The secret perfume of birds Uncovering the science of avian scent

Evolutionary biologist Whittaker blends science writing and memoir to explore how birds make use of odors in her delightful debut. "The conventional wisdom stated that birds gave up the ability to smell in exchange for superior eyesight," Whittaker writes, though, in fact, her research on the junco, a common North American sparrow, refuted that notion: she discovered that the birds do in fact use scent, for such purposes as finding their nests and picking mates. It comes down to odor-producing bacteria, she writes, which are stored in birds' preen oil and communicate information about the birds' "identity and quality." She also entertainingly recounts her unconventional career path: as an undergrad, she was an "indoorsy" English major before she switched to study evolutionary primatology in graduate school, followed by "several more years in the laboratory coaxing DNA out of gibbon poop," which led to a study of genes responsible for sexual attraction in animals--these genes, in turn, led to her work challenging centuries of thinking about avian scent. Whittaker's a natural explainer, and her willingness to poke fun at herself only enhances her fascinating account. Fans of Jon Dunn and Jonathan Meiburg will be charmed. (Mar.)

Whittaker's (integrative biology, Michigan State Univ.) wide-ranging book combines memoir, intellectual history, and the results of her own scientific research on avian chemical communication, which challenges the long-held belief in ornithology that birds don't have a sense of smell. She explains that juncos (a sparrow species) use scents to understand and interact with each other and their environment; smells--like the odor of a nearby bird--influence junco activities like fighting, selecting a mate, and deciding where to build a nest. Whittaker describes learning how to sample a junco's preen oil and discern its chemical compounds; detecting the different microbes on birds' feathers and in their digestive tracks; and identifying the genes and olfactory structures associated with juncos' ability to smell. This book is more than a scientific treatise; Whittaker also discusses her unorthodox academic career and her personal life (including her roller derby alter ego "Chunk Rock Girl"), adding zest to the science. VERDICT Recommended for natural history buffs, birders interested in more than just bird identification, observers of academic ways, and science lovers.--Mark Jones