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Bird Minds: Cognition and Behaviour of Australian Native Birds by Gisela Kaplan. 2015. CSIRO Publishing, Clayton South, Victoria, Australia. ix þ 268 pp., 71 text figures, 5 tables, 1 appendix. $45 (paperback). ISBN 9781486300181. Gisela Kaplan, a professor at the University of New England (New South Wales, Australia) has studied the behavior and cognition of birds and primates for three decades. An author of more than 250 articles and 21 books, Dr. Kaplan’s ornithological interests have focused on the communicative life of birds and detailed comparisons of the cognitive worlds of birds and mammals, especially primates. A favorite research subject has been the Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen). Her most recent book, Bird Minds, draws heavily on this work, but the book’s writing was motivated, not by a magpie, but by a 75year-old Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) that had a propensity to learn new words. This discovery underpins the central thesis of Bird Minds, which is that ecological unpredictability is a prime driver of brain size and cognition in birds. Bird Minds is a fine synthesis of the rapidly growing field of avian cognition. Its greatest contribution to ornithology is the window it opens into the Australian avifauna. Kaplan treats her readers to a fine selection of photographs and priceless insights from a passionate observer, skilled communicator, and critical scholar. As readers take in a wonderful new diversity of birds, they are asked to reevaluate favorite theories. Kaplan argues that the birds of Australia do not conform well to accepted models of ecology and behavior. Even the rather common observation of male birds being more colorful than females is not the rule Down Under. Many unique aspects of Australian birds may result from the land’s extreme unpredictability in weather and, accordingly, food availability. In response to these challenges, Australian birds are often long lived, permanently monogamous, and cooperative breeders or nest parasites. Cooperation, in particular, may have been critical for the success of Australia’s birds. And, in keeping with the social brain hypothesis, this behavioral trait likely has been important in favoring the evolution of cognitive complexity. This extraordinary ability exists not only because the social context often requires negotiation, but also because cooperation reduces the costs associated with maintaining a large, metabolically expensive brain by increasing foraging efficiencies. To understand complex cognition, Kaplan takes us on a scientific journey through the Australian bush. The book begins by introducing the reader to Australia and the evolution of birds in this vast, isolated, and challenging land. Kaplan then provides a broad conceptual background, updating the reader on recent developments in avian neuroscience and cognition while introducing ongoing debates about topics such as the neocortex and the relationship between brain size, innovation, and

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Bird Minds: Cognition and Behaviour of Australian Native BirdsBird Minds: Cognition and Behaviour of Australian Native Birds by Gisela Kaplan. 2015. CSIRO Publishing, Clayton South, Victoria, Australia. ix + 268 pp., 71 text figures, 5 tables, 1 appendix. $45 (paperback). ISBN 9781486300181.