I once lost a hot cup of cocoa I'd placed on a fence post beside me to a caracara. Meiburg describes nearly losing the hat from his head to a wild caracara 'playing tag' above him. We both encountered the difficulty of explaining the species to other ornithologists, who are incredulous that such an animal exists. The fact that 'evolution can fashion a mind like ours from different materials' is the focus of this sweeping exploration of how these extraordinary animals evolved, how they live now, and what may become of them in an increasingly human world.

(I met Meiburg briefly during this time.) Throughout his travels to meet these scrappy, adaptable birds, Meiburg captures the same feeling of gratitude I felt for the opportunity to live among wild animals who directed their appraising gazes into my own. The Falkland Islands' population of striated caracaras is one I am personally acquainted with, as they were the focus of my graduate studies. In his elegant debut A Most Remarkable Creature, author Jonathan Meiburg writes: 'Unless you live south of the Rio Grande, chances are you've never even heard of caracaras.' His book introduces readers to this South American bird of prey, aptly described as 'one of the strangest and most wonderful animals on Earth.' Belonging to the same family as the sleek, swift peregrine falcon, the nine species of caracara are by contrast inquisitive clowns in the raptor world: 'curious, social, and brave, with many interests and few skills.' Through Meiburg's own inquiring lens, readers will soon find themselves with a new favorite animal. Rarely, though, do we admit that with some animals, we are students.

With these dogs, chickens and giant pandas, we are caretakers, companions, trainers, consumers, oppressors and rescuers.

A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World's Smartest Birds of Prey, by Jonathan MeiburgĪ handful of animals are so woven into the fabric of human existence that they are part of how we think about ourselves.

A most remarkable creature