• A Most Remarkable Creature

  • The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World's Smartest Birds of Prey
  • By: Jonathan Meiburg
  • Narrated by: Jonathan Meiburg
  • Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (621 ratings)

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A Most Remarkable Creature  By  cover art

A Most Remarkable Creature

By: Jonathan Meiburg
Narrated by: Jonathan Meiburg
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Publisher's summary

“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.

©2021 Jonathan Meiburg (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

One of NPR's Best Books of the Year

“A fascinating, entertaining, and totally engrossing story of these under-appreciated birds, deftly intertwining natural history and human history, and with insights and lessons that go far beyond the subject birds.” (David Sibley, author of What It's Like to Be a Bird)

“Caracaras are not like other birds, or even other birds of prey. Curious, wide-ranging, gregarious, and intelligent, the ten species of caracara are a scientific puzzle that has intrigued biologists since the days of Darwin. And this book - as curious, wide-ranging, gregarious, and intelligent as its subject - is not like any other book that I have encountered. A Most Remarkable Creature is not only about a bird, but about the community of people that has formed, almost accidentally, around the bird, and beyond that about humankind itself.” (Charles C. Mann, author of 1491)

"If caracaras were able to read - and immersing myself in Mr. Meiburg’s vivid prose I sometimes fancied they just might be - this book would give them a lot of information about that exceptional creature named Jonathan Meiburg.” (Christoph Irmscher, Wall Street Journal)

What listeners say about A Most Remarkable Creature

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Oh I hated it to end

Loved the meaty, meaningful story. Important. Thank you for writing it. Opened my eyes to context of natural world.

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Wonderful surprise

I have some interest in birds and chose this book on a whim. I had no idea what a great book it would be! So well written. The authors descriptions and prose keep one thoroughly engaged. And not just about the cara cara, but biology, archeology, world history, genetics , geography and the social aspects of birds and humans. Add some tropical forest adventure and you will stay up listening.

Expertly narrated, bird calls an all!

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Travel

I want to go to South America with this book!
I want to read it over and over!

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Extraordinary book!

This is a remarkable book which left me with a lot of new found respect for various birds of prey! I couldn't stop listening and my whole Sunday afternon was spent binge listening to this! Highly recommend for anyone with a curiosity about our natural world!

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Fascinating! Deeply thought-provoking!

A must for bird lovers / evolutionary biology fans and more…
An amazing romp through our ancient earth history from dinosaurs until now. A tantalizing invitation to ‘go bush’ and explore extraordinary remote parts of S. America. Heart-warming to boot. What else would entice you? Read it!

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A Most Remarkable Book!

The best review I can give came to me at the end of the epilogue: simple and honest: A most remarkable book.
Some authors are not the best narrators of their own books but Meiburg did an outstanding job; and regarding that, using the audiobook format proved to be the best choice as I enjoyed hearing the correct pronunciations of foreign languages and technical words.Meiburg bird calls were amazing to me, also.
What a wonderful world he opened up to me; the history of the areas and animal life he visited in search of the various species of Cara Cara, the interrelationships of other bird species and animals. And humans. I cannot think of one negative thing to say. I loved A Most Remarkable Creature and will heartedly recommend to my book club friends and any others who read.

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Perfect book for a naturalist!

I loved this book, the authors story was fascinating and engaging. I’m recommending it to my naturalist friends!

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Is darwin continued.

Beautiful descriptions of life on earth by a scientist who cherishes it. Is well worth listening.

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Loved this book

Informative and very entertaining, plus,incredible insights into the animal kingdom to which we are just a part of. Really made me want to trek to those frozen inhabitable places just to see for myself.

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Loved this book

It becomes a very personal story of evolution and nature. The story of some remarkable birds of prey and how they tumble, curious and probing, through the odd journey of hapless humanity.

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