Just finished reading this book and wow, it's a mixed bag! The parts about birds—their anatomy, habits, and habitats—are absolutely mesmerizing. The author clearly knows his stuff when it comes to ornithology.

But here's the thing: the book tries to cover WAY too much. From human history to religion to snarky comments about Christianity (which felt unnecessary), it often strays from the main topic. At under 350 pages, it’s like the author crammed 12,000 years into a tweet thread—superficial and scattered.

I wish there were more references to the gorgeous color plates or pencil drawings in the text. That would’ve made it feel more cohesive. Still, if you’re into bird history, there’s gold here—you just have to dig through some fluff to find it.