For centuries, people have belittled the talents of their feathered counterparts, considering them “brainless,” driven only by instinct and capable of only the simplest mental processes. Today science has shown that this is not so. Birds make complex navigational decisions, sing in regional dialects, and use tools. They deceive and manipulate. They're eavesdropping. They kiss to comfort each other. Give gifts. They teach and learn. They gather near the body of a deceased brother. And they even grieve... And they do all this with a tiny brain the size of a walnut! In the book “These Brilliant Birds,” the author explores the newly discovered talents of birds. Traveling to scientific laboratories around the world, she tells us about the intelligent behavior of birds, which we can observe in our backyards, at bird feeders, in parks, on city streets, in the wild - if we just look closely. Jennifer Ackerman reveals what avian intelligence can reveal about our own intelligence, as well as about our changing world. Celebrating such amazing and incredibly intelligent creatures, this extremely informative and beautifully written book offers new insight into our feathered neighbors on the planet.