[4] Her research has taken her to such diverse locales as Mata Atlantic in Brazil (working with endangered golden lion tamarins), Patagonia (right whales), Hawaii (humpback whales), California (tagging monarch butterflies at their overwintering sites), French Frigate Shoals (monk seals), Toroshima, Japan (short-tailed albatross), Texas (with Bat Conservation International), the Amazon rainforest, and Antarctica (penguins).

[10] Her works of nonfiction include, most recently, The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us, which celebrates nature, human ingenuity and its dominance;[11][12] her memoir One Hundred Names for Love, about stroke, aphasia, and healing;[13][14] Dawn Light, a poetic meditation on dawn and awakening;[15][16] The Zookeeper's Wife, narrative nonfiction set in Warsaw during World War II, a tale of people, animals, and subversive acts of compassion;[17][18] An Alchemy of Mind about the marvels and mysteries of the brain, based on modern neuroscience;[19] Cultivating Delight, a natural history of her garden;[20] Deep Play, which considers play, creativity, and our need for transcendence;[21] A Slender Thread, about her work as a crisis line counselor;[22][23] The Rarest of the Rare and The Moon by Whale Light, in which she explores the plight and fascination of endangered animals;[24][25] A Natural History of Love, a literary tour of love's many facets;[26] On Extended Wings, her memoir of flying;[27] and A Natural History of the Senses, an exploration of the five senses.

[31] Her verse play, Reverse Thunder, celebrates the passionate and tragic life of the 17th century nun, and fellow poet and naturalist, Juana Inés de la Cruz.

[33] A movie adaptation of Ackerman's book, The Zookeeper's Wife, starring Jessica Chastain as Antonina Żabińska, was released in the US on March 31, 2017.

[36] On Extended Wings was adapted for the stage by Norma Jean Giffin, and was performed at the William Redfield Theater in New York City (1987).

[43] She has received a D. Lit from Kenyon College, Guggenheim Fellowship, John Burroughs Nature Award, Lavan Poetry Prize, and has been honored as a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library.