Mozart's Starling - Lyanda Lynn Haupt - ★★★★.¼

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AUTHOR: Lyanda Lynn Haupt
GENRE: Nonfiction
PUBLICATION DATE: April 4, 2017
RATING: 4.25 stars.

Most books about pets seem to dwell on more common choices: dogs and cats being the most popular. This little gem came as a surprise to me. What could be more unique than a pet starling, right?

The author is a nature writer, a birdwatcher, and a committed wildlife advocate. While watching some starlings play outside her window, a story she had heard popped into her head: that of Mozart having a starling as a pet. And this random memory triggered a whole lot of action, culminating with this book.

You might be aware of starlings mainly for their magical murmurations. The sight of hundreds of thousands of them moving as one is bewitching to watch. But that's only one side of the story. You need to know the other side too, especially if you aren't much aware of birds in Western countries. Starlings are considered pests. If you Google for America's most hated bird, starlings come out as the winner. Lyanda Lynn Haupt herself concedes that starlings are a menace because of their huge numbers and the resultant problems because of their exploding population.

But...

Lyanda obtained a little starling for herself to see how Mozart might have been inspired by his pet. And her experience with this pet of hers proved to be unlike what she had ever imagined. Carmen, as her starling is named, turned out to be a wonderful, entertaining and intelligent companion, and still lives with the Haupt family.

The content looks into the great Wolfgang Mozart and how his pet starling might have impacted his life and his music. Mozart had discovered the starling in a Vienna pet shop, where the bird had somehow learned to sing the motif from his newest piano concerto. Enchanted, he bought the bird and kept it for three years before it died. While trying to analyse their relationship, Lyanda also tries to arrive at how the starling might have learnt the concerto.

Unlike what the title suggests, the book isn't limited to Mozart and his pet. Rather, it is all about starlings. The book presents both sides of these much-hated birds. How they are bad for the environment as well as how they are clever creatures with a great talent for mimicry. This content gets a tad too technical at times, but it is still a delight to an interested mind.

And finally, the book also presents Carmen's antics through various anecdotes peppered throughout the book, along with photographs. I loved these Carmen stories best of all. I've never been fond of the idea of having birds as pets. (This is especially because I've always seen them kept in cages.) Lyanda showed me how it is possible to have a healthy and happy bird at home without keeping it locked up in a cage. While it is still not an ideal situation for the bird, it's better than the alternative. The irony is that Carmen doesn't enjoy Mozart's music, though she loves other music and bluegrass is her favourite. So the author's original intention behind getting the starling went for a toss.

The three broad areas of content - Carmen's tales, Mozart's experience and insights about starlings - are not compartmentalized but interspersed with each other. This makes for an entertaining read because the moment the ornithological content becomes intense, either Mozart or Carmen comes as the breather.

You can make out the author's love for nature, especially for birds, throughout this book. The knowledge she offers into all things avian is amazing to read. Her sense of humour shines through in her recounting of Carmen's antics. Just how the starling learned Mozart’s piano motif is a wonderful musico-ornithological mystery. And Lyanda does her best to resolve this for us.

I enjoyed this book a lot, though it turned out a little different from what I had expected. I now see why starlings are considered a menace but I can also see the wonder of their talent. If you are a animal or bird lover, you might enjoy this offbeat read. It's not for everyone, but for those who enjoy animal-based nonfiction, it's a must.

Do note that there is some triggering content about how bird populations are kept in control or how they are made to learn how to sing.

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