Within the Australian natural history genre, this book stands out: a quirky mix of autobiography, insights into the behaviour and adaptability of familiar Australian birds, and a fine example of the role of science-based enquiry to help solve human–wildlife problems. Darryl Jones, the author, is one of Australia’s most engaging and high-profile ornithologists. Although the tone of this book is decidedly non-academic, it is packed with information and insights.

The first third of the book is autobiographical. With much self-deprecation, Jones recounts important themes and events in his rural childhood and student years that led to a fascination with wildlife, culminating in an academic appointment at Griffith University in the late 1980s. The remainder of the book describes selected elements from his research career focusing on urban birds that manage to annoy us, including the Australian Magpie, Australian Brush-turkey, Rainbow Lorikeet, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, and the enigmatic ‘curlew’ of the title – properly known as the Bush Stone-curlew, a surprising resident of many cities in northern Australia, but seriously in decline in the south.

Jones has been at the forefront of Australian research into human–wildlife interactions, positive and negative, and how the negative aspects can best be mitigated. To succeed in this field requires an understanding of human behaviour and attitudes, and the ability to investigate wildlife behaviour in the field. The inclusion of this human element among the wildlife science adds greatly to the interest and entertainment provided by this book.