Meet the striated caracara, the southernmost bird of prey, once common but now a threatened species. Writer and amateur naturalist Meiburg became fascinated with the caracaras when he first encountered them and their “forthright, impish gaze,” and he’s returned every few years to their island home to assist scientists studying the species. In this wonderful combination of travelogue (it makes one want to visit the Falklands), history of science (Henry Hudson was quite the naturalist), and natural history, the reader will meet a bird of prey that will feed on food that other predators would disdain, that would just as soon run as fly, and that is highly intelligent and social. With the curious trust and approachability often found in remote island species, the striated caracaras are truly the most mischievous of all feathered creation. The Falkland Islands, a remote archipelago mainly known now for the 1980s war, is home to sheep, a few thousand people, and millions of birds. Among these avian inhabitants is one known to early sailors as the “flying devil” for stealing objects and food from right under their noses. Charles Darwin wrote more about these birds than any other in The Voyage of the Beagle. 'Gorgeously written and sophisticated, Jonathan Meiburgs book about a wickedly clever falcon will move readers to protect this truly remarkable creature.'-BookPage, 'Best Nonfiction of 2021' 'To call this a bird book would be like calling Moby-Dick a whaling manual.
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