From tales of the thunderbird to stories of how the raven first became black in color, Ingersoll's excellent collection of avian folklore has it all; dozens of cultures, spanning many centuries and multiple continents. Numerous aspects of ornithological folklore are, here, treated upon.European folklore, American tales both ancient and then-modern, and far-flung stories of the Roc, the Phoenix, and the various origins of songbirds ranging from the swallow and crow to the blue jay, eagle, and vulture, are all contained here in a massive and dense compilation of material.