GIFTS OF THE CROW - An Interview with Author and Ornithologist John Marzluff

A few days ago as Locus Focus host Barbara Bernstein returned home, she was greeted by four crows perched on the telephone wires in front of her house, all watching her. They must know that John Marzluff, author of Gifts of the Crow is returning to Locus Focus this week for another animated discussion about these extremely smart birds whose highly developed social skills mirror those of humans. On this episode of Locus Focus we learn about our uniquely symbiotic relationship with crows as we find out what goes on in a crow's brain that makes them such fascinating creatures. Gifts of the Crow, now out in paperback, takes us on a tour of the corvid brain from perspectives of biology, chemistry and whimsy.

John Marzluff, PhD, is a professor of wildlife science at the University of Washington's School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. His research on corvids and birds of prey has benefited birds all over the world, from pinyon jays in Arizona, ravens in Greenland and golden eagles and prairie falcons in Idaho to Washington State's goshawks and the endangered Hawaiian hawk, one of the rarest birds in the world. He has conducted long-term studies of urbanization on songbirds in the Seattle area; responses of nest predators and songbirds to settlements, recreation and forest fragmentation on the Olympic Peninsula; and endangered species conservation. When he's not looking skyward, Dr. Marzluff enjoys fishing and dog-sledding.