The Human Nature of Birds: A Scientific Discovery with Startling Implications

Until recently, modern science has attributed animal behavior soley to instinct and genetic programming. Barber, director of the Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, challenges that view. Six years of total immersion in avian studies have led him to conclude that birds are capable of thoughtful judgment and are intelligently aware. He examines their flexibility and resilience, compares bird and human instincts and discusses avian navigation. Barbar says that birds are capable of close relationships with humans, citing as examples the cases of Arnie the starling, Lorenzo the bluejay, Alex, an African gray parrot. He believes it is likely that like birds, all animals are intelligently aware. This book is didactic in manner, provocative in content. Photos not seen by PW. (July)