The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America's Birds

by James H. McCommons

An epic, fascinating history of the fight to save America's birds featuring heroes, martyrs, villains, and conflicted do-gooders.

From the time the country was founded, Americans assumed that the land’s natural resources were infinite—they hunted and trapped, plowed and drained and clear-cut their way across the continent. It wasn’t until the end of the 19th century, with the rapid demise of the Passenger Pigeon and the carnage of the American Bison on the Plains, that some Americans realized action needed to be taken.

What followed could be considered both a spiritual awakening and a great crusade to save birds and their habitat. The campaign took place on thousands of battlefields: political luncheons in the White House, society teas in Boston, smoke-filled hunt clubs on the East Coast, the sloughs along the Mississippi River, where market hunters and sport hunters faced off in battle, the mangroves in the Everglades, where bird wardens died resisting feather hunters, and in the editorial pages of newspapers and periodicals. The crusade to save birds stretched from the heady days of the Gilded Age to the misery of the Great Depression. Those five decades birthed the conservation and bird protection movements, and brought together a remarkable coalition of people and organizations to save the birds of America.

The Feather Wars is an epic work of American history, an incredible story about how disparate characters—from progressive politicians, free-thinking society belles, nature writers and artists, bird-loving U.S. presidents, gunmakers and business titans, to brave game wardens—came together during a decades-long crusade to save hundreds of species of birds in America. Heroes, martyrs, villains, and conflicted do-gooders—the early bird conservation movement had them all. Together they transformed how Americans thought and cared about birds, a not to be killed, but to be protected and preserved.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Nature, Birds, Animals, Natural History

416 pages, Hardcover

Published March 17, 2026

About the author

James H. McCommons is a professor emeritus at Northern Michigan University and a veteran journalist, specializing in ecology, environmental and travel topics. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Audubon, Discover among other publications. He is the author of Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service, and Camera Hunter: George Shiras III and the Birth of Wildlife Photography.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely does a book put in stark relief something I have been deprived of. Also rare is the ability of an author to create an animosity in me for people long since gone, their arrogance or ignorance a product of their time and a pestilence in my past.

The Feather Wars, by James H. McCommons does both, exploring the decimation of wild birds in America prior to the insecticide boom that fueled Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.

The Feather Wars covers most of the nineteenth century into the first few decades of the twentieth century, concluding with FDR and Ding Darling and the efforts to reclaim and rehabilitate land during the Great Depression.

If you love or even like birds, this book, like Carson’s, is not for the faint of heart. Just as it goes into sweeping details of the massive migration of millions of wild birds and the experience that in our times seems unreal of migratory and nesting behavior, so too do it go into the wanton, destructive and purposeless behavior of killing millions of those birds simply because it was easy or to inflate the prowess of a rich man’s hunting skills, or because a fashionable women needed to have feathers or bird body parts on her hat or clothing to keep up with the latest trends.

Less offensive but still certainly painful was the mass killing of birds by shooting ornithologists to identify birds and maintain a collection of skins. Still less painful but heartbreaking is the people hunting songbirds or increasingly endangered birds to put food on the table because it’s affordable or what they’re used to eating from their home country.

I am not an avid birder, though I love watching birds. My parents put up a feeder so we could see the robins, sparrows, cardinals, blue jays and red winged blackbirds visit. If we were lucky we saw a yellow breasted finch or heard a western meadowlark. Now I live with a pond outside my back door and look forward to the mallards and other unique water fowl that come to visit. I confess to not loving the Canadian geese that also make the pond home at least part of the year, and would have never imagined that at one point they were as scarce as they were.

Amidst the doomsday toll of birders, hunters, and milliners there are increasingly rays of hope from those birds advocates desperate to save what’s left of our nation’s birds. Through advocacy in publications, organizations like what became The Audobon Society and the evolution of the camera, allowing bird enthusiasts to shoot in a non destructive way, protection finally began being put in place for birds with legislation like the Migratory Bird Act.

McCommons does a fantastic job of weaving history into a singular subject, keeping the book engaging and interesting without straying too far off his primary subject. His epilogue focuses on continuing dangers today, reminding readers that the fight to save wild birds is not over, that deciding my cats should be solely indoor cats was a wise decision, and that there’s never a bad time to pull out the binoculars and birding book to see who’s paying me a visit, because they may not be here tomorrow.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The human race sure likes killing things and this isn’t a recent development. This dates back to prehistoric times when we wiped out the woolly mammoth and other edible creatures. This superbly researched book details the massive slaughter of birds. Mainly covering the late 1800s through 1920, when the Migratory Treaty Bird Act was finally established (1918). Of course, this didn’t stop the killing, only slowed it down a but it was landmark legislation. Birds were killed for sustenance, (I can at least understand that), for entertainment, pest control and to adorn women’s hats. I am talking billions of birds, not a few thousand here and there. The other focus of this book is the crusaders who fought to protect these birds and they were legion. Women may have worn these fancy hats but they also were on the front lines protecting our feathered friends. I liken this to an avian civil rights movement. Once again, the research done here, is incredible and the author also knows how to keep the narrative moving along. Highly recommended.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Birds were hunted for pleasure, treated as pests, killed in the name of science, valued for their feathers to adorn women’s garments, stuffed and mounted or left to rot. Gradually, people came to realize that bird extinction was not such a great idea, and some people at least became a little more humane. This book explores the history of bird conservation in the US.

I was interested in the fits and starts with of bird conservation, including the debates over which birds were worthy of protection. However, there were too many people introduced with lengthy biographies. I just didn’t care about most of them. Ultimately, there was just too much detail in this book for me. 3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes the history of the bird conservation movement in North America in a tone that ranges from dry to apocalyptic. The extinction of the passenger pigeon, a bird so common that no one imagined it could be wiped out, was a wake-up call that moved bird conservation from crackpot to mainstream. McCommons draws brief biographies of many individuals who were either friend or foe to the conservation movement. This book is especially timely given the major bird die-off first reported in 2019 and confirmed by further study in 2022. As McCommons points out, birds are major indicators of overall ecological stability -- like the infamous canary in a coal mine, they are among the first species to show symptoms when ecological systems start to break down. Hopefully it won't take the extinction of more common bird species to motivate the public into action.

[Kyla Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is basically about how Americans suck and ruin everything. I learned so much. It was difficult to take in the devastation and extinction that has been caused but I definitely will have a newfound respect and excitement when I see native birds. Keep your cats indoors please!

I will now be throwing in random birds facts in all conversations, thank you!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

[Sheila]

I received a free copy of, The Feather Wars. by James H. McCommons, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Americans would do anything for fashion even kill animals for their feathers or skin. This book is a bout birds, how Americans almost made them almost obsolete, by killing them, and how people fought to save the birds. An intriguing read.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to James H. McCommons. St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

Overall, I found this book really interesting. Being of a certain age, as the current tongue in cheek goes, I have definitely found myself watching birds, listening to birds and wondering about birds a lot more than ever before. (Yes, I've course I've downloaded the app!) So when this book crossed my radar, I was very intrigued. We all know the stories of the passenger pigeon and the dodo and how humanity hunted them to extinction. What I didn't realize is how many more we made extinct...over and over again. Not that I thought they were the only two, but the reality of it is staggering.

The book lays out the overall history of bird conservation efforts through a series of more specific chapters, highlighting a certain person/group of people in a certain place. This was generally a really good way to write the story as it brough it more to life, and the individual stories were really interesting. Occasionally it felt just a little redundant, as a couple of times it felt like the exact same story but with a different rich villain and a different local bird hero on a different rural body of water. But that would be my only complaint about the book. I really did learn a lot and found myself gasping out loud more than once. The tragedy of it all is that there are still people that think of our planet and its wildlife in the same way as these hunters from the past. I'm just glad that we have at least some protections in place now.

If you enjoy birds and nature in general, this is a really good book about how we've gotten to where we are.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reports reached Washington that the buffalo were almost gone, a group from the Smithsonian immediately took off for Montana. They finally found a small herd of 100 or so, then... shot 25 of them dead - to preserve skins and heads for future generations to see.
This book was full of stories like this that just made me wince and/or gasp. Almost all of the stories were about birds. In the early 20th century a few far-seeing men and women saw what was happening to North American birds and actually caused changes in laws, law-enforcement, fashion, and attitudes. Most chapters were mini-bios of some of these people and what they did to save birds in America. The stories were very interesting but, for me, these people ran together somewhat. I also thought the book was a little long, but overall I liked it very much. It was inspiring to see what people were able to accomplish. The book ends with a summary of the huge problems birds face today. I hope those who are fighting for birds now will be as successful as those who fought 100 years ago.

[Kim Novak (The Reading Rx) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Feather Wars is an extensively researched and referenced history of bird conservation (or lack thereof) in the US. Essential reading for any birder, backyard bird enthusiast, or those interested in environmental protections. The inhumanity of humans never ceases to amaze me. Due to the extensive historical content, at times the book can feel a little slow or dry, but it is worth sticking with. I loved the incorporation of women's fashion (who know Coco Chanel would show up in these pages), art, politics, and early badass women ornithologists. There was a little bit of everything and the intersection of it all was nothing sort of amazing. A very well-done book!

I also took a listen to the audiobook and found the narrator pleasing to listen to.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Peggy Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive and very readable history of the 19th and early 20th century fights to save America’s birds from over hunting- no, from slaughter. It is centered on the fascinating and often quirky men and women who made it their life’s mission to end that slaughter. What heroes they were. Some even gave their lives.

[Hannah Buschert · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first found this book, I thought it would detail the history of feathers and millinery and was delighted to find so much more. James H. Commons, The Feather Wars, is an incredibly well-researched, fascinating look at our relationship with birds in the United States and the history of bird conservation. He goes into great (and somewhat graphic) detail on millinery, but craftly weaves in politics, land conservation, society, and every other conceivably related topic that got us to where we are today with birds.

I learned so much more than I thought I would and will definitely need to review it again as there is such good information. Reading this makes me wistful for a time before we decimated habitats and bird populations - what it must have been like to go birding back then! McCommons includes many players in bird conservation that you may well know and then adds in others that are not so well known. It was also fascinating to learn about the beginnings of clubs, organizations, and agencies and how they have changed over time and by who runs them.

The Feather Wars was a very informative book that will appeal to readers of many disciplines, birders, historians, politicians, and many others. Give it a read, you will not regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC, these thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The expansion and growth of the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s took a hard toll on bird (and wildlife in general) populations. America was the land of plenty and opportunities. Large flocks of birds were utilized for food, fashion, science and sport and seemed never ending. However, nature has limits and total extinction of once inexhaustible species opened eyes for many. With the hard work of passionate individuals and organizations over decades of educating the public, setting aside public lands and proper management, birds received the relief they needed. While we still need to work in tandem with Mother Nature, and threats are of a different nature in present day, birds have the advocates to hopefully see a continued strong future.

This was a very thorough review of the multiple factors that native bird populations faced during the turn of the 20th century. So much so that each new chapter of exploitation became almost exhaustive to read. I found I needed to step away at times just to get mental relief from the sheer volume of information. I did appreciate the detail and thoughtfulness of the research as someone who studied fisheries and wildlife in college, but the text is filling. It was nice to get to the point where the evolution of management became the focus even if it was heavily wrought with details of abuse, murders and manipulation. The overall subtext of the mindset of Americans and how they view the use of natural resources both publicly and privately was actually the best part of the book for me. It amazes me how similar arguments span the test of time and pour into other aspects of social issues. A good read for those interested in both ornithology and the history of America. 4 stars.

This is an honest review based on a digital Advanced Readers Copy provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Brigette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very dense and well researched book on the war to save the birds of America. Stories I learned included in Michigan in the 1930s changing failed farmland to bird conservatory, specifically to save the endangered Canada goose. Another about the Passenger pigeon flock that was so large and dense it filled the sky for 14 hours while they were migrating. Sometimes lived in small groups but usually nested in colonies that numbered in the millions. Yet humans were still able to decimate them to extinction.

The chapters focus on different birds but it’s an unrelenting and brutal account, over and over, of how terrible humans have been to the animals we share earth with. Hard to read at times.

There is also an extreme number of citations - only 15% in/ about 5 chapters and already had 160 citations. Ultimately there were over 700.

All that being said, this is an extremely well researched and written book, and I highly recommend it.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well researched and informative look at the evolution of man's mistreatment and later appreciation of birds and the natural world.

Author McCommons traces the way birds were hunted for sport, fashion, 'science' and classification and many species who were hunted to the point of extinction until the late 19th century when society women and ornithological groups started to advocate for their protection and turned to birding instead of hunting.

I really enjoyed reading more about this time in history from different perspectives, especially after reading Sarah Adler's latest book, Wild Goose Chase and Kirk Wallace Johnson's The feather thief. Great on audio and a good read in print with illustrations and footnotes. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for a gifted finished copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Elly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dry at times but overall good book. Demonstrates how the more involved humans get the worse we make it. Also think it's interesting how the wealthy don't see moral high ground is not easily afforded by those trying to survive. If poachers made more money protecting the environment they would opt to protect it because that's where the money is. Best thing for wildlife is to give it space without spectators or assistance. I would recommend and does make you think. Even had some good suggestions on how to help.

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC.

This nonfiction book describes North American bird conservation. Overall, I found this book interesting. I grew up enjoying feeding birds and began putting out feeders so the cats could watch the birds flutter around (indoor cats - birds were safe!).

I learned a lot about the extinction of the dodo bird and the passenger pigeon, in addition to scores more birds we have driven to extinction. Portions did seemed repetitive, but I could see it being a good source document for reports and information.

4 stars.

[Mary K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exhaustively-detailed history of the decimation and eventual move to conservation of birds in America in the 19th & 20th centuries. I learned a lot, and it was a logical follow-up to Hage & Marcotty’s “Sea of Grass” and Turpeinen’s “Beasts of the Sea”, both of which I’d recently finished.

However, after a slew of disheartening ecological & environmental doomsday nonfiction, I need some good, palate-cleansing, spirit-lifting romcom beach-read fiction, or else I might walk into a river and never come out.

[Amy]

This is an important book, an important history. I just don’t have the heart or stomach for finishing it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Nonfiction

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Net Galley for an advance copy of this book. All thought an opinions are my own!

This book goes through the history of bird conservation and the social and ecological impact of extinction. There are a lot of biographies of important players which can be a lot of names and information to digest. McCommons tells a very through and informational tale of the issues North America faced with Hunting/Birding and the laws that were put into place because of it. There’s some much to learn that many people, myself included, have no idea happened.

This is a VERY dense nonfiction and definitely reads like a textbook. I felt like there were points were there was too much information crammed into a chapter which made it a little difficult to read. If you do not have a lot of bird knowledge and knowledge of the history of Birds in America you may find this book overwhelming. I know next to nothing about the history described in this book and I felt like I was missing a prerequisite. I did enjoy getting to learn a lot and I liked that this book can be read over a long time since each chapter is about something different so you don’t need to remember everything that happened in the previous chapters to continue reading.

If you like birds or want to learn more about the history and don’t mind a dense book this is for you!!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad and I once again agreed on the rating. We both said four stars because we feel that there are things we would change, but overall, the book was very good!
I chose this book because I love birds, and I was curious about the title. I didn't know anything about the Feather Wars of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, so I learned a lot from this book. It's well-written and interesting with very lively prose that kept me wanting to read more. There's even some drama and very juicy events that happened back then regarding birds. Who would've thought?! I knew some things about birds and their extinction, especially after reading The World Without Us recently, but I learned even more from McCommon's book and appreciate the knowledge. One of the main things that surprised me was that the way hunting is handled in this country isn't the way it's always been. I've only ever known hunting licenses, permitted seasons, bag limits, etc. Reading this book gave me the perspective that it wasn't always like that, and it took a lot of time, money, effort, and even loss of lives to get where we are today. It shows that we can change and see things differently, even if it takes time and very dedicated people. It's hard to believe people were actually killed because they wanted to protect birds, but I guess a good cause that angers others will always have martyrs, which is very sad. I was also surprised by how bitter these wars were on both sides and also how much of this was going on while so many other major events in our country were happening. Some federal legislation was even passed during World Wars. Overall, I appreciate McCommon's tone, especially in the epilogue, because he doesn't blame humans for being terrible. He says we're a part of nature, too, and that we can change, just like we have before. It will take adapting and paradigm shifting, but it's possible to help protect birds by making small changes--we've done it before.
What I would change is that there are sooo many people introduced. There are some really key people that come into multiple chapters, but there are others that probably could have been mentioned without McCommon giving us their whole stories. I got lost with who was who and who had which backstory because he'd start telling us about one person, and then, in their story, they met 5 other bird people, and then, we'd dive into those stories, and it all got to be too complex. The only other thing I'd change is that, yes, you need to tell stories of birds being shot, but some of his stories were too graphic and unnecessarily detailed. He could have included stories for impact without going too far.
As a whole, I really enjoyed this book, and I'm glad I read it and learned more about United States history. I recommend it if you like birds, the debates between state and federal rights, and the time period of late 1800s to early 1900s.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book!

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 2.5 of 5

It's been a long, tough road for bird conservation. Some of the biggest names of those who took an early interest in birds, made their observations primarily by killing the very birds they were interested in reporting on. Many birders ('birders' is the approved term for avid bird watchers) today still talk about the extinction of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker (every now and then there will be an unconfirmed report that someone's seen one) and the Passenger Pigeon - a bird once so plentiful it was hard to imagine it could every become extinct. But of course when someone offers a bounty for a particular bird's body, that will hasten their demise.

James H. McCommons' book, The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America's Birds, is almost more a series of short biographies, detailing the many different men (yes, they were almost exclusively men), in chronological order, who played a part in protecting birds and bringing America to where it is today in bird conservation.

Most of the names of these bird heroes were unfamiliar to me, though I did recognize a few - such as Teddy Roosevelt and John James Audubon.

McCommons is quite thorough in his presentation and we meet a number of interesting characters who've played their part in this environmental chain, including a warden who died in his efforts to protect birds.

But we also meet a few, shall we say 'villains,' who's short-sightedness in seeing the potential effects of their actions, threatened more than one species of bird. It shouldn't be surprising that many of these people were men in some position of political power, sometimes at a state or even simply local level. Politicians who can't see long-range effects of their actions? Who could imagine?

There's a lot of information here. Maybe too much so. It's a dense and often dry read. I didn't always get the impression that people included were chosen because of the impact they had so much as they fit nicely in the timeline

I have a couple of pretty ardent birders in my family and I'm honestly not sure if I can recommend this book to them. I don't know that this provides any truly unique or useful information to birders and yet its target audience would seem to be birders. Those interested in American history might find it interesting.

Looking for a good book? The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America's Birds by James H. McCommons is a textbook-like deep dive into American history, reporting on the chain of men who had an impact on bird conservation to get us to where we are today.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Steve's Book Stuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

On September 1, 1914 Martha, a carrier pigeon, died in a cage at the Cincinnati Zoological Gardens. She was the last of her kind. At one time carrier pigeons flew in flocks so large they could block out the sun for hours as they passed overhead. In 1814 a roost of pigeons was reported near Shelbyville, Kentucky that was several miles wide and forty miles long. Carrier pigeons then numbered in the millions.

So how is it that carrier pigeons, once so numerous, became extinct? In one word - humans. We considered pigeons nuisance birds and hunted them ruthlessly. That large roost near Shelbyville, once discovered, was hunted day and night.

When the carrier pigeons died out, many eyes were opened to the other bird species well on their way to extinction. Canada geese were one species that had been all but eliminated in the wild.

The author begins The Feather Wars at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It was there, in 1936 that a group of Canada geese was penned, carefully cared for over a breeding season, and reintroduced to the wild. Over decades a migratory breeding population was fully established at Seney, part of the revival of this bird species.

The book takes us from the end of the Civil War through the Great Depression, and beyond, to tell the story of how Americans went from wholesale bird slaughter to dedicated bird conservation. Each of the book’s chapters highlights individuals who had a prominent role in one or the other. There are plenty of colorful characters and interesting stories along the way.

One of the colorful characters is Edward Avery McIlhenney, who is most famous for putting Tabasco Sauce on American kitchen tables. But he also funded and established bird refuges along the Louisiana coast and he played a large role in saving the snowy egret from extinction. After establishing the refuges, he then bought property in the midst of them and proposed building a large, exclusive “hunt club” for the primary purpose of shooting birds the refuges were sheltering. McIlhenney, the author says, encompassed all the contradictions of bird preservation and hunting. The two continue to be intertwined today, with fees from hunting licenses funding many preservation projects.

I really enjoyed this book. Viewing American history through this prism - through our treatment of the creatures around us - is telling. But I suspect a book about bird hunting and preservation is not for everyone. That’s a shame because it’s well told and full of interesting stories.

Read it for the colorful characters, and for the telling view into American history.

[Kasandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an exhaustive collection of US history related to the destruction and conservation of birds.

First and foremost I am not a bird person. I don’t bird watch or particularly care about them but I wanted to understand them better. I knew a bit about the history but when I saw this beast of a book I knew I would be challenging myself to see birds from a new perspective. I enjoy history and nature so this sounds like a great marriage of both.

And it really is. This book delves into so much history. I didn’t know just how popular it was and bow much history is available. In the age of letter writing though so many accounts are preserved. McCommons has done a huge amount of collecting and collating this history into such a large book. The history is dark. And it’s not always the most engaging topics. And there are dozens of account of men that all start to feel the same and blur together.

While I enjoyed the understanding of how slow it was to made the conservation changes and even then how hard it was to enforce, the book is just so dry and repetitive. I listened to the audiobook that clocks in at 15.5 hours. The narrator has a very soft and calming voice. It’s not very animated either so this put it to sleep several times and took something like 15 days to get through.

And while the topics are on dark side they are just so dry with these guys all doing the same things over and over. I couldn’t tell them apart so it felt like I was relistening to the same stories. At some point it losing its effect and instead of being challenging or inspiring it all is just forgettable. Not what you want if you are trying to talk about ongoing conservation issues.

It’s nice the history will be perserved. The guys who caused so many damage will be recorded as well as those who did help save birds.

I understand better the love of birds and the need to save even. I also have been able to suggest this book to people so it is making a mark but my own personal experience of listening to the audiobook was largely tiresome and many times I felt like DNFing it. I am not the target audible which is why I struggled with it and that is on me. I don’t want my rating to diminish the work and tremendous effort McCommons went through to write such a thoroughly researched book it’s really commendable.

Research - 5/5
Enjoyment - 3/5
Ability to retain facts from the book - 2.5/5
Applicability to today - 3/5
Audiobook narration - 3/5

Overall 3.25/5 book is for history buffs, bird lovers, people who enjoy non-fiction that can be repetitive and dry.

I received a copy of the audiobook from NetGalley and Tantor Media.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense Academic Treatise With Not Quite Enough Bibliography. The singular most important thing you need to know about this book is that it is very much written in a dry, academic, very much textbook tone. There is a *lot* of seemingly fairly comprehensive history of birding from the beginning of European settlement in the area now known as the United States - with a brief touch on histories before that period - basically up to Silent Spring. Yes, given the eras this covers, particularly in the 19th century and earlier, this means that for nature lovers in particular it may be a doubly difficult book as it goes into details about the wholesale slaughter of birds generally and even the extinction of several different specific species, including the passenger pigeon.

While at least one other reviewer does claim the book to be hyperbolic, the approach here seemed at least relatively balanced regarding birds - if slanted more in favor of conservation and government power in particular human actions and specific conservation methods. Up to and including recommending some rather extreme actions regarding pet cats, declaring that they should be regulated even more tightly than pet dogs are. Clearly, this author has never actually attempted to keep a cat even inside a covered stroller, much less walked on a leash. (Yes, I'm aware *some* cats tolerate these actions. *Some* animals - including the human animal - will tolerate nearly any physically survivable situation. This does not mean the majority do or that these conditions are good for them.)

Indeed, as with so many nonfiction books declaring policy recommendations... eh, they're always going to be hit or miss at best depending on the reader's personal preferences. As a cat lover and avowed Anarchist... let's just say I personally agreed with few of them indeed, but others with different views may arrive at different conclusions there.

Overall if you can withstand the dense academic tone - and, if a nature lover, the clinical precision with which McCommons describes such wholesale and wanton slaughter of so many birds - this book will at minimum be informative, unless perhaps you are a birder yourself with a strong knowledge of the history of that hobby.

Recommended.

[Jordan Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know much about birds, and while I enjoy seeing them about, sometimes I'd just as rather they find another tree in which to chirp incessantly. That being said, I certainly don't want my local songbirds going extinct, and with some prior knowledge about the impact of women's fashion on bird populations as well as the mix of wonder and annoyance at the now-extinct passenger pigeon, I was eager to read The Feather Wars.

McCommons has a way of bringing interest and excitement to what could otherwise be a potentially boring topic: bird conservation. By sharing facts not only about the birds but about the men and women who fought for them (and against them), the feuds between the various factions of bird conservationists, and the current state of bird populations, McCommons has crafted a fascinating microhistory that gets bogged down occasionally but is ultimately a factual and colorful look at how Americans have changed in their perception of birds. It's also interesting to note how common practices today, such as hunting licenses, have had such an impact on bird populations as well as how conservation efforts in the children and young adults of the early 1900s truly led to generations of individuals looking out for the birds. I understand that, at that time, it was a fine line to walk between saving the birds and allowing people who killed birds as food to survive to continue hunting, but what was more interesting (and what McCommons repeatedly brings to light) was the distinctions between "good" and "bad" birds and hunting for market vs hunting for science--"for science" has long been used as an excuse for doing unsavory things, and while I don't believe that scientists (whether professional or armchair) and researchers back in the day were killing birds with ulterior methods, I'm glad we've moved into a society who goes birding using binoculars rather than guns.

All in all, The Feather Wars is a well-written history of a unique topic, and I'll definitely be recommending this one!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I read a book about environmentalism, conservation or human interaction with nature, I come away astounded at the hubris of humans who think they have the right to play with nature in whatever way appeals to them (or make them some profit). The Feather Wars begins in the late 19th century, when millions of birds were lost due to human intervention. All species of birds were killed for sport, for food, and for the fashion trends of the time in which feathers were popular. In the early 20th century, people like Theodore Roosevelt, John James Audubon and many others started to realize the importance of birds in the ecosystem, and dealt with this knowledge in a variety of ways. Roosevelt, as president, set aside millions of acres for wildlife protection, and others developed new ways to study birds that didn’t involve killing them. Although the passenger pigeon became extinct (I was amazed to learn that the taxidermied body of the last known passenger pigeon is on display at the Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian. Her name is Martha.) several others species began to thrive. Even though attitudes and laws have changed, the fate of birds in America still rests in the hands of humans, who threaten bird populations by destroying habitats, building glass buildings, and encouraging hunting for sport.

This was a fascinating but very dense book; McCommons does a good job of starting many chapters with an illustrative story, but then he of necessity moves toward describing the many people involved at each stage of the conservation effort. My eyes glazed over at many points, but I did find some individuals and actions fascinating enough to investigate further (I downloaded Florence Merriam’s charming 1889 book, Birds Through an Opera-Glass as soon as I read about it).

Obviously the Feather Wars are not over. Many thanks to James McConnell for writing this book, and to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very solid 5 rating for the research. The book examines and does an extensive deep-dive and it is quite obvious how James H McCommon is passionate about the topic and what had to have been a huge undertaking to collect and collate the material he presents in The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America's Birds. In my opinion, this book would make for a great college textbook in the fields of biology, ecology, wildlife biology, wildlife ecology, or zoology, and anyone else with a great love for birds and looking for an in-depth study of ornithology. Overall, a solid 4.0 rating for McCommon's The Feather Wars.

Before I go further, I would like to thank Sara Beth Haring from St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and the author, James H McCommon, for providing this advance review copy (ARC) for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Although, quite well-written and chronologically organized, the reading could sometimes be a bit tedious due to the very long paragraphs and reading in Kindle on a phone (sometimes iPad). There were times, it did seem as if I had already read something, due to some repetitiveness on the subject matter. Thus it made the reading very slow going, and to be honest, there were a few times by the time I reached 50 percent, that I wanted to DNF (did not finish), so it was difficult to finish it in time for the release.

With all that in mind, I still found it to be a great book. It is not technical, and someone who knows very little about the study of birds will be able to understand, and likely learn and be engaged, such as how birds were initially studied through specimen collection by shooting, skinning, and preserving study skins; others studied their eggs and nesting habits (oology).

The book reads like mini biographies for the many men, and a few women, who were either attempting to save and protect America's birds and bring about conservation efforts, alongside counterparts, who did not always have the best interests in mind and sought to farm birds for their meat and their feathers--oh the vanity for the fashionably wealthy. There are some definitely dark and difficult (but engaging) topics.

Personally, it was fascinating to learn that once upon a time, there were so many birds in existence, that they could blacken the skies with their wings; an image that is so hard to imagine today. Thus, it makes more sense and more easy to understand why the carrier pigeon (and a few other species) became extinct.

The reader may recognize a few names, as did I, such as Teddy Roosevelt (a well-known conservationist who set aside 51 federal bird reserves--I can't recall if that was in the book, but I am a huge TR fan--during his presidency), John James Audubon, and Edward Avery McIlhenney, of the Tabasco fame, who helped save the snowy egret from extinction and established refuges; however, on the contrary, McIlhenney had proposed building an exclusive hunt club.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for bird enthusiasts, whether they are serious birders and/or casual nature lovers.

[Jeimy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An expansive and engaging history of the early bird conservation movement in the United States. Coming into the book with some familiarity—particularly with the impacts of overhunting for sport and fashion, as well as visits to key sites in Florida where these conflicts unfolded—I found the narrative both informative and resonant.

Though the structure can feel meandering at times, McCommons ultimately succeeds in weaving together a wide array of stories—individuals, organizations, publications, and places—into a cohesive account of how bird protection efforts took shape. This “quilting” of perspectives mirrors the complexity of the movement itself, highlighting both its triumphs and its contradictions.

One of the book’s most effective choices is its connection to the present day. After tracing the successes of early conservation efforts, McCommons underscores a sobering reality: bird populations are once again in decline. For readers familiar with birding, this may not come as a surprise, but the historical context adds urgency and clarity. The book also outlines the ongoing threats birds face and offers tangible ways readers can contribute to their protection.

A recurring theme throughout the narrative is the role of extractive systems—whether driven by profit, expansion, or consumption—in shaping environmental decline. From the overharvesting of birds for fashion to the continued pressures of development and industrial practices, the patterns are strikingly consistent. This throughline lends the book a contemporary relevance that extends beyond its historical focus.

Ultimately, this is a timely and thought-provoking work that will especially appeal to readers already interested in birds and conservation. Its greatest challenge may be reaching those who are not yet attuned to these issues, though its message is one that arguably needs to be heard most widely.

[Luv2TrvlLuvBks · Rating 4 out of 5]

They are the modern day descendants of dinosaurs.

Some are forever lost due to human destruction or vanity. Readers learn how at the height of the Gilded Age, the fashionable and wealthy would don hats with plucked feathers. Readers also learn of the complex relationship of collectors from a different age. Their actions disseminated populations. Then there are the hunters of the time that killed wide swaths of bird species sometimes for coin, mostly though for bragging rights.

This book will appeal to a variety of audiences. There's bird watchers for one and how the first 'guidebook' was created by a woman, graduate of Smith College. There's feminists who will read how women also played a significant part of state chapters of the Audubon society. Admittedly, it was a small upper class of white women who were the guiding force. There's those interested in understanding how race and cultural relations can create a divide. The author does not shy away from how racial politics and even eugenics played a role in casting a negative light on ethnic populations (Italians, Indigenous people) actions towards birds. Then there's interested in the history of conservation as well as presidential and legislative history. Reader will hear efforts of President Theodore Roosevelt but also conservationist/political cartoonist Joseph Ding, and John H. Lacy, a figure until this book had not known about. From the latter's efforts, wildlife transportation, was prohibited.

This book was dense but informative. It will take time to read but the reader will leave with so much more than when it was first picked up.

#TheFeatherWarsSaveTheBirds #NetGalley

This ARC was provided by the publisher, St. Martin's Press, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley, Tantor Media and St. Martin’s Press for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I knew a little bit about the Feather Wars from watching Ken Burns’ National Parks documentary, as well as doing a lot of reading about Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir and John James Audubon. However, I was in no way, shape, or form prepared for the abject stupidity of men in the United States (yes, mostly men.) I guess I shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but this was ridiculous.

Concentrating on the United States during the 19th and early part of the 20th century, The Feather Wars examines how man decimated the bird population in the United States. It’s also a story about the start and growth of the conservation movement in the country. Combining detailed research with historical anecdotes, author James McCommons tells a sweeping tale of some of the most important people who wanted to protect birds and their habitats.

The Feather Works is a scholarly book, but it’s also a fact-filled story that involves the changes in culture, as well as an expansive look at environmental ethics. I still can’t believe that at the height of the carnage, milliners were also taxidermists, who put whole ass birds on women’s hats because just the plumes weren’t enough! Like, who thought that was a good idea?

McCommons has handled the topic very well, bringing interest into the discussion of social and environmental responsibility. There is a tendency to get a little too detailed at times, but I would rather have too much information instead of not enough

The audiobook was narrated by Colin White, who did an excellent job. I felt fully engaged as I listened and followed along with the ebook. Overall, a really good book!