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The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America's Birds
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.
1 pages, Audio CD
Published March 17, 2026
35 people are currently reading
10964 people want to read
About the author
James H. McCommons
1 book40 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 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.
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 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.
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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.
January 7, 2026
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.
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.
March 26, 2026
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.
March 21, 2026
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.
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.
March 24, 2026
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.
January 2, 2026
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!!
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!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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!
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!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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.
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.
March 17, 2026
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.
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.
March 19, 2026
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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!
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!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
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!
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!
Did not finish
March 1, 2026I hate to give a DNF review for an arc, but turns out this was a bad match. I knew it was the genre of nonfiction I always call ~Huge Bummers~, but I thought I could manage it. I couldn’t even make it through chapter two, about passenger pigeons, it felt like it was reveling in the carnage, describing in detail all the different ways people slaughtered those birds, talking about how the chicks would like, explode when knocked out of the nest. Way too much for me.
But the thing that really made me uncomfortable is the weird vibes about how McCommons talks about buffalo as a 1:1 example with the passenger pigeon, of greed and hubris, and that “the carnage of the American bison on the plains clearly demonstrated there were indeed limits and consequences”. Uh. The buffalo was not hunted to near-extinction because ~people just didn’t know better~. It was part of deliberate genocide of indigenous people. Obviously??? So I text-searched 'bison' and apparently he goes on in a later chapter to say that the ““primary”” reason buffalo were being hunted so much was for their hides. No??? That is absolutely not the primary reason.
If it were just the gratuitous dead bird stuff, I could probably skim those sections, and try to get through the rest of it, but I just don’t understand why McCommon’s felt the need to keep bringing up the deliberate eradication of the buffalo as if it were something that just accidentally happened, you know, unintentionally. It makes me disinclined to trust the accuracy of everything else.
I received an advanced copy of this book from a Goodreads giveway.
But the thing that really made me uncomfortable is the weird vibes about how McCommons talks about buffalo as a 1:1 example with the passenger pigeon, of greed and hubris, and that “the carnage of the American bison on the plains clearly demonstrated there were indeed limits and consequences”. Uh. The buffalo was not hunted to near-extinction because ~people just didn’t know better~. It was part of deliberate genocide of indigenous people. Obviously??? So I text-searched 'bison' and apparently he goes on in a later chapter to say that the ““primary”” reason buffalo were being hunted so much was for their hides. No??? That is absolutely not the primary reason.
If it were just the gratuitous dead bird stuff, I could probably skim those sections, and try to get through the rest of it, but I just don’t understand why McCommon’s felt the need to keep bringing up the deliberate eradication of the buffalo as if it were something that just accidentally happened, you know, unintentionally. It makes me disinclined to trust the accuracy of everything else.
I received an advanced copy of this book from a Goodreads giveway.
March 22, 2026
It seems that I see fewer birds now than I did when I was a kid, and according to this book, I'm not wrong.
A fascinating look at how North America almost lost its birds (and did lose the passenger pigeon) but a few heroes stepped in to say no. A few even gave their life to the cause, fighting market hunters and poachers.
A bird that numbered in the billions, no one believed the passenger pigeons could be hunted to extinction, until it happened. I wish I could see a flock of passenger pigeons in person. The author describes it so well: "A startling power like that of a great wind, the rumble of a tsunami, or the tremor of an earthquake emanated from their passing. Pigeons streaming over Columbus, Ohio, in 1855 spooked horses, impelled children to run for home, and caused the pious to drop to their knees in prayer."
In the days before industrial farming, pigeons, songbirds and so many more were hunted across the continent and shipped to cities as cheap protein. Birds with showy feathers, such as the snowy egret, were nearly hunted to extinction for hats.
I enjoyed reading the history that I expected: about the Audubon Society, the Pelican Island bird sanctuary, and DDT and the eagles, but the author also included so many little-known facts: I love that Coco Chanel helped save the birds by changing fashions from the elaborate Victorian getup to simple, sleek looks - no feathers needed.
A wide-ranging book that will interest serious birders and casual nature lovers alike.
Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A fascinating look at how North America almost lost its birds (and did lose the passenger pigeon) but a few heroes stepped in to say no. A few even gave their life to the cause, fighting market hunters and poachers.
A bird that numbered in the billions, no one believed the passenger pigeons could be hunted to extinction, until it happened. I wish I could see a flock of passenger pigeons in person. The author describes it so well: "A startling power like that of a great wind, the rumble of a tsunami, or the tremor of an earthquake emanated from their passing. Pigeons streaming over Columbus, Ohio, in 1855 spooked horses, impelled children to run for home, and caused the pious to drop to their knees in prayer."
In the days before industrial farming, pigeons, songbirds and so many more were hunted across the continent and shipped to cities as cheap protein. Birds with showy feathers, such as the snowy egret, were nearly hunted to extinction for hats.
I enjoyed reading the history that I expected: about the Audubon Society, the Pelican Island bird sanctuary, and DDT and the eagles, but the author also included so many little-known facts: I love that Coco Chanel helped save the birds by changing fashions from the elaborate Victorian getup to simple, sleek looks - no feathers needed.
A wide-ranging book that will interest serious birders and casual nature lovers alike.
Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is one of the more fascinating nonfiction books I’ve read. It’s an extensive history of the bird conservation efforts in this country starting in the 19th C through the early 20th C.
The book covers the efforts of diverse people - politicians, bird lovers, conservationists, writers and others - who sought to curtail the extinction of many bird species and preserve birds - all good for the species as well as the environments birds support. The efforts sometimes translated into laws, formation of conservation societies, etc.
It soon became clear to me that people back in the day killed many birds for food (understandable) and in the belief there were so many birds it would be impossible to kill them all off (magical thinking). Like the bison as the author points out birds like the carrier pigeon did become extinct. The “greed” option, the most prevalent Americanism when speaking about what is American culture, plays a big part too in extinction. I especially enjoyed the chapter on feather procurement between the late 19th and early 20th C when women wore hats and milliners needed these for their livelihood. And there is piracy of exotic birds and the like. The book abounds in stories of pure senseless in dealing with birds.
Many of the people mentioned are humble people who appreciated the need to preserve the environment and birds by some were more prominent like Teddy Roosevelt John James Audubon but regardless there were many heroes in the fight against wanton hunting and public opinion about birds.
The section on the sparrows and larks was illuminating. These were introduced from abroad to fight insects. From what was written these are not the nicest of birds and actually have a destructive impact on the environment - but they are here to stay and we just have to put up with them.
The epilogue is interesting because it highlights things in our current environment that affect birds like high rises with their glass windows that deflect sunlight affecting bird flight. In a world where humans only focus on themselves, this book is a wake up call.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this ARC.
The book covers the efforts of diverse people - politicians, bird lovers, conservationists, writers and others - who sought to curtail the extinction of many bird species and preserve birds - all good for the species as well as the environments birds support. The efforts sometimes translated into laws, formation of conservation societies, etc.
It soon became clear to me that people back in the day killed many birds for food (understandable) and in the belief there were so many birds it would be impossible to kill them all off (magical thinking). Like the bison as the author points out birds like the carrier pigeon did become extinct. The “greed” option, the most prevalent Americanism when speaking about what is American culture, plays a big part too in extinction. I especially enjoyed the chapter on feather procurement between the late 19th and early 20th C when women wore hats and milliners needed these for their livelihood. And there is piracy of exotic birds and the like. The book abounds in stories of pure senseless in dealing with birds.
Many of the people mentioned are humble people who appreciated the need to preserve the environment and birds by some were more prominent like Teddy Roosevelt John James Audubon but regardless there were many heroes in the fight against wanton hunting and public opinion about birds.
The section on the sparrows and larks was illuminating. These were introduced from abroad to fight insects. From what was written these are not the nicest of birds and actually have a destructive impact on the environment - but they are here to stay and we just have to put up with them.
The epilogue is interesting because it highlights things in our current environment that affect birds like high rises with their glass windows that deflect sunlight affecting bird flight. In a world where humans only focus on themselves, this book is a wake up call.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Well, this was fascinating. Who would have thought the movement that spawned the Audubon Society and wildlife conservation was fraught with intrigue, double crosses, unlikely heroes, and murder?
Not only is this book interesting in its detail about the fight for preserving birds and their habitats, it is also a window into early American life - when the US was still a fledgling nation with many wild, untamed areas, and the federal government was learning to flex its muscle against stubborn, uncooperative states.
Back then bird populations were being decimated from habitat loss, over hunting, farmers, trophy hunters, collectors, and the fashion industry. Notable figures in the book had to sway public opinion on many fronts (for instance, convincing women that oversized hats adorned with the bodies of dead birds is not a good look) as well as fight passionate, entrenched beliefs (such as the hunting of birds is a God-given right).
This book is meticulously researched and the detailed accounts of many different battles by many different advocates are thorough and gripping. My one quibble is with the multiple accounts of slaughter; the brutality is very well documented here and while I see the need for it, I thought it was a bit belabored.
I listened to the audio version and found Colin White’s narration to be excellent. I am very grateful to Tantor Media and NetGalley for this advance edition in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars.
Not only is this book interesting in its detail about the fight for preserving birds and their habitats, it is also a window into early American life - when the US was still a fledgling nation with many wild, untamed areas, and the federal government was learning to flex its muscle against stubborn, uncooperative states.
Back then bird populations were being decimated from habitat loss, over hunting, farmers, trophy hunters, collectors, and the fashion industry. Notable figures in the book had to sway public opinion on many fronts (for instance, convincing women that oversized hats adorned with the bodies of dead birds is not a good look) as well as fight passionate, entrenched beliefs (such as the hunting of birds is a God-given right).
This book is meticulously researched and the detailed accounts of many different battles by many different advocates are thorough and gripping. My one quibble is with the multiple accounts of slaughter; the brutality is very well documented here and while I see the need for it, I thought it was a bit belabored.
I listened to the audio version and found Colin White’s narration to be excellent. I am very grateful to Tantor Media and NetGalley for this advance edition in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3 out of 5 stars
I want to start by saying that this is not a bad book. It is well written and full of information on the long fight for bird protections. However, it is a heavy book. It contains many descriptions on the atrocities committed against birds in the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
James H. McCommons covers an in-depth history of America’s birds in The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America’s Birds. He explores the major players and how each person contributed to the stages of the American perspective of birds. The stages range from the slaughter of billions of birds to the protections bird populations see in today’s society.
It was hard to read this book. McCommons does a great job of describing the attitudes of Americans towards birds and the actions they took against them. The descriptions of the elimination of entire bird species are hard to stomach. Of course, this is all personal taste. The writing is engaging, and the book is full of interesting facts about birds and their history in the United States.
I cannot get past the horrible things people did to birds. This book is going to haunt me for a long time. Even though this is, objectively, a good book, I cannot recommend it. Unless you are unbothered by the discussion of the slaughter of birds, skip this read.
I want to start by saying that this is not a bad book. It is well written and full of information on the long fight for bird protections. However, it is a heavy book. It contains many descriptions on the atrocities committed against birds in the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
James H. McCommons covers an in-depth history of America’s birds in The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America’s Birds. He explores the major players and how each person contributed to the stages of the American perspective of birds. The stages range from the slaughter of billions of birds to the protections bird populations see in today’s society.
It was hard to read this book. McCommons does a great job of describing the attitudes of Americans towards birds and the actions they took against them. The descriptions of the elimination of entire bird species are hard to stomach. Of course, this is all personal taste. The writing is engaging, and the book is full of interesting facts about birds and their history in the United States.
I cannot get past the horrible things people did to birds. This book is going to haunt me for a long time. Even though this is, objectively, a good book, I cannot recommend it. Unless you are unbothered by the discussion of the slaughter of birds, skip this read.
March 22, 2026
The Feather Wars is a detailed history of bird hunting (for science, use and pleasure) and the bird conservation movement in the United States, detailing various legislation as well as people involved. It’s a very detailed and thorough history.
This covers the 19th and early 20th centuries, ending around the Great Depression. The author goes into detail about the mass killings of birds for hunting and fashion uses. He goes into detail on the movements to try to limit and legislate this use as well as various people involved on both sides.
The author also details the history of the shotgun ornithologists, the ones who shot birds in order to study them. Through this he also details the history and movement to observational ornithology and again the struggles and resistance to this change.
It’s a very educational and thorough history of bird conversation and key players in it. It details the sad history of how people have devastated North American bird populations but also details the ways people have tried to change and continue to do so.
The narration for the audiobook and overall production was fine for this book.
A very detailed history on avian conservation, a must read for anyone interested in these fields.
Thank you to the NetGalley and Tantor Media for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This covers the 19th and early 20th centuries, ending around the Great Depression. The author goes into detail about the mass killings of birds for hunting and fashion uses. He goes into detail on the movements to try to limit and legislate this use as well as various people involved on both sides.
The author also details the history of the shotgun ornithologists, the ones who shot birds in order to study them. Through this he also details the history and movement to observational ornithology and again the struggles and resistance to this change.
It’s a very educational and thorough history of bird conversation and key players in it. It details the sad history of how people have devastated North American bird populations but also details the ways people have tried to change and continue to do so.
The narration for the audiobook and overall production was fine for this book.
A very detailed history on avian conservation, a must read for anyone interested in these fields.
Thank you to the NetGalley and Tantor Media for providing this ARC in exchange for an 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.
January 20, 2026
How did migratory birds go from being so abundant that they would blot out the sun to endangered, or even extinct? Unfortunately, the answers in American history are tied to the birth of ornithology. We don’t always realize the impact our need for curiosity cabinet collections and fashion must-haves will have on the environment, but, in hindsight, that’s incredibly short-sighted. Enter: the feather wars.
McCommons’ The Feather Wars explores the history of ornithology in America, how bird study changed from shotgun ornithology to sight recognition, the politics surrounding both hunting and saving birds, and how policies affected the rich, poor, and immigrants. I really appreciated how McCommons approached the subject from many points of view.
Bird history in America isn’t all about shooting, collecting, and the folly of human fashion. The introduction of photography and binoculars was positive for our bird populations. McCommons also talks about the legendary ornithologist Ludlow Griscom in the 1920s and The Peterson Field Guide, which has never been out of print!
Overall, this was a fascinating history of saving America’s birds.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
McCommons’ The Feather Wars explores the history of ornithology in America, how bird study changed from shotgun ornithology to sight recognition, the politics surrounding both hunting and saving birds, and how policies affected the rich, poor, and immigrants. I really appreciated how McCommons approached the subject from many points of view.
Bird history in America isn’t all about shooting, collecting, and the folly of human fashion. The introduction of photography and binoculars was positive for our bird populations. McCommons also talks about the legendary ornithologist Ludlow Griscom in the 1920s and The Peterson Field Guide, which has never been out of print!
Overall, this was a fascinating history of saving America’s birds.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
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.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I’m not really sure how to feel about or rate The Feather Wars by James H McCommons. This is an in-depth look at the history of conservation in the US. It is well written, with a clear descriptive tone that I particularly liked. The research was extensive for both the birds and the people involved with them. But ultimately, I just could not make it through all of the descriptions of various species along with their eggs, nests, and environments being hunted and destroyed to extinction whether it was for science, food, neglect or fashion. I finally skipped toward the second half of the book where the greater focus is on a variety of interesting characters and groups that come together to promote conservation through legal means, advocacy and personal convictions.
Feather Wars is an important work on bird conservation and why it is so critical. It’s written in an engaging style that those who enjoy the circle-of-life National Geographic specials would probably really like. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.
3.5 rounded to 4 stars
Feather Wars is an important work on bird conservation and why it is so critical. It’s written in an engaging style that those who enjoy the circle-of-life National Geographic specials would probably really like. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.
3.5 rounded to 4 stars
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.
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