The Homing Instinct: Meaning and Mystery in Animal Migration Paperback - 2015

From the rear cover

A noted naturalist explores the centrality of home in the lives of humans and other animals . . . A special treat for readers of natural history. Kirkus Reviews

Every year, many species make the journey from one place to another, following the same paths and ending up in the same places. Every year since boyhood, the acclaimed scientist and author Bernd Heinrich has done the same, returning to a beloved patch of western Maine woods. Which led him to wonder: what is the biology in humans of this primal pull toward a particular place, and how is it related to animal homing? In The Homing Instinct, Heinrich explores the fascinating mysteries of animal migration: how geese imprint true visual landscape memory; how scent trails are used by many creatures to locate their homes with pinpoint accuracy; and how even the tiniest of songbirds are equipped for solar and magnetic orienteering over vast distances. And he reminds us that to discount our human emotions toward home is to ignore biology itself.

A graceful blend of science and memoir . . . [Heinrich s] ability to linger and simply be there for the moment when, for instance, an elderly spider descends from a silken strand to take the insect he offers her is the heart of his appeal. Julie Zickefoose, Wall Street Journal

Deep and insightful writing. David Gessner, Washington Post

[AU PHOTO] BERND HEINRICH is an acclaimed scientist and the author of numerous books, including the best-selling Winter World, Mind of the Raven, and Why We Run. He writes for numerous periodicals, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, Outside, and Audubon. Among Heinrich's many honors is the 2013 PEN New England Award for nonfiction, for Life Everlasting."

Media reviews

Citations

• New York Times Book Review, 08/09/2015, Page 31