What do you think?
Rate this book
Win a free print copy of this book!
30 days and 01:33:53
25 copies available
U.S. and Canada only
The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America's Birds
Not yet published
Expected 17 Mar 26Win a free print copy of this book!
30 days and 01:33:53
25 copies available
U.S. and Canada only
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.
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.
416 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 17, 2026
10 people are currently reading
4024 people want to read
About the author
James H. McCommons
1 book22 followersJames 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 24, 2025
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.
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.
Read
December 17, 2025I 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.
November 18, 2025
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.
I will now be throwing in random birds facts in all conversations, thank you!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
November 1, 2025
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.
November 30, 2025
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.
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.
December 5, 2025
If you love birds, you must read “The Feather Wars.” The scholarship and its readability make it special.
Canada geese were hunted to the point of extinction. If you were a birdwatcher in the 19th century, it probably meant you shot the bird you were interested in and then identified it from its corpse. McCommons recounts an 1860 description of a flock of passenger pigeons a mile wide and three hundred miles long– something none of us has ever seen.
Much of the book describes legislation meant to protect birds– the laws that were passed and those that were not. Advocates had a tough slog. Hunters saw little value in protecting birds. The prevailing opinion was that birds were not in danger of extinction. The fashion industry– until Coco Chanel appeared– used feathers extensively for women’s hats. Coco called the creations “birds’ nests” and opined, “How could a brain function under all of that?”
I particularly enjoyed learning about a young Roger Tory Peterson, before he wrote his famous field guides. An important bird advocate who was new to me was Rosalie Edge. She had money she was willing to spend to benefit birds, and she seldom took no for an answer. Ludlow Griscom taught people to recognize birds by sight– no guns needed!
“The Feather Wars” was full of information that was totally new to me, and I’ve watched birds since childhood. Also, if you enjoyed “The Genius Bat” by Yossi Yovel, you will likely enjoy “The Feather Wars” as well.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review.
Canada geese were hunted to the point of extinction. If you were a birdwatcher in the 19th century, it probably meant you shot the bird you were interested in and then identified it from its corpse. McCommons recounts an 1860 description of a flock of passenger pigeons a mile wide and three hundred miles long– something none of us has ever seen.
Much of the book describes legislation meant to protect birds– the laws that were passed and those that were not. Advocates had a tough slog. Hunters saw little value in protecting birds. The prevailing opinion was that birds were not in danger of extinction. The fashion industry– until Coco Chanel appeared– used feathers extensively for women’s hats. Coco called the creations “birds’ nests” and opined, “How could a brain function under all of that?”
I particularly enjoyed learning about a young Roger Tory Peterson, before he wrote his famous field guides. An important bird advocate who was new to me was Rosalie Edge. She had money she was willing to spend to benefit birds, and she seldom took no for an answer. Ludlow Griscom taught people to recognize birds by sight– no guns needed!
“The Feather Wars” was full of information that was totally new to me, and I’ve watched birds since childhood. Also, if you enjoyed “The Genius Bat” by Yossi Yovel, you will likely enjoy “The Feather Wars” as well.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review.
December 2, 2025
Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley
Ignorance . . . or, perhaps, superciliousness . . . throughout the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth century led to the extinction of billions of birds. Readers are presented with heart-stopping details of the actions of the people that led to the demise of flocks of birds whether through hunting to provide food, hunting for sport, classification work, or for momentary fashion trends, once the birds were gone, there was no going back despite legislation like the Migratory Bird Act.
Here the author has laid out all the details, providing readers with a difficult but honest look at the extinction of species of birds by wanton destruction. On the opposite end of the spectrum, readers are introduced to groups and organizations dedicated to saving the birds.
Readers who are interested in birding, conservation, and nature will find much food for thought in this meticulously-researched book that promises to remain with every reader long after the final page has been turned.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#TheFeatherWarsSaveTheBirds #NetGalley
Ignorance . . . or, perhaps, superciliousness . . . throughout the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth century led to the extinction of billions of birds. Readers are presented with heart-stopping details of the actions of the people that led to the demise of flocks of birds whether through hunting to provide food, hunting for sport, classification work, or for momentary fashion trends, once the birds were gone, there was no going back despite legislation like the Migratory Bird Act.
Here the author has laid out all the details, providing readers with a difficult but honest look at the extinction of species of birds by wanton destruction. On the opposite end of the spectrum, readers are introduced to groups and organizations dedicated to saving the birds.
Readers who are interested in birding, conservation, and nature will find much food for thought in this meticulously-researched book that promises to remain with every reader long after the final page has been turned.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#TheFeatherWarsSaveTheBirds #NetGalley
December 28, 2025
The Feather Wars
I love animals, but really haven’t given birds much thought.
I was appalled at the devastation of the birds in America. I knew about the California Condors from a little booklet we got back in elementary school, and of course the Bald Eagles. To know that we have lost birds such as the passenger pigeon to extinction is very sad indeed. Reading about glass, cats, pesticides and habitat loss definitely makes me think more about the feathered animals we take for granted.
A lot of research went into this book to inform us of the neglect and ‘take all you want’ mindset. Hopefully more will be done to insure our feathered friends continue to flourish and comeback to a better population.
This book was well written with lots of information about the past and present situation of America’s birds.
Birds are not my favorite animals, although I enjoy watching Robins, Bluejays, Cardinals and Hummingbirds in my backyard. I have a newfound respect for them after reading this book. If you like or love birds, or are just curious about them, I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy from St Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I love animals, but really haven’t given birds much thought.
I was appalled at the devastation of the birds in America. I knew about the California Condors from a little booklet we got back in elementary school, and of course the Bald Eagles. To know that we have lost birds such as the passenger pigeon to extinction is very sad indeed. Reading about glass, cats, pesticides and habitat loss definitely makes me think more about the feathered animals we take for granted.
A lot of research went into this book to inform us of the neglect and ‘take all you want’ mindset. Hopefully more will be done to insure our feathered friends continue to flourish and comeback to a better population.
This book was well written with lots of information about the past and present situation of America’s birds.
Birds are not my favorite animals, although I enjoy watching Robins, Bluejays, Cardinals and Hummingbirds in my backyard. I have a newfound respect for them after reading this book. If you like or love birds, or are just curious about them, I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy from St Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
December 16, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
What an interesting tome!!
The author goes through so many aspects of the history of birding in the States (I loosely include hunting in MY definition of birding).
Different chapters highlight specific birds, a specific área, a notable person or group of people, or other individual topics; while the book as a whole flows very well.
He takes the reader through history, when birds were so numerous that the sky could be blacked out and no one would ever suspect that individual species could ever become endangered, nevermind extinct.
Descriptions of how birds were used not just for food; but for study, fashion, and fun. How they were collected and wasted.
The research seems to have been exhaustive (with notes included). So many details!! I doubt the average person was aware of even a tenth of the issues reported in this book.
Highly recommended for anyone with even an inkling of interest in the history of bird conservation in America.
What an interesting tome!!
The author goes through so many aspects of the history of birding in the States (I loosely include hunting in MY definition of birding).
Different chapters highlight specific birds, a specific área, a notable person or group of people, or other individual topics; while the book as a whole flows very well.
He takes the reader through history, when birds were so numerous that the sky could be blacked out and no one would ever suspect that individual species could ever become endangered, nevermind extinct.
Descriptions of how birds were used not just for food; but for study, fashion, and fun. How they were collected and wasted.
The research seems to have been exhaustive (with notes included). So many details!! I doubt the average person was aware of even a tenth of the issues reported in this book.
Highly recommended for anyone with even an inkling of interest in the history of bird conservation in America.
December 8, 2025
I did know that this was a more academic oriented book, but I think even then I was still slightly unprepared for how academic this was. For me, this was a slow read, and although very interesting and extremely well written, there were times where simply due to the density of the content I was afraid I’d never finish this.
With that said, however, there’s so much in here that I found fascinating, and it’s a part of the American history that I’ve encountered tangentially but have never directly learned about before this book.
For lovers of history in general, bird lovers, recreationalists, or people who simply enjoy learning, this is a good read. While perhaps one that does best balanced with other works at the same time, it is easy to step in and out of due to its structure, and isn’t a book that feels like it needs to be consumed at once.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
With that said, however, there’s so much in here that I found fascinating, and it’s a part of the American history that I’ve encountered tangentially but have never directly learned about before this book.
For lovers of history in general, bird lovers, recreationalists, or people who simply enjoy learning, this is a good read. While perhaps one that does best balanced with other works at the same time, it is easy to step in and out of due to its structure, and isn’t a book that feels like it needs to be consumed at once.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
December 3, 2025
Bird populations have decreased drastically in my lifetime (b.1953), and it’s tough reading how much carnage occurred before then in the name of fashion and wild meat. I am note familiar with the slaughter recounted in this wonderful book, but some times I just had to put it down and shudder. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
December 11, 2025
Informative. Sad. Enraging.
Are we any closer to doing right by our little dinosaur descendants yet?
Are we any closer to doing right by our little dinosaur descendants yet?
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews