The Genius of Birds

by Jennifer Ackerman

There is a common belief among many that birds lack intelligence—they scarified their brains for flight. In The Genius of Birds Jennifer Ackerman challenges the “bird brain” ideology using the latest scientific research and traveling the world to see for herself just how smart the smartest birds are. Ackerman makes the science of birds approachable and provokes the reader to expand their own minds so they can notice what is possibly right in front of them. While I find the studies being done fascinating, the book left me wondering why we would harm creatures to find out how smart they are. The ethical boundaries humans will cross in attempts to satiate our curiosity is disturbing.