The Parrot in the Mirror

So declares Antone Martinho-Truswell in this entrancing and often surprising book. We may not have feathers, or claws, or the ability to fly, and in evolutionary terms, we are very distant cousins to the birds. And yet, we share some remarkable traits with a number of birds, such as the crow family, and, maybe especially, the parrots. Why should this be? Drawing on the fundamental evolutionary concept of convergent evolution, and bringing in fascinating stories about bird behaviour, and many other animals along the way, Martinho-Truswell explains how the similarities between humans and birds arose-similarities that tell us as much about ourselves as they tell us about birds. Book jacket.