Prologue - Does Familiarity Breed Contempt? • 3
Part I
Familiar Birds • 9
Chapter 1 - Chick-a-dee-dee-dee • 11
Chapter 2 - The Peter-Bird • 17
Chapter 3 - The Most Hated Bird in America • 22
Interlude - Blackbirds Baked in a Pie • 31
Chapter 4 - Mourning Dove • 36
Chapter 5 - The Wild Duck • 45
Chapter 6 - In Defense of the Blue Rogue • 54
Interlude - Murder • 63
Chapter 7 - Ruby-throated Hummingbird • 69
Chapter 8 - The Red Bird • 78
Chapter 9 - The Wild Turkey is No Turkey • 87
Interlude - When Feathers Were More
Valuable than Gold • 96
Chapter 10 - American Robin • 101
Chapter 11 - Rock Pigeon • 114
Part II
Bits of Bird Biology • 133
Chapter 12 - Fat Energy • 135
Chapter 13 - The Morning Duel • 141
Chapter 14 - Monogamy Among the Birds • 146
Chapter 15 - Birds Do It • 151
Interlude - Raven, Bison, Bear • 156
Chapter 16 - A Hard Nut to Crack • 161
Chapter 17 - Convergent Evolution • 166
Chapter 18 - Bald-headed Birds • 171
Part III
Life Histories of American Birds ∙ 175
Chapter 19 - Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon • 177
Chapter 20 - Small-headed Flycatcher
... and Other Mystery Birds • 192
Epilogue - Good Birding • 201
Chapter Notes • 207
Selected Resources • 210
A Note from the Author • 213
