This is the story of Dr Sálim Ali’s life and his times, which were an important fragment of the conservation movement in India, from the late British period, through the tumult of the struggle for Independence, to the early years of India as a sovereign nation state. It is linked to the organization that Sálim Ali steered for decades, the Bombay Natural History Society. Few today can claim the privilege of having known Sálim Ali since they were five years old. Dr Erach Bharucha is one such privileged person who tell us the inspirational story of the incredible Birdman of India, through his own reminiscences and those of Sálim Ali's friends and admirers.