Having lived among these birds my whole life I was interested to learn more about their behavior. This book offers an indepth look into the scientific abilities of crows along w/ stories, interactions and observations of their behavior. A bit more science than I needed but learning about their abilities and associations w/ each other, animals and people was just what I was looking for!

I loved the anecdotes. Not so much the information about neurons, synapses, and the amygdala. If you're more interested in stories about crows and ravens, and less about the scientific explanation, then skim the first couple chapters.

This is not "science light". The dogma about anecdotes means to ignore anything that does not fit preconceptions. A well done anecdote is a valid data point, a stimulus for new understanding and experimental rigor. The authors are careful about reporting each story. Jane Goodall and many others have proven how blind science had been to the complex behavior of animals, totally unlike the Skinner view. Our brains are enhancements but not revolutionary.

Lots of anecdotes, but also lots of scientific studies demonstrating the intelligence of corvids. Heavy on the neurophysiology, with drawings of various systems; probably a bit more than I needed. A trove of references and notes. I really enjoyed this book and will look at crows with a new appreciation.

This is a very accessible, engaging read that presents both scientific evidence and informal accounts of how and why corvids perceive, learn and plan, among other behaviours that many would ascribe to humans alone. The convergent evolution of human and corvid brains from a common reptilian ancestor is a fascinating bit of knowledge.

binational looks down his nose a bit in his review, unnecessarily. Scientists will know to look for Marzluff's research in academic journals. Laymen will find more than enough cognitive science to chew on in this book in between the anecdotes and informal accounts of a few actual experiments. This book is both amusing and fascinating. It may well change the way you think about animal intelligence.

Bird researcher Marzluff and artist and nature writer Angell look at how crows and other similar birds think, learn and remember. It’s no wonder that crows feature so predominantly in our literature, language and culture. These fascinating birds have the ability to use tools, speak, play and even sky surf. Detailed scientific reasoning for their behaviours is included in each chapter. You will never look at crows the same way.

Call this science "lite". The book is essentially a series of anecdotes gathered from all over - mostly from casual observers, not scientists. The anecdotes are amusing and illustrated with line drawings, but as any real scientist knows, anecdotes do not real science make. Between the anecdotes, the scientist author speculates about the neurological bases of crow intelligence. But again, these are mostly speculations, not well-established findings. Marzluff has a clear bias - he believes crows are almost as intelligent as humans, and more so than other intelligent animals, and one senses he marshalls the anecdotes to support that bias. On the other hand, it is by now clear that corvids are way more intelligent than previously supposed, along with parrots, elephants, pigs, apes, and cetaceans.

This was a fascinating book. That said, I was more interested in the real life anecdotes about interactions with clever birds. The nitty gritty science got a little dry. This is a book I would buy.

Wonderful. But note, if you are looking for an autobiography with crow stories peppered in (ala Haupt's Crow Planet) you will be disappointed. This book is about the crows and is written in a concise scientific style.