Taking Flight: A History of Birds and People in the Heart of America

By Michael Edmonds

The human desire to connect with winged creatures defies age and generation. This dynamic account of the 12,000-year-old relationship explores how and why people have worshipped, feared, studied, hunted, eaten, and protected the birds that surrounded them. Author and birder Michael Edmonds has combed archaeological reports, missionaries' journals, travelers' letters, early scientific treatises, the memoirs of American Indian elders, and the folklore of hunters, farmers, and formerly enslaved people throughout the Midwest to reveal how our ancestors thought about the very same birds we see today. Whether you're a casual bird-watcher, a hard-core life-lister, or simply someone who loves the outdoors, you'll look at birds differently after reading this book.