Mark Cocker

Where did birds first learn to sing?

The latest research points to Australia, judging by the highly complex song of the New Holland honeyeater

The New Holland honeyeater, found throughout southern Australia, has one of the most complex songs in the world. (Alamy)

  • Curious About Nature: A Passion for Fieldwork

    Edited by Tim Burt and Des Thompson

    CUP, pp. 350, £29

  • The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent and Think

    Jennifer Ackerman

    Corsair, pp. 416, £14

  • White Feathers: The Nesting Lives of Tree Swallows

    Bernd Heinrich

    Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, pp. 256, £20

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