In the Company of Crows and Ravens

Author: John M. Marzluff
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300135262
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 404

Book Description
“Crows and people share similar traits and social strategies. To a surprising extent, to know the crow is to know ourselves.”—from the Preface From the cave walls at Lascaux to the last painting by Van Gogh, from the works of Shakespeare to those of Mark Twain, there is clear evidence that crows and ravens influence human culture. Yet this influence is not unidirectional, say the authors of this fascinating book: people profoundly influence crow culture, ecology, and evolution as well. John Marzluff and Tony Angell examine the often surprising ways that crows and humans interact. The authors contend that those interactions reflect a process of “cultural coevolution.” They offer a challenging new view of the human-crow dynamic—a view that may change our thinking not only about crows but also about ourselves. Featuring more than 100 original drawings, the book takes a close look at the influences people have had on the lives of crows throughout history and at the significant ways crows have altered human lives. In the Company of Crows and Ravens illuminates the entwined histories of crows and people and concludes with an intriguing discussion of the crow-human relationship and how our attitudes toward crows may affect our cultural trajectory.

Ravensong

Author: Catherine Feher-Elston
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101153458
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Book Description
Birds of mystery, intelligence, and curiosity, ravens and crows have fascinated humans for untold centuries. In this first in a series of beautifully illustrated books that celebrate the power and beauty of the animal kingdom, Catherine Feher-Elston considers the raven in the contexts of mythology, folklore, history, and science. From the raven's role as trickster in Native American religion to his ability to captivate ornithologists and biologists with his intriguing behaviors, Ravensong pays tribute to the elegance and grandeur of two of America's most ubiquitous avian species.

Gifts of the Crow

Author: John Marzluff
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439198748
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Book Description
Offers insight into crows' ability to make tools and respond to environmental challenges, explaining how they engage in human-like behaviors, from giving gifts and seeking revenge to playing and experiencing dreams.

Ten Rowdy Ravens

Author: Susan Ewing
Publisher: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co.
ISBN: 088240606X
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 33

Book Description
This fun ""countdown from 10"" book features the rowdy and mischievous shananigans of the popular raven. They steal pretty pearls, picnic in a pickup truck, and perform dizzy loop-de-loops. Scenarios are fanciful but rooted in ravenhood: collecting shiny things, testing curious objects, getting into the garbage, and showing off.

In the Company of Crows and Ravens

Author: John M. Marzluff
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300122551
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 404

Book Description
Explores the interactions between crows, ravens, and humans, focusing on the influence humans have had on the birds and the way crows have altered human lives.

Bird Brains

Author: Candace Savage
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
ISBN: 9780871569561
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 134

Book Description
Argues that the birds' powers of abstraction, memory, and creativity are equal to many mammals

Dog Days, Raven Nights

Author: John M. Marzluff
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300171757
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 501

Book Description
The coauthor of the award-winning In the Company of Crows and Ravens and his wife, an animal-behavior expert, offer an engaging account of their days as young field biologists in Maine Twenty years ago, fresh out of graduate school and recently married, John and Colleen Marzluff left Arizona for a small cabin in the mountains of western Maine. Their mission: to conduct the first-ever extensive study of the winter ecology of the Common Raven under the tutelage of biologist Bernd Heinrich.Drawing on field notes and personal diaries, they vividly and eloquently chronicle their three-year endeavor to research a mysterious and often misunderstood bird—assembling a gigantic aviary, climbing sentry trees, building bird blinds in the forest, capturing and sustaining 300 ravens as study subjects, and enduring harsh Maine winters in pursuit of their goal. They also shared the unique challenges and joys of raising, training, and racing the sled dogs that assisted them in their work.Accompanied by Evon Zerbetz's lovely linocut illustrations, Dog Days, Raven Nights is a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at the adventures of field science and an insightful exploration of the nature of relationships, both animal and human.

Crows and Jays

Author: Steve Madge
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408135272
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 215

Book Description
Crows and Jays is a combination of scientifically accurate information and an identification guide, planned to give anyone, whether a birdwatcher or biologist, a greater understanding of the lives of these beautiful, yet very complex, group of birds. 120 species of crows, jays and their allies exist in the world today. Many are exceedingly beautiful in colour, grace and form, whereas others are black and somewhat sinister in appearance. In no other group of perching birds has evolution produced such a degree of variation, from the tiny Hume's Ground-Jay of the steppe-highlands of Tibet to the huge Thick-billed Raven of the mountains of Ethiopia. Some have had a long association with people and appear in tales of mythology and superstition, while others have been regarded as agricultural pests. The great majority, however, remain largely unknown, their only contact with humanity being the destruction of their specialised habitats. As a consequence, more than 20 species are now regarded as internationally endangered, some of which are very poorly known. The 30 superb colour plates by Hilary Burn in this book depict them all; each plate is accompanied by an informative caption page summarising the criteria required to identify the species, alongside colour world distribution maps. Some of these birds, bearing such evocative names as the Banggai Crow, Mesopotamian Crow and Flores Crow, have never been illustrated before. The authoritative text by Steve Madge treats each species in depth, summarising identification techniques and concisely reviewing all aspects of corvid behaviour, distribution, population and taxonomy. The author has had first-hand experience of most of the species during his travels throughout the world, travels in which he gradually became fascinated by this very special, but somewhat ignored, group of birds. This will surely be a standard work of reference for many years to come.

Mind of the Raven

Author: Bernd Heinrich
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061863939
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 686

Book Description
Heinrich involves us in his quest to get inside the mind of the raven. But as animals can only be spied on by getting quite close, Heinrich adopts ravens, thereby becoming a "raven father," as well as observing them in their natural habitat. He studies their daily routines, and in the process, paints a vivid picture of the ravens' world. At the heart of this book are Heinrich's love and respect for these complex and engaging creatures, and through his keen observation and analysis, we become their intimates too. Heinrich's passion for ravens has led him around the world in his research. Mind of the Raven follows an exotic journey—from New England to Germany, and from Montana to Baffin Island in the high Arctic—offering dazzling accounts of how science works in the field, filtered through the eyes of a passionate observer of nature. Each new discovery and insight into raven behavior is thrilling to read, at once lyrical and scientific.

Crow Planet

Author: Lyanda Lynn Haupt
Publisher: Little, Brown Spark
ISBN: 0316053392
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 215

Book Description
There are more crows now than ever. Their abundance is both an indicator of ecological imbalance and a generous opportunity to connect with the animal world. Crow Planet reminds us that we do not need to head to faraway places to encounter "nature." Rather, even in the suburbs and cities where we live we are surrounded by wild life such as crows, and through observing them we can enhance our appreciation of the world's natural order. Crow Planet richly weaves Haupt's own "crow stories" as well as scientific and scholarly research and the history and mythology of crows, culminating in a book that is sure to make readers see the world around them in a very different way.