Following one of the world's experts on birdsong from the woods of Martha's Vineyard to the tropical forests of Central America, Don Stap brings to life the quest to unravel an ancient mystery: Why do birds sing and what do their songs mean? We quickly discover that one question leads to another.
Why does the chestnut-sided warbler sing one song before dawn and another after sunrise? Why does the brown thrasher have a repertoire of two thousand songs when the chipping sparrow has only one? And how is the hermit thrush able to sing a duet with itself, producing two sounds simultaneously to create its beautiful, flutelike melody?
Stap's lucid prose distills the complexities of the study of birdsong and unveils a remarkable discovery that sheds light on the mystery of mysteries: why young birds in the suborder oscines -- the "true songbirds" -- learn their songs but the closely related suboscines are born with their songs genetically encoded. As the story unfolds, Stap contemplates our enduring fascination with birdsong, from ancient pictographs and early Greek soothsayers, who knew that bird calls represented the voices of the gods, to the story of Mozart's pet starling.
In a modern, noisy world, it is increasingly difficult to hear those voices of the gods. Exploring birdsong takes us to that rare place -- in danger of disappearing forever -- where one hears only the planet's oldest music.
"A lucidly written combination of scientific lore and vivid reportage, the book is a thoughtful treatment of one of nature's most beguiling phenomena."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
"These birds are a perfect example of the complex learning that goes on in the natural world and the fact that animals group together to form their own culture. I thank Don Stap for taking me into the field with him and helping me see. I was completely fascinated."
-- Temple Grandin, author of "Animals in Translation"
"Popular yet thorough, shimmering with the romance of an arcane field."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"This is an authoritative and intriguing book about one of the great wonders and mysteries of nature. I read it with fascination and great pleasure."
-- Tracy Kidder, author of "House and Mountains Beyond Mountains"
""Birdsong" is a wonderful journey through the science, history, and biology of how and why birds sing. We highly recommend it for all bird lovers, nature lovers, and science enthusiasts."
-- Don and Lillian Stokes, authors of "Stokes Field Guide to Birds"
Don Stap's first work of nonfiction was A Parrot Without a Name. Currently professor of English at the University of Central Florida, he is a frequent contributor to Audubon magazine and has also written for Smithsonian, Travel & Leisure, and The New York Times.
Scribner Book Company
Pub Date: September 01, 2010
0.68" H x 8.5" L x 5.5" W
272 pages
paperback