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The Voices of Nature: How and Why Animals Communicate
Songs, barks, roars, hoots, squeals, and exploring the mysteries of how animals communicate by sound
What is the meaning of a bird’s song, a baboon’s bark, an owl’s hoot, or a dolphin’s clicks? In The Voices of Nature , Nicolas Mathevon explores the mysteries of animal sound. Putting readers in the middle of animal soundscapes that range from the steamy heat of the Amazon jungle to the icy terrain of the Arctic, Mathevon reveals the amazing variety of animal vocalizations. He describes how animals use sound to express emotion, to choose a mate, to trick others, to mark their territory, to call for help, and much more. What may seem like random chirps, squawks, and cries are actually signals that, like our human words, allow animals to carry on conversations with others.
Mathevon explains how the science of bioacoustics works to decipher the ways animals make and hear sounds, what information is encoded in these sound signals, and what this information is used for in daily life. Drawing on these findings as well as observations in the wild, Mathevon describes, among many other things, how animals communicate with their offspring, how they exchange information despite ambient noise, how sound travels underwater, how birds and mammals learn to vocalize, and even how animals express emotion though sound. Finally, Mathevon asks if these vocalizations, complex and expressive as they are, amount to language.
For readers who have wondered about the meaning behind a robin’s song or cicadas’ relentless “tchik-tchik-tchik,” this book offers a listening guide for the endlessly varied concert of nature.
What is the meaning of a bird’s song, a baboon’s bark, an owl’s hoot, or a dolphin’s clicks? In The Voices of Nature , Nicolas Mathevon explores the mysteries of animal sound. Putting readers in the middle of animal soundscapes that range from the steamy heat of the Amazon jungle to the icy terrain of the Arctic, Mathevon reveals the amazing variety of animal vocalizations. He describes how animals use sound to express emotion, to choose a mate, to trick others, to mark their territory, to call for help, and much more. What may seem like random chirps, squawks, and cries are actually signals that, like our human words, allow animals to carry on conversations with others.
Mathevon explains how the science of bioacoustics works to decipher the ways animals make and hear sounds, what information is encoded in these sound signals, and what this information is used for in daily life. Drawing on these findings as well as observations in the wild, Mathevon describes, among many other things, how animals communicate with their offspring, how they exchange information despite ambient noise, how sound travels underwater, how birds and mammals learn to vocalize, and even how animals express emotion though sound. Finally, Mathevon asks if these vocalizations, complex and expressive as they are, amount to language.
For readers who have wondered about the meaning behind a robin’s song or cicadas’ relentless “tchik-tchik-tchik,” this book offers a listening guide for the endlessly varied concert of nature.
392 pages, Hardcover
First published June 27, 2023
27 people are currently reading
441 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 31, 2025
3.5
The Voices of Nature would probably have have been dubbed "how and why animals use sound" rather than "how and why animals communicate." Written by bioacoustics researcher Nicolas Mathevon, the book isn't focused on the rest of animal communication. Much like humans, sound is only a small part of how other animals communicate. Title aside, I did learn a lot from this book even if I did find myself a bit frustrated at times. I'm a birder and loved how much more I learned about birdsong and vocalization than I've read in other books. The sketchbook style illustrations are also a nice addition.
Mathevon mentioned being a former school teacher and it shows in his writing. The style is one of someone very excited to tell his audience all about the topics he researches, complete with copious amounts of exclamation points. He says that the book is written for a large audience but also for fellow scientists. The cutesy way he approaches writing wasn't really for me, but I am also one to enjoy books other people claim are "dry." I like the idea of making this book as accessible as possible and the style likely helps with that. I do think this book needed better editing in this arena though. I would have liked longer sections on topics that I discuss further down, with fewer words about him and his colleagues, or unrelated research of his. I like that he used accessible language, explained acoustics in ways one can understand, and regularly reminds the reader of info when referencing previous chapters. When discussing field locations, the world building is great and I feel like I'm there.
Where I struggled most with this book was the constant contradictions the author seems unaware of. This book is a bit tough to discuss because it's far behind in terms of animal liberation or rights, but is still a bit ahead of the average anthropocentric animal researcher. Many of Mathevon's ethical standards were above average for those who conduct research on other animals. He does call out the cruelty of researchers who taped penguins' mouths shut or who deafened birds in labs. He discussed a ton of cool field and computer model research. Albeit I do think he should have discussed the disruption playback causes a bit more.
He contradicts his own ethics a bit, unfortunately. He makes a comment, "we are sometimes cruel, but rarely." Researchers harming animals is not rare at all which he shows further on. While I very much appreciate him breaking with the tradition of many science writers refusing to make any statement about ethics, the throwaway comments coupled with his own deliberate participation is problematic. For instance, he explains how amazing zebra finches are and how they form massive social groups in semi-desert Australia. So, he decided to buy some at a pet store and breed them in cages, keeping some completely alone, to discover that birdsong is different when they have social interaction. Of course it is? What made this even more frustrating is that he then discussed studies showing the same thing in wild birds meaning his caged captive colony never needed to exist to gain this information. He also gushes about the (ab)use of rodents in labs and shows another example of how cold focus on manipulation and results causes one to objectify the subjects. (Don't even get me started on his mention of "autistic" and "schizophrenic" rodents, this is long enough.) We never learn what happens to his and others' lab animals, but I've read enough research to hazard a guess. It almost seems like he has an ethics switch he just flips off if he gets excited about learning something.
I enjoyed that he often mentioned that what humans can grasp is only a small subset of other animals' experiences. He shows a fascination with other animals' lives, giving them credit for having rich and complex worlds. He'd also make sweeping generalizations such as shoe horning animals' behavior into pure dominance hierarchy or claiming female birds sexual selection involves absolutely no thought or consideration, but purely evolutionary imperative. Then he'd hop back again to an understanding that birds likely have personal preferences and that many species have rich social lives. Contradictions like these and others made the book feel like he wrote parts at different times in his life.
Some of my favorite parts of the book were topics I wish he'd written far more about. I love that he includes a discussion of animal emotions and communication. I'd push it a bit further, and as mentioned, he also contradicts himself a bit, but it's still nice to see in a text like this. The idea of cross species emotional contagion was not something I'd read studies about before. Discussion of research blunders and the prevalence of female birdsong was important and enlightening. The discussions of ecoacoustics, noise pollution, and the effects of human sound on other animals and vice versa was very interesting. When each of these sections ended, I was craving more and wish he'd have replaced some of the human stories with more on these topics.
I was further surprised that after all of the extra wordiness, he wrote no conclusion to the book. This would have been a great opportunity to wrap things up for audiences who just took in a ton of info. But, the book just ends.
Overall, I liked and learned a lot from this book. Even though I have many criticisms, it enriched my life and taught me many new things. It's worth picking up even if you only choose to skip around as his writing style allows for repetition. I hope in the future he can get a better hold on some of his assessments and beliefs so that things are less contradictory at times.
This was also posted to my blog and storygraph.
The Voices of Nature would probably have have been dubbed "how and why animals use sound" rather than "how and why animals communicate." Written by bioacoustics researcher Nicolas Mathevon, the book isn't focused on the rest of animal communication. Much like humans, sound is only a small part of how other animals communicate. Title aside, I did learn a lot from this book even if I did find myself a bit frustrated at times. I'm a birder and loved how much more I learned about birdsong and vocalization than I've read in other books. The sketchbook style illustrations are also a nice addition.
Mathevon mentioned being a former school teacher and it shows in his writing. The style is one of someone very excited to tell his audience all about the topics he researches, complete with copious amounts of exclamation points. He says that the book is written for a large audience but also for fellow scientists. The cutesy way he approaches writing wasn't really for me, but I am also one to enjoy books other people claim are "dry." I like the idea of making this book as accessible as possible and the style likely helps with that. I do think this book needed better editing in this arena though. I would have liked longer sections on topics that I discuss further down, with fewer words about him and his colleagues, or unrelated research of his. I like that he used accessible language, explained acoustics in ways one can understand, and regularly reminds the reader of info when referencing previous chapters. When discussing field locations, the world building is great and I feel like I'm there.
Where I struggled most with this book was the constant contradictions the author seems unaware of. This book is a bit tough to discuss because it's far behind in terms of animal liberation or rights, but is still a bit ahead of the average anthropocentric animal researcher. Many of Mathevon's ethical standards were above average for those who conduct research on other animals. He does call out the cruelty of researchers who taped penguins' mouths shut or who deafened birds in labs. He discussed a ton of cool field and computer model research. Albeit I do think he should have discussed the disruption playback causes a bit more.
He contradicts his own ethics a bit, unfortunately. He makes a comment, "we are sometimes cruel, but rarely." Researchers harming animals is not rare at all which he shows further on. While I very much appreciate him breaking with the tradition of many science writers refusing to make any statement about ethics, the throwaway comments coupled with his own deliberate participation is problematic. For instance, he explains how amazing zebra finches are and how they form massive social groups in semi-desert Australia. So, he decided to buy some at a pet store and breed them in cages, keeping some completely alone, to discover that birdsong is different when they have social interaction. Of course it is? What made this even more frustrating is that he then discussed studies showing the same thing in wild birds meaning his caged captive colony never needed to exist to gain this information. He also gushes about the (ab)use of rodents in labs and shows another example of how cold focus on manipulation and results causes one to objectify the subjects. (Don't even get me started on his mention of "autistic" and "schizophrenic" rodents, this is long enough.) We never learn what happens to his and others' lab animals, but I've read enough research to hazard a guess. It almost seems like he has an ethics switch he just flips off if he gets excited about learning something.
I enjoyed that he often mentioned that what humans can grasp is only a small subset of other animals' experiences. He shows a fascination with other animals' lives, giving them credit for having rich and complex worlds. He'd also make sweeping generalizations such as shoe horning animals' behavior into pure dominance hierarchy or claiming female birds sexual selection involves absolutely no thought or consideration, but purely evolutionary imperative. Then he'd hop back again to an understanding that birds likely have personal preferences and that many species have rich social lives. Contradictions like these and others made the book feel like he wrote parts at different times in his life.
Some of my favorite parts of the book were topics I wish he'd written far more about. I love that he includes a discussion of animal emotions and communication. I'd push it a bit further, and as mentioned, he also contradicts himself a bit, but it's still nice to see in a text like this. The idea of cross species emotional contagion was not something I'd read studies about before. Discussion of research blunders and the prevalence of female birdsong was important and enlightening. The discussions of ecoacoustics, noise pollution, and the effects of human sound on other animals and vice versa was very interesting. When each of these sections ended, I was craving more and wish he'd have replaced some of the human stories with more on these topics.
I was further surprised that after all of the extra wordiness, he wrote no conclusion to the book. This would have been a great opportunity to wrap things up for audiences who just took in a ton of info. But, the book just ends.
Overall, I liked and learned a lot from this book. Even though I have many criticisms, it enriched my life and taught me many new things. It's worth picking up even if you only choose to skip around as his writing style allows for repetition. I hope in the future he can get a better hold on some of his assessments and beliefs so that things are less contradictory at times.
This was also posted to my blog and storygraph.
Currently reading
February 18, 2024WSJ review: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-voic...
(Paywalled. As always, I'm happy to email a copy to non-subscribers)
Excerpt:
". . . a multifaceted delight for animal-lovers and armchair adventurers. Nicolas Mathevon, a professor at the University of Saint-Etienne in France, is one of the world’s most prolific researchers in bioacoustics. If you want to know what African striped mice say to one another when they’re alone together, his book is the book for you.
. . .baby black caimans (South American relatives of alligators) have contact calls that keep the brood together as well as distress calls that “enrage” the mother. Given that adult black caimans can be up to 20 feet long and weigh 1,000 pounds—and are known to eat jaguars, anacondas and humans—it takes a lot of scientific commitment to enrage one in the wild."
(Paywalled. As always, I'm happy to email a copy to non-subscribers)
Excerpt:
". . . a multifaceted delight for animal-lovers and armchair adventurers. Nicolas Mathevon, a professor at the University of Saint-Etienne in France, is one of the world’s most prolific researchers in bioacoustics. If you want to know what African striped mice say to one another when they’re alone together, his book is the book for you.
. . .baby black caimans (South American relatives of alligators) have contact calls that keep the brood together as well as distress calls that “enrage” the mother. Given that adult black caimans can be up to 20 feet long and weigh 1,000 pounds—and are known to eat jaguars, anacondas and humans—it takes a lot of scientific commitment to enrage one in the wild."
November 8, 2023
As a bioacoustician myself I might be partial, but I LOVED this book! Nicolas is not only a passionate scientist, but a great storyteller and a kind colleague - and this shows. This is a few hundred pages of solid, most up-to-date information on animal communication told in an accessible and captivating way, with all the love for animals and people who study them. Super recommended!
May 18, 2024
I don’t really know about bioacoustics much.
The reason I picked up this book was from genuine curiosity of understanding my pet better.
This book covered the subject well. Various animal’s case made me read through the whole book.
It’s quite academic, yet entertaining! I liked it.
The reason I picked up this book was from genuine curiosity of understanding my pet better.
This book covered the subject well. Various animal’s case made me read through the whole book.
It’s quite academic, yet entertaining! I liked it.
March 4, 2024
Darwin is his high priest; evolution is his god. I love love the stories about birds--my favorite part--and overall the book was chock full of wonderful stories and information about animal communication. Our animal friends can do some amazing things! But if all I am left to do is marvel at these amazing things, I am left wanting. There is a sense in which this kind of science is reductionistic. All this is merely lists and indices and experiments for the sake of information or something called conservation.
Maybe the best way to conserve is to simply leave it alone. Look at it. Learn about it. Leave it alone to do it's thing. I sometimes think that our attempts at intervention or conservation do more harm than good. At least Mathevon doesn't have to kill the animals he wants to conserve as so many other scientists do.
But what are we conserving for? Just so others can come along and do more studies and reduce our home to more numbers, algorithms, and indices? There simply must be something more to all this or books like this are, in the end, meaningless.
He writes, "Life is the result of chance and necessity", (275). What an unbelievably boring and depressing way to look at life. If life is mere chance, then conservation too is meaningless.
Maybe the best way to conserve is to simply leave it alone. Look at it. Learn about it. Leave it alone to do it's thing. I sometimes think that our attempts at intervention or conservation do more harm than good. At least Mathevon doesn't have to kill the animals he wants to conserve as so many other scientists do.
But what are we conserving for? Just so others can come along and do more studies and reduce our home to more numbers, algorithms, and indices? There simply must be something more to all this or books like this are, in the end, meaningless.
He writes, "Life is the result of chance and necessity", (275). What an unbelievably boring and depressing way to look at life. If life is mere chance, then conservation too is meaningless.
April 2, 2023
Outstanding!
This was an ARC; reviewed for Library Journal.
This was an ARC; reviewed for Library Journal.
October 8, 2023
An in-depth introduction to bioacoustics. I’m primarily interested in bird communication but was fascinated by all of the case studies.
January 26, 2024
Amazing scientific rigor to produce deep insights into smart animal behavior starting from before birth to social awareness in communication
February 10, 2025
Voices of Nature is a beautifully written journey exploring how animals communicate in fascinating ways. It gives some introduction to the physics that constrain acoustic communication, and also explains how the discoveries were made.
Personally, I would have liked a little more exploration of the mechanics of the communication and how physics constrains the animals in different ways; it makes it feel much more like sci-fi exploration of alien languages!
Overall I really like it. But I have also published scientific articles in this area and have some pretty strong opinions on the science (which, to be clear, is rigorous).
Most of the studies here are done through what are called "playback" experiments, where researchers record an animal making a sound, then try to play it back over speakers and see what the animal does. In my experience, these kinds of studies are very "noisy" (haha) because animals interpret their environment in ways that are heavily reliant on their internal state. This is referenced a few times, but it really colors the interpretation and unseen limitations of the experiments themselves.
Personally, I would have liked a little more exploration of the mechanics of the communication and how physics constrains the animals in different ways; it makes it feel much more like sci-fi exploration of alien languages!
Overall I really like it. But I have also published scientific articles in this area and have some pretty strong opinions on the science (which, to be clear, is rigorous).
Most of the studies here are done through what are called "playback" experiments, where researchers record an animal making a sound, then try to play it back over speakers and see what the animal does. In my experience, these kinds of studies are very "noisy" (haha) because animals interpret their environment in ways that are heavily reliant on their internal state. This is referenced a few times, but it really colors the interpretation and unseen limitations of the experiments themselves.
July 14, 2025
This book tells of the travels, experiments, and conclusions drawn by a bioacoustician (which I didn't even know was a thing).
I found this topic highly intriguing. The science presented was just a touch less accessible than that in An Immense World by Yong, so the average reader may not find this book as appealing. As with that book, the information presented here changed the way I view - or more accurately, hear - the world.
We really need to start considering that humans are acoustically ruining the planet for everyone else, which has real, measurable consequences.
I found this topic highly intriguing. The science presented was just a touch less accessible than that in An Immense World by Yong, so the average reader may not find this book as appealing. As with that book, the information presented here changed the way I view - or more accurately, hear - the world.
We really need to start considering that humans are acoustically ruining the planet for everyone else, which has real, measurable consequences.
April 28, 2024
What a melody! I like how Nicolas began every chapter with a paragraph, describing the scene, the field he was working on. It's not just about the context, it's about being poetic and humane. The main content was already praised by the bioacousticians, biologists, nature-enthusiasts all over the world; and here I am complimenting him on The Acknowledgment Of The Year! Surprised till the last lines!
February 22, 2024
The Voices of Nature is an immersive sonic journey into animal communication, led by an expert in bioacoustics and ethology. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2024...
August 5, 2025
This was a harder one for our book clubbers to get through; this just seems like your average wildlife lover isn't the intended audience. Good information all around but a bit dense to complete for our regulars!
January 9, 2026
Pretty good book. I did not like the drawings of the animals; they were amateurish. Also, the website that had all the sounds of the animals should have been in order. Seems like a no brainer that can still be rectified.
March 1, 2025
I liked the blend of personal narrative and bioacoustics/animal linguistic knowledge.
read on kindle
read on kindle
June 30, 2025
I think my true Goodreads rating is more like 1.5 stars -- I didn't care for it, but not because I thought the information or research was problematic (save for about five paragraphs, more on that later). Overall, the book was much more about why and how animals make sounds, but not really a highlight of how they communicate.
I'm just not sure who the audience is - it seems like it should be everyday people who are interested in animals and sounds and communication, but it actually is more geared toward bioacoustic researchers/students, I think. The writing was dense and very wordy, with huge paragraphs and sections that made it daunting to try to read. I glazed over for most of the book. I didn't really like the folksy way he tried to inject conversation into the otherwise dense text - the constant, "You remember this student from chapter three, right?" was annoying to me.
For the most part, though, I was thinking that the research and information sounded solid, just not presented in a way that was a good read for me. But then there were about five paragraphs that very lightly theorized why we baby-talk dogs, and it seemed like poor science; I don't even know why it was included. (for the record, I don't baby talk my adult dogs because I think they will talk back or because they are less intelligent - I do it to manage my cute aggression because they are adorable, perfect angels and I want to squeeze their faces off).
But I did it. I finished it so I could claim it on my Goodreads list.
I'm just not sure who the audience is - it seems like it should be everyday people who are interested in animals and sounds and communication, but it actually is more geared toward bioacoustic researchers/students, I think. The writing was dense and very wordy, with huge paragraphs and sections that made it daunting to try to read. I glazed over for most of the book. I didn't really like the folksy way he tried to inject conversation into the otherwise dense text - the constant, "You remember this student from chapter three, right?" was annoying to me.
For the most part, though, I was thinking that the research and information sounded solid, just not presented in a way that was a good read for me. But then there were about five paragraphs that very lightly theorized why we baby-talk dogs, and it seemed like poor science; I don't even know why it was included. (for the record, I don't baby talk my adult dogs because I think they will talk back or because they are less intelligent - I do it to manage my cute aggression because they are adorable, perfect angels and I want to squeeze their faces off).
But I did it. I finished it so I could claim it on my Goodreads list.
October 6, 2025
3.74 overall rating
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews