This book is aimed at anyone with an interest in birds, words, or the history of Australian biology and birdwatching. It discusses common and scientific names of every Australian bird, to tease out the meanings, which may be useful, useless or downright misleading! The authors examine every species: its often many-andvaried common names, its full scientific name, with derivation, translation and a guide to pronunciation. Stories behind the name are included, as well as relevant aspects of biology, conservation and history.