Book Review - Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep - Princeton University Press

      Having been impressed with Roger Pasquier's scholarly Birds in Winter, I eagerly looked forward to his latest work on birds at rest.

     My previous "go to" book on this topic was the seminal work by Alexander Skutch, perhaps the greatest field naturalist of all, Birds Asleep. Skutch's work was based on prodigious field observation and is descriptive in nature, whereas Pasquier reviews the science and brings it all together for us.

     Skutch is widely referenced throughout Birds at Rest - and fittingly so. Pasquier draws on Skutch's original findings to a major extent. An impressive bibliography is also provided to enable further study and inquiry. 

     The book is delicately illustrated throughout by Margaret La Farge.

          Modern technology and increased field surveillance yields a trove of information, with powerful computers and their algorithms to analyze data in myriad ways and Pasquier's chapters reflect this sophistication. 

       He begins with the obvious examination of why birds sleep (not quite as straightforward as one might think) and proceeds to scrutinize every facet of the resting state of birds, their different kinds of sleep, the phenomenon of uni-hemispheric slow-wave sleep, the value and types of roosts, avian sleep patterns related to seasonality, temperature, and predation, and everything in between!

      The book is written in a very readable style and the summary at the end of each chapter is a masterpiece. If you were really pressed for time and needed a conversation piece for the cocktail party, the summary would serve you well.

     The final chapter deals with human impacts; predictably these are not generally beneficial and involve many of the usual issues such as degradation and elimination of habitat, and environmental pollution, but deals also with the added difficulties associated with noise and light pollution. Roost disturbance and introduced predators pose major challenges for birds.

     I think it is a pretty safe bet that many birders, even those with years of practice and experience, have wondered little about the period when birds are at rest, and especially asleep. A thorough knowledge of this aspect of avian life can improve your birding success and enhance your enjoyment. Embrace this book with gusto!

     Having been a great admirer of Alexander Skutch since I first became acquainted with him, and a more recent fan of Roger Pasquier, I could not help but muse on what a partnership it might have been had they collaborated on a work such as this. We will never know of course, but we can infer. I bet it would have been great!

Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep - Princeton University Press

Roger Pasquier

Hardcover - US$35.00 - ISBN: 9780691259963

360 pages - 6.125 x 9.25 inches (15.31 x 23.125 cm)

26 black-and-white illustrations

Publication date: 18 February, 2025