Exploring the Fascinating World of Wolves and Ravens: A Journey Through Mind of the Raven

Amazon Customer: He didn't befriend Ravens naturally - he took them as chicks. I was under the assumption that the author befriended fully-grown ravens. That is my only point of disappointment.

Canada on Jun 26, 2020

Julia W. T.: A wonderful, amazing book, originally recommended by the author of another book on Ravens - Chris, the Raven Master at the Tower of London. If you love bird-watching and want to know why our feathered companions behave the way they do, this book tells you some of the answers with huge love and respect for animals that Heinrich has studied for decades. Strangely, the book helps you to understand human behaviour too. His discovery of the symbiotic link between Ravens and Wolves or surrogate wolves (dogs, bears and humans) is a fabulous piece of research. Everything is connected, and as a conservationist, it gives me great hope that we can re-educate people to open their eyes and start acknowledging these connections, instead of micro-managing a planet we hardly know. The world is a much more delicately interconnected and deeply interwoven place than we can see at a glance. It's time we all stopped and stared more.

United Kingdom on Mar 13, 2019

Woden: I first bought a copy of this in paperback a few years ago, but I lent it to a friend last year. As it doesn't look like there's any danger of it being returned soon, I treated myself to the hardback as, having recently started spending some time working with a young raven, I fancy giving it another read.

This is packed with facts, research and studies on ravens. Despite being a university professor and having published many scientific papers, Mind of the Raven is an accessible and enjoyable read for the more intellectually-challenged among us (i.e. me). I learned a lot about ravens and gained a much deeper understanding of their behaviour and love for the mysterious raven from this book.

A fascinating book about fascinating birds.

United Kingdom on Jan 30, 2019

2nimm: livre anglophone broché à couverture cartonnée souple moyen format ancien (1999) consacré à l'intelligence du corbeau;
après une courte introduction, l'auteur, Bernd Heinrich, professeur de biologie américain mais aussi passionné d'oiseaux a adopté et vécu avec des grands corbeaux (Corvus corax) et nous livre ses observations dans 29 chapitres d'un texte clair très peu illustré (quelques gravures et photos n&b)
01: devenir un père-corbeau (11 pages)
02: une expérimentation de terrain (19 pages)
03: des corbeaux dans la famille (18 pages)
04: pots pour bébés (15 pages)
05: éducation (9 pages)
06: destin d'un jeune corbeau (9 pages)
07: mettre en place un territoire (10 pages)
08: pistage et capture de corbeau (15 pages)
09: partenariats et réseaux sociaux (14 pages)
10: partage et coopération dans le couple (6 pages)
11: chasse et nourrissage (9 pages)
12: adoption (9 pages)
13: discrimination sensorielle (8 pages)
14: reconnaissance individuelle (17 pages)
15: voisins dangereux (11 pages)
16: communication vocale (15 pages)
17: prestige chez les corbeaux (10 pages)
18: frayeurs de corbeau (10...

France on Jun 20, 2017

Jake Lawrance: If you enjoy nature and animal behaviour or find it even mildly interesting - this is probably for you.

I only read this having after read 'Why We Run' by Bernd Heinrich.

He seems to make everything captivating by talking about science, being descriptive and unsolves puzzles as the book goes on. It's like you're almost him and experiencing what he has done first hand.

Bernd is an interesting man himself, far from average and that results in interesting unique reads.

Would recommend him as an author despite reading only 2 of his books.

Will most likely read some more from him.

United Kingdom on Mar 04, 2017

D. Cavan: I am now fascinated by these amazing birds. The most common bird in Southern California where I live is the crow, and they are everywhere. I read this book with the intent to learn the difference between crows and ravens. I did a little research and found that ravens are common in SoCal, and also listened to sound clips of their calls on the internet. Since finishing this book with great enjoyment I have been looking at our black feathered friends much more carefully, but until today could not positively identify any ravens among the crows.

One morning I arrived at work early, and as I approached the entry door I heard a distinctive soft croaking, which was most definitely a male raven. He was sitting alone in a tree just a few feet above the door. I stopped underneath and looked up at him and made a few clicking noises. He tilted his head and looked down at me with an eye that was rimmed in white. He seemed relaxed and stayed right where he was, the opposite of how a crow would behave at that close a range. It was an exciting moment for me, maybe not so much for him, who knows?

This raven it turns out has a mate, and they are nesting in a tall tree nearby. I have...

United States on Mar 05, 2015

P. Collins: "I have lived and breathed ravens since a date I will remember: October 28, 1984. On the afternoon of that day, I was drawn to the commotion of a group of ravens at a moose carcass."

These first two sentences of the book set the tone. From this moment on, Heinrich begins to take the reader on a journey of observation and discovery. It is evident throughout the book that Heinrich is fascinated with the behavior of ravens. I could sense his enthusiasm as I continued reading chapter by chapter.

Heinrich, a well-known and well-respected biologist, does a superb job of weaving his personal experiences with his captive ravens, observations of wild ravens, and outside research together into a very interesting story. What I like most about this book and really about Heinrich as an author is the fact that he does what all good scientists should do. He uses keen observation skills, asks questions, and then tries to figure out the answers.

We could all benefit from sharpening our observation skills. While I do not have many ravens where I live, I see crows all the time. I find that I often take them for granted instead of practicing the skills that Heinrich has mastered....

United States on Dec 07, 2012