White Feathers: The Nesting Lives of Tree Swallows

PEN New England Award–winner and naturalist Heinrich (Life Everlasting: The Animal Way of Death) again translates his painstaking fieldwork into a fascinating narrative. Heinrich became interested in white swallows, which combine “graceful flight, beauty of feathers, pleasing songs, and accessibility,” after he discovered the nest-box he’d built near his Vermont home lined with long, white feathers by the pair of swallows nesting there. Wondering about the reasons for this behavior, and whether it was unique to that particular pair, Heinrich began watching swallow families in the area as their eggs were laid, incubated, and hatched. He meticulously recounts how he conducted an experiment in which he created new boxes for the birds to nest in very close to each other, to test their ability to coexist. After eight years of both “fascination and frustration,” he finally arrived at an answer about how the birds use feathers: as a way to communicate with each other and avoid wasteful and unnecessary conflict over habitats. However, Heinrich avoids striking too triumphal a note, cautioning that further research is still needed. Natural history lovers will relish this intimate look at a small but vital part of nature. Agent: Sandra Dijkstra, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (Feb.)