A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World's Smartest Birds of Prey

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars | 714 ratings

Price: 15.75

Last update: 12-18-2024


About this item

“Utterly captivating and beautifully written, this book is a hugely entertaining and enlightening exploration of a bird so wickedly smart, curious, and social, it boggles the mind.” (Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Bird Way)

“A fascinating, entertaining, and totally engrossing story.” (David Sibley, author of What It's Like to Be a Bird)

An 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.

“As curious, wide-ranging, gregarious, and intelligent as its subject.” (Charles C. Mann, author of 1491)

In 1833, Charles Darwin was astonished by an animal he met in the Falkland Islands: handsome, social, and oddly crow-like falcons that were "tame and inquisitive...quarrelsome and passionate", and so insatiably curious that they stole hats, compasses, and other valuables from the crew of the Beagle. Darwin wondered why these birds were confined to remote islands at the tip of South America, sensing a larger story, but he set this mystery aside and never returned to it.

Almost two hundred years later, Jonathan Meiburg takes up this chase. He takes us through South America, from the fog-bound coasts of Tierra del Fuego to the tropical forests of Guyana, in search of these birds: striated caracaras, which still exist, though they're very rare. He reveals the wild, fascinating story of their history, origins, and possible futures. And along the way, he draws us into the life and work of William Henry Hudson, the Victorian writer and naturalist who championed caracaras as an unsung wonder of the natural world, and to falconry parks in the English countryside, where captive caracaras perform incredible feats of memory and problem-solving. A Most Remarkable Creature is a hybrid of science writing, travelogue, and biography, as generous and accessible as it is sophisticated, and absolutely riveting.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Kem White
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book of Nonfiction for Bird, Science, and Travel Writing Fans
    Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2022
    "A Most Remarkable Creature" is one of the best works of nonfiction I have read in the past couple of years. Ostensibly the book tells the natural history of caracaras, a family of birds of prey that inhabit South America. But the book is also part travelogue to remote corners of the Earth, a jungle adventure, a history of South American Amerindians, and biography of William Henry Hudson. There is plenty of science in addition to the ornithology: geology; evolution; insect, reptile, and plant biology; and anthropology. When I received this book as a gift, I figured it would be a dry discussion about birds I've never seen on a continent I've never been to. That was so wrong. "A Most Remarkable Creature" is just a wonderful book: informative, entertaining, and endearing. Very highly recommended for birders (of which I'm one). Recommended for all fans of science, nature, history, and travel nonfiction.
  • Hulloween
    5.0 out of 5 stars Don’t like birds? You don’t have to in order to love this book!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2022
    I’m a fan of the band Shearwater and follow the lead singer and author of this book on social media. I’ve never heard of caracaras before and birds are not the top of my list of most interesting creatures. In fact, they scare me a little. However, this book and Jonathan Meiburg’s love of the caracara has made me a fan of the birds!

    This book is beautifully written and weaves stories of JM’s own research on the birds with dinosaur fossil records and the march of our human ancestors from Pangea to the world we inhabit today. I can’t even begin to summarize the book and what it covers, but it’s well worth a read and listen. JM has a very soothing voice that makes for enjoyable listening, and his words create beautiful mental images.
  • bepstlmo
    4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the read
    Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2021
    Find it thought provoking, linking info and theories from varied scientific disciplines to make a "great story."
  • Nannette Moore
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating history of a most unusual bird
    Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2024
    One of the best nature books I have read! I learned so much about the different types of cara cara birds, and all types of wildlife and history of South America! Not dry or dull like some nature books.
  • joey
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read about an Unfamiliar Species
    Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2024
    Such a good book and being a science book, easy to read. My only disappointment is that the photos are not in color. Since this bird and its relatives are so brightly colored (as described by the author) the photos are hard to enjoy. If this book gets to enjoy a second edition, I highly recommend the publisher splurge for COLOR!
  • Ronnie Schenkein
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating journey of discovery through South America and through time
    Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2021
    I ordered this book based on a great review in Natural History Magazine. Ok, I love birds. But this book was particularly fun because of the blend of natural history and travel narrative. The various types of caracara are intriguing and fun to think about. The puzzle of how they came to be who they are is clarified by insights from all sorts of people who encounter them, from indigenous people in the Amazon to explorers in the Falkland Islands and a collector of wildlife in the UK. I read this book over just a few days, looking forward to the next adventure as they unfolded. I would love to get to know a caracara in "person." By the time you are done reading this book, I suspect you will feel the same way.
  • Marilyn
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read. Captivating, and beautifully written
    Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2024
    One of the best nature books I have read
  • Donald McGough
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book will transport you: a wonderful mix of memoir, travel adventure, and ornithology!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2021
    A very thoughtful, engaging book, on an often underappreciated, but absolutely fascinating, bird. Jonathan takes us from fieldwork in the Falklands to the Amazon, he visits with captive caracaras as well as examines their evolutionary history in detail. He brings us into the mind of 19th century biologists such as Darwin and William Henry Hudson and their first encounters with this strange and remarkable bird. I couldn't put it down, the author's passion for caracaras is infectious. I can see this book (and certainly hope!) inspiring further research on caracaras, as the author shows us what we know about them, and the many things we don't. Well worth a read.

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