Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology since Darwin

by Tim Birkhead, Jo Wimpenny, Bob Montgomerie

Ten Thousand Birds provides a thoroughly engaging and authoritative history of modern ornithology, tracing how the study of birds has been shaped by a succession of visionary and often-controversial personalities, and by the unique social and scientific contexts in which these extraordinary individuals worked. This beautifully illustrated book opens in the middle of the nineteenth century when ornithology was a museum-based discipline focused almost exclusively on the anatomy, taxonomy, and classification of dead birds. It describes how in the early 1900s pioneering individuals such as Erwin Stresemann, Ernst Mayr, and Julian Huxley recognized the importance of studying live birds in the field, and how this shift thrust ornithology into the mainstream of the biological sciences. The book tells the stories of eccentrics like Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen, a pathological liar who stole specimens from museums and quite likely murdered his wife, and describes the breathtaking insights and discoveries of ambitious and influential figures such as David Lack, Niko Tinbergen, Robert MacArthur, and others who through their studies of birds transformed entire fields of biology.



Ten Thousand Birds brings this history vividly to life through the work and achievements of those who advanced the field. Drawing on a wealth of archival material and in-depth interviews, this fascinating book reveals how research on birds has contributed more to our understanding of animal biology than the study of just about any other group of organisms.

Genres: Birds, Ornithology, Science, Nonfiction, Nature, Biology, Natural History

544 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Tim Birkhead is an award-winning author and one of the world’s leading bird biologists. He is the coauthor of Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology since Darwin (Princeton) and the author of The Wonderful Mr. Willughby: The First True Ornithologist, The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg, and Bird Sense: What It’s Like to Be a Bird, among other books. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and professor emeritus of zoology at the University of Sheffield.

Reviews

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really not a book for the casual reader. It is a big, dense, heavy book and would be useful as a textbook. It would also be useful for those who want to build up their arm muscles through weightlifting.

But for those who are seriously interested in the science of ornithology, how it developed, and the contributions it has made in the areas of evolution, ecology, conservation, and the classification of birds, this is a valuable work, one that is certainly worth all that heavy lifting - both physical and mental.

The authors, as the subtitle of the book suggests, explore the history of ornithology since Charles Darwin. While humans have a centuries-long history of fascination with the world of birds, it was really only after Darwin's unifying theory of evolution in the mid-nineteenth century that the scientific study of birds - ornithology - began.

The book organizes its historical overview into twelve major areas of ornithology and it uses a biographical approach to focus on the lives of major contributors to the science. The authors explore the social and scientific contexts in which the work of these scientists developed. They also discuss the controversies that developed around the resulting research and theories and show how these have helped to shape the discipline.

The history of modern ornithology really began as a museum-based discipline in the middle of the nineteenth century. Scientists spent their time examining dead birds and describing the anatomy, taxonomy, and classification of them. By the early 1900s, some pioneering individuals had recognized the importance of studying live birds in the field. This major shift was the birth of ornithology as we know it today and eventually gave rise to the development of field guides which spurred an explosion of interest in birds and in watching them, rather than shooting them, as a hobby. The authors write:

The general public interest in birds was given an enormous boost by the publication of Roger Tory Peterson's A Field Guide to the Birds in 1934, covering only the birds of the eastern half of the continent. An accomplished artist with a background in education, Peterson - who was just twenty-five at the time - recognized the value of simple, aesthetic images that captured a bird's essence to aid identification. His western bird guide was published in 1941, but the European "Peterson" did not appear for another thirteen years. It is no understatement (sic? - Did they mean overstatement?) to say that Roger Tory Peterson changed bird watching forever.

The rest, as they say, is history. Birding, or bird watching, is one of the most popular leisure time activities not just in the United States but in the world today.

But, of course, Ten Thousand Birds is not about birding, except tangentially. It is, instead, the history of how the work and achievements of ornithologists have contributed so much to our knowledge of animal biology. In fact, one would be hard pressed to name another field of study that has done as much for our understanding of biology and of how the world of Nature works. It is a fascinating story written in a very readable, accessible style. It's well worth the effort if this subject matter is of interest to you.

(A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in return for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.)

[Eric Lawton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since it is now December, I feel safe in rating this my favourite science book of the year.
I didn't know a lot of ornithology when I started this book but now feel I have a fairly good start on the subject and certainly a much deeper interest.
The best part is that it explains the observations that went into the science. This is important not only to provide some human interest but because I feel that you don't really understand science unless you understand how the hypotheses were confirmed and why alternative hypotheses were rejected.
The book also shows how ornithology led the way for more general work in biology, particularly ecology, evolution and animal behaviour. I know a bit more about all of these as a result of reading this book.
It is a big book, not light reading, but I was very sorry to reach the end.

[David Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent companion to the major textbooks of ornithology because the authors have 'told the stories' of the leading thinkers in this field. Whereas a textbook cannot afford to put our current 'knowledge' in context, these authors have managed to trace the development of scientific thought in ornithology, including interviews with many of the key figures. Their stories make great reading and bring real people to the references and footnotes in the major texts.

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some reviewers have mentioned that this exceptionally good book about the modern history of ornithology will only appeal to people who are really into birds. I disagree. I think that anyone with who enjoys reading popular science books, especially those about biology and evolution, will enjoy this book.

[Prayitno Goenarto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really wonderful well-written piece about the history of Ornithilogy and pivotal pioneers in the field. I enjoyed the topic/theme focused layout but I probably enjoyed the short biographies at the end of each chapter. They really humanize and inspire the reader to emulate these scientists and to pursue the study of birds.

[Jente Ottenburghs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book on the history of ornithological research. A great resource.

[Roger Morgan-Grenville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every bird nerd's delight.....the story of the science and people who have driven ornithology since its earliest days. A treasure trove of surprising information and wryly amusing commentary.

[Mills College Library]

598.09 B6192 2014