd be good.

I learned a *lot* from this book. It has already changed how I listen to birds. And it's written in a surprisingly engaging manner.