This afternoon I saw two…engaged in a very fierce fight…After a couple of minutes, during which each had the other down on the ground several times, three or four other penguins ran up and apparently tried to stop the fight.
Antarctic Penguins: A Study of their Social Habits, by Dr. G. Murray Levick (1914). Click here to read the book online, or download it free, from the Internet Archive.
artwork by Joanne Stanbridge 2016
One night in Guerrero I joined a group of men and boys who, with slingshots and pine torches, were hunting songbirds on their roosts. They killed orioles, towhees, sparrows, and a few doves, all of which were later prepared for the kitchen.
Wildlife of Mexico : The Game Birds and Mammals, by A. Starker Leopold (1959). Click here to read the book online, or download it free, from the Internet Archive.
artwork by Joanne Stanbridge 2016
A bird’s nest is the most graphic mirror of a bird’s mind. It is the most palpable example of those reasoning, thinking qualities with which these creatures are unquestionably very highly endowed.
Birds’ Nests: An Introduction to the Science of Caliology, by Charles Dixon (1902). Click here to read the book online, or download it free, from the Internet Archive.
artwork by Joanne Stanbridge 2016
For the magpie, with exquisite skill,
Has invented a moss-covered cell,
Within which a whole family will
In the utmost security dwell.
“The Magpie’s Nest: A Fable,” in The Child’s Bijou, by J.H.B. (1861). Click here to read the book online, or download it free, from the Internet Archive.
artwork by Joanne Stanbridge 2016
Why, the Loon is the most astonishing and remarkable and astounding and wonderful and amazing diver you ever heard of!
Swimming Birds, by Norman Allison Calkins and Abby Morton Diaz (1878). Click here to read the book online, or download it free, from the Internet Archive.
artwork by Joanne Stanbridge 2016
A killdeer plays “hurt bird” to lure an enemy away from its nest. It limps along, dragging its wings and screaming loudly.
The First Book of Birds, by Margaret Williamson (1951). Click here to read the book online, or download it free, from the Internet Archive.
artwork by Joanne Stanbridge 2016
While a friend and I were seated near a window, dining, we heard a song unlike that of any of the common birds with which we were familiar; it was not loud nor ringing, nor at all like whistling, but the notes were formed into a sweet and somewhat complex bird melody…it required from us only a lifting of the eyes to discover the singer, a Blue Jay, perching outside of the window on the lowest branch of a pine tree.
“The Song of the Blue Jay,” by Isabel Goodhue (1919). Click here to read the book online, or download it free, from the Internet Archive.
artwork by Joanne Stanbridge 2016
Fiddler crabs…abound on the island and are a popular food source…. Large male fiddler crabs may grab the ibises’ bill. When this occurs the bird gives several billshakes until the crab relinquishes his hold.
Reproductive Behavior and Ecology of the White Ibis, [dissertation] by Thomas James Rudegeair (1975). Click here to read the book online, or download it free, from the Internet Archive.
artwork by Joanne Stanbridge 2016
When the Hummingbird says “Go!” other birds…go at once; while the little warrior sometimes accelerates their flight, for his sharp beak is a weapon not to be despised.
Useful Birds and their Protection, by Edward Howe Forbush (1907). Click here to read the book online, or download it free, from the Internet Archive.
artwork by Joanne Stanbridge 2016
David Townsend advised: “Never taunt crows…greet these birds with a respectful, ‘Good day, brother crow’…Gulls and pigeons, on the other hand, are really just flying rats, so you can pretty much say whatever you like.”
“Souls of Lost Scoutmasters,” Corvi Chronicle (2007). Click here to read the book online, or download it free, from the Internet Archive.
artwork by Joanne Stanbridge 2016
Alphadello 