Migratory songbirds are disappearing at a frightening rate. By some estimates, we may have already lost almost half the songbirds that filled the skies only 40 years ago. Following the birds on their 10,000-kilometre migratory journey, Bridget Stutchbury looks at the most threatening factors in their extinction, from pesticides, still a major concern decades after Rachel Carson first raised the alarm, to the destruction of vital habitat; from the bright lights and structures in our cities—which are a minefield for migrating birds—to climate change. We may well wake up in the near future and hear no songbirds singing. We won’t only be missing their cheery calls, we’ll be missing a vital part of our ecosystem.

Bridget Stutchbury completed her Master’s of Science at Queen’s University and her Ph.D. at Yale, and was a fellow and research associate at the Smithsonian Institute. She is now professor of biology at York University and is affiliated with more than a dozen organizations that seek to preserve bird habitats. In 2005, Stutchbury was named one of the Toronto Star’s “People to Watch” after her groundbreaking research into the sexual antics of birds made international headlines. Her book The Silence Of The Songbirds was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Nonfiction. She lives in Woodbridge, Ontario.

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• Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year
• Governor General’s Literary Award

“A thoroughly researched and elegantly written call to arms.” — The Globe and Mail

“Silence of the Songbirds is not just another doom-and-gloom warning. It’s a fascinating treasure trove of information about birds and their migratory efforts.” — Winnipeg Free Press

“Groundbreaking.” — CTV News

“Page after page here recounts surprising details taken from the lives of birds pursuing their destinies within the grand yet heartbreaking drama of twenty-first-century migration.” — Audubon

“A powerful warning, very much in the vein of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.” — Kirkus

“Silence of the Songbirds is wonderfully informative of beautiful little things. This book is a must-read for anyone whose heart has thrilled to the song of a bird.” — Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers

“A gripping revelation—both of the deeply fascinating biology of songbirds and the daunting challenges they face in a human-dominated world. Stutchbury makes it impossible to look at a songbird the same old way ever again. A joy for bird watchers and non–bird watchers alike.” — Thomas E. Lovejoy, president of the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment

“Few scientists know migratory birds as intimately as Bridget Stutchbury . . . . She lays out how these miraculous creatures live, why they are disappearing, and how each of us can make the world safer for the birds that add such life and vitality to it.” — Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind

“Stutchbury is a leading authority on the science of migratory songbirds, but she understands the magic, too, and knows how to express it in clear, rich prose. Silence of the Songbirds has heart as well as brains.” — Kenn Kaufman, author of the Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America

“Stutchbury argues that when birds begin disappearing, we may be next. This is an important book It is also beautifully written. Stutchbury’s obvious brilliance as a scientist is matched by her poet’s heart.” — Béa Gonzalez, author of The Mapmaker’s Opera

“Nearly half a century ago, Rachel Carson warned us of the grim plight of songbirds, sparking an uproar that led ultimately to the banning of DDT. In Silence of the Songbirds, Bridget Stutchbury makes clear that the dangers migratory songbirds face are greater than ever.” — Tim Gallagher, author of The Grail Bird

“If you care about birds, you owe it to yourself—and to the birds—to read this eye-opening book.” — Miyoko Chu, author of Songbird Journeys

“An alarming, first-hand journey through the world of disappearing songbirds by a premier scientist. A must-read for anyone who cares about our planet and our place in it.” — Donald Kroodsma, author of The Singing Life of Birds

“Bridget Stutchbury’s writing draws us deeply into the personal lives of the birds, where little-known calls are pregnant with meaning. How joyful it is to learn such intimate and steamy details about the secret language of the birds.” — Lang Elliott, author of The Songs of Wild Birds

“Bridget Stutchbury’s writing draws us deeply into the personal lives of the birds, where little-known calls are pregnant with meaning. How joyful it is to learn such intimate and steamy details about the secret language of the birds.” — Steven R. Beissinger, Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of California, Berkeley