A New York Times national bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, The Genius of Birds has been published in twenty-five languages. It was a finalist for the 2017 National Academies Communication Book Award and was long-listed for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.  The book was named one of the 10 best nonfiction books of 2016 by the Wall Street Journal, a "best book of the year" by The Spectator, a "nature book of the year" by the London Sunday Times, and a "best science book of 2016" by the National Public Radio program Science Friday.

For decades, people have written off birds as largely witless, driven solely by instinct, and their brains as primitive, capable of only the simplest mental processes.  But it is not so.  In recent years, science has discovered that birds are much, much more intelligent than we ever supposed. Ravens, crows, jays, even hummingbirds do things that are just plain smart—and funny and sneaky and deceitful.  They craft and use tools, sing to one another in regional accents, make complex navigational decisions without asking for directions, remember where they put things using intricate geometrical concepts, understand the mental state of another individual, josh around with windshield wipers, and use rolling car tires to crack walnuts, all sorts of intelligent behavior that we can see in evidence in our own backyards, at our birdfeeders, in parks, city streets, and country skies, and all with a packet of brain so tiny it would fit inside a walnut. This book explores the new view of birds as cunning, playful, clever, artistic, deceptive, and socially and technically adept.  It is packed with interesting new science that appeals to a broad range of readers, including sophisticated bird lovers, nature enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the brain or animal behavior.

Read an excerpt in Smithsonian and Lithub.

The beautiful illustration of the California Scrub Jay on the cover of the book jacket was painted by Eunike Nugroho. Find her work here.

Awards and Accolades

  • New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback

  • Finalist for the 2017 National Academies Communication Book Award 

  • Long-listed for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award

  • Named one of the 10 best nonfiction books of 2016 by the Wall Street Journal,

  • Best Science Book of 2016 by Science Friday

  • Published in 28 languages. 

Praise/reviews

  • “A lovely, celebratory survey ... elevated by Ackerman's prose--the joy she takes in thinking and noticing ... Often, you feel her wonderment, faintly recognizing another, strange intelligence covertly operating in a world we presume to be ours…. For all the belittling of ‘bird brains,’ [Ackerman] shows them to be uniquely impressive machines."  — The New York Times

  • “[A] gloriously provocative and highly entertaining book...Ackerman provides a masterly survey of a research in the last two decades that has produced a revolution in our understanding of bird cognition... Her determination to trawl for the very latest research makes 'The Genius of Birds' important not only for what it says about birds, but also about the human ingenuity entailed in unraveling the mysteries of the avian brain.  It is at once a book of knowledge, but also a work of wonder and an affirmation of the astonishing complexity of our world.”
    — The Wall Street Journal

  • “Ackerman writes with a light but assured touch, her prose rich in fact but economical in delivering it. Fans of birds in all their diversity will want to read this one.” — Kirkus Reviews, February 2016

  • “Ackerman not only tells the story of the recently uncovered genius of birds but also delves deeply into the latest findings about the bird brain itself that are revolutionizing our view of what it means to be intelligent.”
    — Library Journal February 11, 2016

  • “Ackerman offers plenty of interesting tidbits and backs them up with the relevant history or science... This is one of those terrific books that makes a scientific topic fun without dumbing it down.” — Washington Independent Review of Books

  • “Richly researched... The Genius of Birds provides engrossing evidence that will have readers looking at birds in a completely new way.” — The Daily Progress

  • “Ackerman is a pro at parsing scientific concepts in an accessible style, and her lyrical writing underscores her appreciation for the beauty and adaptability of birds.” — BookPage

  • “A lyrical testimony to the wonders of avian intelligence.” — Scientific American

  • “Ackerman not only tells the story of the recently uncovered genius of birds but also delves deeply into the latest findings about the bird brain itself that are revolutionizing our view of what it means to be intelligent.”
    — Library Journal, February 11, 2016

  • “Describing Someone as ‘Birdbrained’ Is Misguided, Unless You're Talking About Emus,” — Smithsonian Magazine