 First edition | |
| Author | Bernd Heinrich |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Bernd Heinrich |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Animal behaviour, Common raven, Scientific method |
| Published | 1989 (Summit Books) |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 379 |
| ISBN | 9780671678098 |
| OCLC | 19886833 |
Ravens in Winter is a 1989 book by Bernd Heinrich. It is a study of the behaviour of ravens in the forests of Maine.
A review of Ravens in Winter by Publishers Weekly wrote "The story related here, which is constructed from his [Heinrich's] field notes, moves slowly; we learn a good deal about scientific methods and a lot about patience. Overall, however, the book is suspenseful and exciting." [1] A New Scientist review summarised the book concluding "It also contains Heinrich's own—and excellent—drawings of the various raven postures, a comprehensive review of the literature, beginning with the Bible, and even a section of the ravens of the Tower of London." [2]
It was an Evergreen Audubon & Nature Center Book of the Month. [3]
Ravens in Winter has also been reviewed by AudioFile , [4] Scientific American , [5] The Condor , [6] The Sewanee Review , [7] and Library Journal . [8]
Science is a rigorous, systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the world. Modern science is typically divided into three major branches: the natural sciences, which study the physical world; the social sciences, which study individuals and societies; and the formal sciences, which study formal systems, governed by axioms and rules. There is disagreement whether the formal sciences are science disciplines, as they do not rely on empirical evidence. Applied sciences are disciplines that use scientific knowledge for practical purposes, such as in engineering and medicine.
The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century. The scientific method involves careful observation coupled with rigorous scepticism, because cognitive assumptions can distort the interpretation of the observation. Scientific inquiry includes creating a hypothesis through inductive reasoning, testing it through experiments and statistical analysis, and adjusting or discarding the hypothesis based on the results.
Scientific American, informally abbreviated SciAm or sometimes SA, is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Prize-winners being featured since its inception.
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Nature is a British weekly scientific journal founded and based in London, England. As a multidisciplinary publication, Nature features peer-reviewed research from a variety of academic disciplines, mainly in science and technology. It has core editorial offices across the United States, continental Europe, and Asia under the international scientific publishing company Springer Nature. Nature was one of the world's most cited scientific journals by the Science Edition of the 2022 Journal Citation Reports, making it one of the world's most-read and most prestigious academic journals. As of 2012, it claimed an online readership of about three million unique readers per month.
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The common raven is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. It is a raven known by many names at the subspecies level; there are at least eight subspecies with little variation in appearance, although recent research has demonstrated significant genetic differences among populations from various regions. It is one of the two largest corvids, alongside the thick-billed raven, and is possibly the heaviest passerine bird; at maturity, the common raven averages 63 centimetres in length and 1.47 kilograms in mass. Although their typical lifespan is considerably shorter, common ravens can live more than 23 years in the wild. Young birds may travel in flocks but later mate for life, with each mated pair defending a territory.
Bernd Heinrich, is a professor emeritus in the biology department at the University of Vermont and is the author of a number of books about nature writing and biology. Heinrich has made major contributions to the study of insect physiology and behavior, as well as bird behavior. In addition to many scientific publications, Heinrich has written over a dozen highly praised books, mostly related to his research examining the physiological, ecological and behavioral adaptations of animals and plants to their physical environments. He has also written books that include more of his personal reflections on nature. He is the son of Ichneumon expert Gerd Heinrich.
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Joseph Grinnell was an American field biologist and zoologist. He made extensive studies of the fauna of California, and is credited with introducing a method of recording precise field observations known as the Grinnell System. He served as the first director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley from the museum's inception in 1908 until his death.
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In scholarship, a secondary source is a document or recording that relates or discusses information originally presented elsewhere. A secondary source contrasts with a primary, or original, source of the information being discussed. A primary source can be a person with direct knowledge of a situation or it may be a document created by such a person.
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Reading this account gives us great insight into the working methods of a research scientist. It also hopes (sic) us understand the passion, joy, and heartache that Heinrich puts into his work.
The book is written in the first person with little conversation. Michael Russotto's matter-of-fact reading conveys the seriousness and cautious excitement of field research as well as its painstaking methodology. His dispassionate delivery suits the topic, but doesn't make the presentation dull. You'll never look at ravens or their crow cousins the same way again!
This is an engrossing account of wild animal field study, with an appendix of research data for those wishing to probe further. Of interest to both students and nature buffs.