And liking it!
The hardcover version, that is.
I have the book on Kindle but there are a lot of links and I found myself getting lost. I recently picked up the hardcover book at my local, awesome bookseller, Bookshop Santa Cruz. (Support your local bookstores!)
The Introduction functions “as a sort of annotated index,” according to the author. It introduces tropics and include pages numbers to more information on the topic.
Following are some of the interesting things I learned that I had a photo of to illustrate with…
I read that “the crest of a jay or cardinal is simply feathers, and can be raised or lowered at will.” I remembered Great Blue Herons I’d seen with raised feathers on top of their head. I turned to page 147 to learn that raising the feathers can be a form of communicating excitation or aggression.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.kathyhawksbirdandphotoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Great-Blue-Heron-at-Edge-of-Pond.jpg?resize=920%2C769&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.kathyhawksbirdandphotoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2021_02_09_San-Simeon-10911.jpg?resize=920%2C544&ssl=1)
On the next page, I read, “On rare occasions, a bird will molt all of its head feathers at once, with no apparent negative effects.” (Except for the bald bird jokes it has to endure!)
Wow! I’d seen that on a Northern Cardinal in Provincetown! I turned to the entry for more information and the illustration was of a Northern Cardinal! I had been curious about the Cardinal I’d seen, but Sibley says “it’s still not clear why it [molting all head feathers] is triggered in some individuals.”
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.kathyhawksbirdandphotoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PT-D5-Out1-1523.jpg?resize=817%2C1024&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.kathyhawksbirdandphotoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/PT-D7-Out1-2039.jpg?resize=920%2C738&ssl=1)
I read further.
“Many species have color patterns that suggest a face, presumably to deter predators…” I turned to the referenced page and found a drawing of an American Kestrel.
Hmmm.
What do you think?
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.kathyhawksbirdandphotoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2020_12_11_Miscellaneous-3283.jpg?resize=920%2C614&ssl=1)
Bird feathers vary with age and season. In a previous post, we saw that the male Mallards and Wood Ducks completely change their appearance.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.kathyhawksbirdandphotoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Neary-Lagoon-146-KD.jpg?resize=920%2C421&ssl=1)
The eclipse plumage on a Mallard makes it hard to distinguish the male from the female. The color of the bill is the most reliable clue.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.kathyhawksbirdandphotoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IMG_2206.jpg?resize=920%2C585&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.kathyhawksbirdandphotoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Neary-Lagoon-080-KD.jpg?resize=920%2C791&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.kathyhawksbirdandphotoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IMG_2232.jpg?resize=920%2C682&ssl=1)
I am still in the introduction to the “What It’s Like to Be a Bird,” and I am thoroughly enjoying it–the hardcover version, that is. 😉