Hope is the Thing with Feathers

Hope is the Thing with Feathers chronicles the histories of six extinct North American birds: the Carolina Parakeet, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the Heath Hen, the Passenger Pigeon, the Labrador Duck, and the Great Auk. Author Christopher Cokinos spent years tracking the paths these species took toward extinction through field research, historical documents, and museum collections. The narrative moves between past and present as Cokinos retraces the final sightings and specimens of these lost birds. He documents the human activities and environmental changes that led to their disappearance, while recording his own journeys to the places where they once lived. Each bird's story reveals different aspects of humanity's relationship with nature and the process of species extinction. The book combines natural history, environmental journalism, and personal reflection to examine what these extinctions mean for modern conservation efforts.

Readers describe this book as a blend of science writing, history, and personal narrative about extinct North American birds. The research and historical documentation receive consistent praise from reviewers across platforms. Readers appreciated: - Detailed archival research - Personal reflections woven into historical accounts - Focus on lesser-known extinct species beyond passenger pigeons - Stories of the people who encountered these birds Common criticisms: - Writing style shifts between scientific and poetic in a way some found jarring - Too much focus on author's personal journey - Some sections drag with excessive detail Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (121 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (19 ratings) Notable reader comments: "Meticulous research but the personal narrative interrupts the flow" - Goodreads reviewer "Important historical record of what we've lost" - Amazon reviewer "Could have been shorter without the author's travelogue sections" - LibraryThing reviewer

Extinct Birds by Errol Fuller Chronicles vanished bird species through detailed accounts of their disappearance, combining natural history with human's role in their extinction.

Ghost Birds by Stephen Lyn Bales Traces the tragic story of the ivory-billed woodpecker through historical records, expedition notes, and scientific documentation.

The Race to Save the Lord God Bird by Phillip Hoose Documents the history of the ivory-billed woodpecker through first-hand accounts, photographs, and conservation efforts across two centuries.

Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams Follows the search for endangered species across continents while examining the factors leading to their decline.

The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert Investigates past mass extinctions and current species losses through field research and scientific evidence from around the globe.

🦅 The book takes its title from an Emily Dickinson poem about hope, connecting the metaphorical bird in her poetry to the real extinct birds discussed in the book. 🦜 Christopher Cokinos spent seven years researching and writing the book, traveling over 50,000 miles to gather information about extinct North American birds. 🦢 The Carolina Parakeet, one of the birds featured in the book, was the only parrot species native to the eastern United States and became extinct in 1918 when the last known specimen died in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo. 🦤 Martha, the last Passenger Pigeon (also featured in the book), died in the same cage at the Cincinnati Zoo as the last Carolina Parakeet, just four years earlier in 1914. 🗂️ The book includes previously unpublished historical documents, including letters and journals from witnesses who saw these birds before their extinction, providing unique firsthand accounts of now-lost species.