{"product_id":"the-social-lives-of-birds-flocks-communes-and-families-hardcover","title":"The Social Lives of Birds: Flocks, Communes, and Families - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJoan E. Strassmann\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn exploration of all the ways in which birds are social creatures--from breeding to nesting to babysitting\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Social Lives of Birds\u003c\/i\u003e, evolutionary biologist and author of \u003ci\u003eSlow Birding \u003c\/i\u003eJoan Strassmann examines what it means for birds of a feather to flock together. Some birds sleep together. Some join the foraging groups of other species. Some are only social during breeding season, forming nesting colonies in trees, cliffs, and sandbanks. Some are altruistic, helping to rear young that are not their own. Some males perform mating dances together. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eStrassmann explains how flocks provide safety in numbers, roosts offer warmth and shelter, and colonies allow for protected breeding. But group behavior is not without its costs--including increased competition, tick infestations, and more. Strassmann exposes the conflicts birds face and the many ways in which they resolve these conflicts. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith stories of birds from around the world--from broad-winged hawks that migrate south together in the fall, tree swallows that roost together in the thousands, and guira cuckoos that nest in communes--\u003ci\u003eThe Social Lives of Birds\u003c\/i\u003e explores the different kinds of bird groups and what to look for when watching them. Above all, it reveals this fact: solitary life, it seems, is not for the birds.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJoan Strassmann \u003c\/b\u003eis an award-winning teacher of animal behavior, first at Rice University in Houston and then at Washington University in St. Louis, where she is Charles Rebstock professor of biology. She has written more than two hundred scientific articles on behavior, ecology, and evolution of social organisms. She is a member of the\u003cbr\u003eNational Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the Animal Behavior Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has held a Guggenheim Fellowship. She lives with her husband in St. Louis, Missouri and Leland, Michigan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 8.3 x 5.8 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 23, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53336933073261,"sku":"9780593853061","price":38.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1001\/0823\/9213\/files\/fBRgZXk2hC9780593853061.webp?v=1778922735","url":"https:\/\/cleanfreaklab.myshopify.com\/products\/the-social-lives-of-birds-flocks-communes-and-families-hardcover","provider":"Clean Freak Lab","version":"1.0","type":"link"}