“Deftly intertwine natural history and human history, with insights and lessons that go far beyond the subject birds.”-David Sibley, author of What It's Like to Be a Bird ~ RafeĪn enthralling account of a modern voyage of discovery as we meet the clever, social birds of prey called caracaras, which puzzled Darwin, fascinate modern-day falconers, and carry secrets of our planet's deep past in their family history. It’s quite a journey and a beautiful labor of love. The striated caracara, also called the Johnny Rook in its Falkland Island homeland, is a strange and captivating bird, and Meiburg’s examinations of the bird’s life and history, and the accompanying role of global evolution, are gorgeously rendered. This is a marvelous and deeply charming book of natural history. It's quite a journey-and a beautiful labor of love-and I enjoyed it immensely.
But he always comes back to the various species of caracara, especially his beloved Johnny Rook. In addition to the Johnny Rook-as the striated caracara is called in its Falkland Island homeland-Meiburg writes with heart, intelligence, and boundless enthusiasm about Charles Darwin, dinosaur extinction, terrifyingly large spiders, William Henry Hudson, continental shifts, why there are marsupials in Australia, the dangers of colonialism, very alarming ants, and a host of other topics. Ornithologist/indie musician Jonathan Meiburg is wholly besotted, bemused, and bewitched by the striated caracara and it shows throughout this marvelous, deeply charming book.
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