In my suburb I enjoy the calls of the Butcher Bird. One will begin a song and another from far away will finish it as they send their calls to and fro out over the treetops.

Bird Talk informed me that there are four stages of song-learning for songbirds. Firstly, when babies in the nest, they must hear the songs sung. Second is a silent period when the birds store the songs in their memory. Thirdly they then begin to practise the songs. And last, crystalisation, where the birds have finally organised the notes in the correct order. But there are some birds like the European Starling that can memorise and produce new songs at any time of its life.

It not just song that this book covers, but all types complexities of communication between birds. This includes visual signals, warning signals, dances, as well as mating and territorial behaviour.

Although published by the CSIRO it is also for a general reader with a plethora of photographs and interesting information.

If you have an interest in the birdlife around you then you’ll find this book fascinating.

Reviewed by Alice Wilson