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The Love Lives of Birds: Courting and Mating Rituals
From the lifelong devotion of the American crow to the dalliances of the eastern bluebird, from the bald eagle’s dazzling aerial display to the male ruby-throated hummingbird’s reputation as a “deadbeat dad” — courtship, mating, and parenting differ dramatically among birds. Ornithologist and author Laura Erickson takes readers on a romance-fueled romp through the love lives of 35 species, exploring the diversity of avian approaches to pairing up. Each species spotlight pairs Erickson’s remarkable depth of scientific knowledge with her talent for drawing humorous and insightful parallels between human and bird. The result is a riveting read for bird-watchers and nature lovers alike.
152 pages, Hardcover
Published October 27, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 9, 2020
THE LOVE LIVES OF BIRDS: COURTING AND MATING RITUALS by Laura Erickson is the first book that I have read by this author and the title describes what the book covers. It is a non-fiction book that covers 35 species of birds which range from common backyard birds to birds one would have to travel far afield to find. Which birds mate for life? Which parent defends the territory or incubates the eggs or raises the young? Which species are faithful to their partner? Who coos, sings, dances, stretches their neck and bill to the sky, bows, allopreens, or brings food or nest material? The answers may surprise you for some species. Spring is here and so are the courting and mating rituals of many of our summer visitors.
This book is written in layman’s terms so you don’t have to be an expert birder to enjoy it. Additionally, I enjoyed the author’s sense of humor that showed up several times in the book. Additionally, she drew comparisons and references to characters in plays, books and movies making the book even more relatable and engaging. The drawings are great, but I would have loved more.
The author has been birding since 1975, worked as Science Editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, is a contributing editor and columnist for BirdWatching magazine and has many other professional ornithology credits and this shows in her in-depth knowledge of the courtship and mating rituals described in this book.
As an avid birder since 1984 and having lived in four states during that time, I was familiar with most of the birds covered in the book. However, I still learned a few new facts. I recommend this to those that enjoy watching and learning about birds. The writing style is engaging and focused on courtship and mating. Many books about birds try to discuss everything and don’t give the reader enough details about anything. This one found the right focus and balance and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Many thanks to Storey Publishing, LLC and Laura Erickson for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
This book is written in layman’s terms so you don’t have to be an expert birder to enjoy it. Additionally, I enjoyed the author’s sense of humor that showed up several times in the book. Additionally, she drew comparisons and references to characters in plays, books and movies making the book even more relatable and engaging. The drawings are great, but I would have loved more.
The author has been birding since 1975, worked as Science Editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, is a contributing editor and columnist for BirdWatching magazine and has many other professional ornithology credits and this shows in her in-depth knowledge of the courtship and mating rituals described in this book.
As an avid birder since 1984 and having lived in four states during that time, I was familiar with most of the birds covered in the book. However, I still learned a few new facts. I recommend this to those that enjoy watching and learning about birds. The writing style is engaging and focused on courtship and mating. Many books about birds try to discuss everything and don’t give the reader enough details about anything. This one found the right focus and balance and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Many thanks to Storey Publishing, LLC and Laura Erickson for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
August 9, 2020
This book is for the birds...bird lover's that is. I absolutely adored reading about the sizing up, the courtship, the mating and nurturing rituals of nesting and fledgling of some of my favorite feathered friends.
Did I mentioned the beautiful water color illustrations?
The digital ARC of this book was graciously provided by Netgalley, the Author, Laura Erickson, and Story Publishing, well known for their books on "gardening, farming, building, cooking, crafts, and other topics providing “practical information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment,”. Publishing Date Oct 27, 2020
Did I mentioned the beautiful water color illustrations?
The digital ARC of this book was graciously provided by Netgalley, the Author, Laura Erickson, and Story Publishing, well known for their books on "gardening, farming, building, cooking, crafts, and other topics providing “practical information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment,”. Publishing Date Oct 27, 2020
September 11, 2020
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Love Lives of Birds is a well written, layman accessible manual written by Laura Erickson. Due out 27th Oct 2020 from Storey Publishing, it's 152 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is a well written nonfiction collection of birds and their mating behaviors. The book contains a general introduction followed by more than 30 bird species arranged alphabetically by common name. Each of the entries contains an illustration (see cover), along with a short 2-3 page essay on basic mating and pairbonding behavior. The book is full of interesting facts and trivia about each of the birds included although the author's anthropomorphism was a bit heavy going sometimes. I also felt the lack of proper nomenclature was a significant minus.
The book is written in simple accessible language and would be a good choice for younger bird enthusiasts, public or classroom library book, or the like.
Three and a half stars, rounded up for the engaging text and beautiful illustrations.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Love Lives of Birds is a well written, layman accessible manual written by Laura Erickson. Due out 27th Oct 2020 from Storey Publishing, it's 152 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is a well written nonfiction collection of birds and their mating behaviors. The book contains a general introduction followed by more than 30 bird species arranged alphabetically by common name. Each of the entries contains an illustration (see cover), along with a short 2-3 page essay on basic mating and pairbonding behavior. The book is full of interesting facts and trivia about each of the birds included although the author's anthropomorphism was a bit heavy going sometimes. I also felt the lack of proper nomenclature was a significant minus.
The book is written in simple accessible language and would be a good choice for younger bird enthusiasts, public or classroom library book, or the like.
Three and a half stars, rounded up for the engaging text and beautiful illustrations.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
October 19, 2020
3.5 stars
This is obviously a rather niche book! I am a huge bird lover and always want to increase my knowledge about the lives of birds so when I saw this book on netgalley, I knew I had to get it. It didn't quite live up to expectations but I did still enjoy this easy, light read.
The book is split up into around 35 birds and the author describes the mating rituals and love lifes of birds. There was some nice information about each bird and I learnt a decent amount but I wish there had been even more information. A lot of the writing was the author comparing each bird's love life to something from modern pop culture. So they would compare them to song lyrics, poems, films or musicals. At first this was quite amusing but as it went on I found it a little cringeworthy and wish there had been more scientific research instead.
The birds chosen are a decent range, although nearly completely focused on birds in the USA. It would have been nice to have seen birds from all over the world (there wasn't one british bird included).
The digital ARC provided from netgalley was a bit of a mess which made reading the book harder but I have bot penalised for this as the final product won't be so messy!
I loved the illustrations of the burds even in black and white on a kindle screen they were stunning so I know the coloured ones in the book will be beautiful.
Overall, it was a decent book about birds but I think there are probably better books out there to learn from.
Please note that I was #gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is obviously a rather niche book! I am a huge bird lover and always want to increase my knowledge about the lives of birds so when I saw this book on netgalley, I knew I had to get it. It didn't quite live up to expectations but I did still enjoy this easy, light read.
The book is split up into around 35 birds and the author describes the mating rituals and love lifes of birds. There was some nice information about each bird and I learnt a decent amount but I wish there had been even more information. A lot of the writing was the author comparing each bird's love life to something from modern pop culture. So they would compare them to song lyrics, poems, films or musicals. At first this was quite amusing but as it went on I found it a little cringeworthy and wish there had been more scientific research instead.
The birds chosen are a decent range, although nearly completely focused on birds in the USA. It would have been nice to have seen birds from all over the world (there wasn't one british bird included).
The digital ARC provided from netgalley was a bit of a mess which made reading the book harder but I have bot penalised for this as the final product won't be so messy!
I loved the illustrations of the burds even in black and white on a kindle screen they were stunning so I know the coloured ones in the book will be beautiful.
Overall, it was a decent book about birds but I think there are probably better books out there to learn from.
Please note that I was #gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 8, 2020
Birds are quite weird really. The pigeons in my garden spend so much time flapping loudly and violently around each other that I wonder how they ever manage to make the necessary contact for reproduction. The New York pigeons featured in this book seem to be much more sophisticated than our English ones. But this book is more about the courtship than the nuts and bolts (although there is a drawing of some penguins apparently getting down to it, near the front of the book.)
Erickson presents her ornithological facts with a big dollop of anthropomorphism and lots of referencing popular culture –a few of which, unfortunately, I didn’t get ( Nick and Nora??!!) and others which I felt started to get a bit tedious. Nevertheless, she knows her birds and enjoys them …and that really shines through in this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.
Erickson presents her ornithological facts with a big dollop of anthropomorphism and lots of referencing popular culture –a few of which, unfortunately, I didn’t get ( Nick and Nora??!!) and others which I felt started to get a bit tedious. Nevertheless, she knows her birds and enjoys them …and that really shines through in this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.
July 8, 2020
This top-flight book is beautifully illustrated with coloured art and takes a refreshing look at American birds. Each species is compared to a human-familiar couple or trope, and we see how it works for them to enable the raising of healthy chicks.
The cowbird behaves like the cuckoo over here, but differs in other ways and its behaviour is explained. The bird used to follow herds of buffalo for the insects they stirred up, and can't stay with a nest for several weeks. So the female leaves her egg in another bird's nest, where it can be raised. Despite picking on smaller birds for this purpose, the cowbird egg will hatch more quickly and the fast-growing youngster, while not attacking its new siblings, will demand plenty of their food. When fledged, it will go and find a flock of cowbirds, despite perhaps never having seen one.
Other birds mate for life, or for the season, or for just this clutch, and some don't pretend to be faithful. They are more faithful to the territory, because that provides food and shelter.
From the scrub jay to the blue-footed booby, the red knot to the bald eagle, these are beautifully depicted and charmingly described. We also learn terms like allopreening - preening the mate's feathers, and reasons why the mockingbird mimics; perhaps to say it has encountered all these objects/ beasts and survived, so it is wise. Wonderful.
I downloaded an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
The cowbird behaves like the cuckoo over here, but differs in other ways and its behaviour is explained. The bird used to follow herds of buffalo for the insects they stirred up, and can't stay with a nest for several weeks. So the female leaves her egg in another bird's nest, where it can be raised. Despite picking on smaller birds for this purpose, the cowbird egg will hatch more quickly and the fast-growing youngster, while not attacking its new siblings, will demand plenty of their food. When fledged, it will go and find a flock of cowbirds, despite perhaps never having seen one.
Other birds mate for life, or for the season, or for just this clutch, and some don't pretend to be faithful. They are more faithful to the territory, because that provides food and shelter.
From the scrub jay to the blue-footed booby, the red knot to the bald eagle, these are beautifully depicted and charmingly described. We also learn terms like allopreening - preening the mate's feathers, and reasons why the mockingbird mimics; perhaps to say it has encountered all these objects/ beasts and survived, so it is wise. Wonderful.
I downloaded an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
June 2, 2020
I am so happy with The Love Lives of Birds! I love birds (we keep lovebirds and parakeets, and I love birdwatching!), so I was very excited to receive a free digital ARC of this e-book! Birds have so much to teach us about unconditional love and partnership, and bird lovers will be impressed with this book. Written and Laura Erickson, this book is a work of art. I loved the touching dedication at the beginning of the book, I thought it was a perfect way to relate human nature to birds. My favorite chapter was ‘Living in Jane Austen’s World” because she is my all-time favorite author and I loved how the Black-Capped Chickadee was compared to her novels. I also liked the chapter that compared Edgar Allen Poe to the crow. I enjoyed the beautiful watercolor-style art of the birds and appreciated the alphabetical organization. More importantly, I learned so much about bird mating styles and habits that I did not know before. This was a really beautiful and fun read and I would be happy to own a physical copy of this book..
August 7, 2020
This gentle nonfiction title features beautiful watercolor illustrations of various birds. Erickson heavily relies on song lyrics and plot lines for classic movies and musicals to describe the courtships of the birds. Would recommend it to any adult who is interested in learning about the love lives of our feathered friends.
December 16, 2020
I love birding and also being able to watch these graceful animals as they flutter or swoop around their world. As such I also really enjoy books that allow me to learn more about them whether it is about their behavior, their homes or even a picture book that captures the beautifully simple yet complex plumage that each bird has. And so I came into reading this book with some high hopes.
Although the book does focus on birds and a few of the species' breeding behaviors it was presented in a format I wasn't happy with. Laura Erickson keeps each entry short and sweet with a few pages per bird. Unfortunately these entries have lots of puns and pop culture references that are more appropriate for older generations of birders rather than younger generations of birders and would-be birders.
The information was also a bit leery for example let's take a look at the mallard. The author quickly makes a point to tell the reader that mallards are like high schoolers who end up going steady with their partner of choice up until the hen starts brooding her eggs. There is a small implication about drake male size and that the hen has a way around unwanted genetic material but there is nothing mentioned that some ducklings are the products of the randy drakes who are quite infamous for raping hens they catch off guard.
The most redeeming quality of this book is its illustrations. Each bird species is given a full page watercolor illustration of either an individual specimen or multiple members of the same breed. These are set in the environment that is necessary for their survival and placed within a border that is related to the background of the illustration. Quite beautiful even when looking at the mounting penguins.
All in all this is not a birder's recommendation at all unless you just want a book for its illustrations. Most of the information can be found elsewhere and most often without all the pop culture references - unless that is also something you like.
Although the book does focus on birds and a few of the species' breeding behaviors it was presented in a format I wasn't happy with. Laura Erickson keeps each entry short and sweet with a few pages per bird. Unfortunately these entries have lots of puns and pop culture references that are more appropriate for older generations of birders rather than younger generations of birders and would-be birders.
The information was also a bit leery for example let's take a look at the mallard. The author quickly makes a point to tell the reader that mallards are like high schoolers who end up going steady with their partner of choice up until the hen starts brooding her eggs. There is a small implication about drake male size and that the hen has a way around unwanted genetic material but there is nothing mentioned that some ducklings are the products of the randy drakes who are quite infamous for raping hens they catch off guard.
The most redeeming quality of this book is its illustrations. Each bird species is given a full page watercolor illustration of either an individual specimen or multiple members of the same breed. These are set in the environment that is necessary for their survival and placed within a border that is related to the background of the illustration. Quite beautiful even when looking at the mounting penguins.
All in all this is not a birder's recommendation at all unless you just want a book for its illustrations. Most of the information can be found elsewhere and most often without all the pop culture references - unless that is also something you like.
November 5, 2020
The author has built her book on a clever premise, namely that watching the courtship habits of birds draws inevitable comparisons to human behavior. She folds in multiple song, book and movie titles and the reader can’t help chuckling at resemblances to Jane Austin’s society or seeing hummingbirds in Dancing with the Stars. However Erickson does a disservice to her subject and her readers. By going for the easy joke, she trivializes a fascinating subject. In almost every chapter I was left frustrated because I wanted to know more about these amazing creatures. There is a great book to be written on The Love Lives of Birds. Unfortunately, this wasn’t it.
January 19, 2022
What a charming book! The illustrations are beautiful, the writing is both crisp and amusing.
Basically, Laura Erickson has selected a variety of birds and describes their behavior during courting, mating, and raising broods (and also depicts the behavior in pictures). The amusing and unusual part is she often compares birds' love lives to movie characters.
After reading this, I managed to visit a wildlife refuge and I recognized courting behavior that I wouldn't have understood before. So fun!
I'll probably reread this in a few years to refresh my memory, which unfortunately needs more reminders these days.
Basically, Laura Erickson has selected a variety of birds and describes their behavior during courting, mating, and raising broods (and also depicts the behavior in pictures). The amusing and unusual part is she often compares birds' love lives to movie characters.
After reading this, I managed to visit a wildlife refuge and I recognized courting behavior that I wouldn't have understood before. So fun!
I'll probably reread this in a few years to refresh my memory, which unfortunately needs more reminders these days.
September 27, 2020
What an interesting and enjoyable read! Laura Erickson does an excellent job making this scientific book earthy and relatable. The author describes the mating 'call' of more than 30 species of birds, and it is beautifully illustarted with watercolor drawings.
I especially enjoyed her use of music lyrics, characters in books and movies, to make a point. I thought these details added a playful nuance to the book which made it even more relatable.
Thank you NetGalley, Laura Erickson and Storey Publishing for a wonderful, interesting book!
I especially enjoyed her use of music lyrics, characters in books and movies, to make a point. I thought these details added a playful nuance to the book which made it even more relatable.
Thank you NetGalley, Laura Erickson and Storey Publishing for a wonderful, interesting book!
March 28, 2021
This book had a lot of interesting information about birds and their mating rituals. And the artwork by Veronica B Lilja was gorgeous.
Because of the narrow scope, it did get a little repetitive. And I personally wasn't a huge fan of the way the author tied each bird to some sort of pop culture or literary context. It mostly felt forced and gimmicky to me. But…that's very subjective.
I did learn some cool things, and the book itself is just so beautiful…
More accurate rating: 3.5
Because of the narrow scope, it did get a little repetitive. And I personally wasn't a huge fan of the way the author tied each bird to some sort of pop culture or literary context. It mostly felt forced and gimmicky to me. But…that's very subjective.
I did learn some cool things, and the book itself is just so beautiful…
More accurate rating: 3.5
December 29, 2020
This book lacks rigor: literary, scientific, intellectual. Common sense dictates that we should not try to understand birds through the lens of human sociology, yet "The Love Lives Of Birds" attempts to do little else. In language that rarely lasts a paragraph without outdated reference to marriage, fidelity, or gender, "Love Lives" is most successful as a metaphor for the manners in which scientific metaphors fail.
October 11, 2020
What an endearing book on the love life of birds! I especially liked the chapter on Chickadees, which is already one of my favorite birds, and how the author describes their love life as being like a Jane Austen novel.
Laura uses these types of descriptive stories mixed with facts to teach the reader about this amorous aspect of avian behavior. A very enjoyable read!
Laura uses these types of descriptive stories mixed with facts to teach the reader about this amorous aspect of avian behavior. A very enjoyable read!
August 14, 2022
I am a total bird lover. This book gives great insight into the intimate side of birds love lives. It’s very interesting to read about all the different breeding rituals of different birds. Some may mate for life while others go around getting with as many different birds as possible. The artwork is absolutely stunting, and it’s a book I’ll be keep forever.
June 29, 2020
I love this book! I love the charming, detailed, beautiful watercolors through-out
the book! This is a must-buy and gift to friends that love birds as I do.
Thank you so much, Laura Erickson, the publisher, and NetGalley for giving me
the book to read and rate. It's gorgeous~
the book! This is a must-buy and gift to friends that love birds as I do.
Thank you so much, Laura Erickson, the publisher, and NetGalley for giving me
the book to read and rate. It's gorgeous~
November 8, 2021
This book is literally about the love lives of birds. The chosen birds included in this text have their love lives anthropomorphized to a degree but that just makes the book more charming and less academic.
November 9, 2022
Mediocre writing and useless information thrown in about movie stars or some crap like that. Illustration is lovely and it does have some nice facts even if they are strewn about other crappy facts unrelated to birds entirely.
September 3, 2020
The Love Lives of Birds by Laura Erickson. This book had a lot of interesting facts. The pictures were nice illustrations.
June 8, 2021
This delightful little book compares chickadees to Jane Austen characters and honestly? That's all you need to know.
August 29, 2021
Gorgeous water colors on every page and funny stories about how birds mate, raise young, nest, etc!
November 15, 2021
A lovely book on bird mating rituals but there were too many human cultural references for my taste.
January 12, 2022
A sweetly illustrated and informative book
April 14, 2023
So many fun facts!
July 19, 2023
Each species of bird is likened to a character or couple from tv or film. Birds have merit on their own, without being cheapened by media references.
February 25, 2025
Fun read
August 10, 2025
Hard cover illustrated book about many species of birds and their courting displays. Easy to read.
October 28, 2020
Birds and their behaviours are marvelous, marvelous things. Mysterious, too. Bird watching is a relatively new pursuit for me and this book has taught me so much about what birds seek in a mate from age (I had no idea!) to colour to strutting to huddling to proferring food and twigs. Then the action happens, eggs are laid and and babies are reared (or not).
Using beautiful watercolour drawings, wit, humour and the art of stringing together lovely (and lively!) prose, Laura Erickson immediately drew me in. I was hooked and just wanted to read more and more! Learning about which of 35 birds mate for life and which do not, for various reasons, was especially fascinating. I enjoyed how birds are likened to literary figures. My favourite mating/love rituals and descriptions include the kingfisher, Florida scrub-jay and screech owl. One of the most surprising is the loon.
The writing is incredibly accessible and easily understood. The end came too quickly! I would dearly love to learn more about birds and other creatures by this author.
If you are into birds in any way, please read this astonishing book. I can't stop talking about it!
My sincere thank you to Storey Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this delightful book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.
Using beautiful watercolour drawings, wit, humour and the art of stringing together lovely (and lively!) prose, Laura Erickson immediately drew me in. I was hooked and just wanted to read more and more! Learning about which of 35 birds mate for life and which do not, for various reasons, was especially fascinating. I enjoyed how birds are likened to literary figures. My favourite mating/love rituals and descriptions include the kingfisher, Florida scrub-jay and screech owl. One of the most surprising is the loon.
The writing is incredibly accessible and easily understood. The end came too quickly! I would dearly love to learn more about birds and other creatures by this author.
If you are into birds in any way, please read this astonishing book. I can't stop talking about it!
My sincere thank you to Storey Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this delightful book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.
September 9, 2021
If you are intrigued by nature this book does deliver on the fun facts. I have enjoyed other similar reaches by authors such as David Attenborough, so I was excited to read this. I do think it was dry in some parts, but the author did a good job of painting the picture in the readers head. A quick read for anyone who wants to learn more about the world around us.
I received this book as an advanced listening copy from Libro.fm
I received this book as an advanced listening copy from Libro.fm
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews