Peregrine and Ptarmigan, Hobby and Hoopoe, Montagu’s Harrier and Mrs Moreau’s Warbler – every one of the world’s ten thousand or so species of bird has its own unique name. But what do they mean, and where did they come from? Naturalist & Guardian columnist, Stephen Moss, will combine detective work, natural history, folklore and first hand observations to explore how birds got their names and our long and eventful relationship with the natural world.
‘A wonderful work of natural history. Expect polar explorers, eccentric ornithologists and Victorian con-artists with first-rate writing of the birds on the wing.’ Laura Hassan, Editorial Director
STEPHEN MOSS is one of Britain’s leading nature writers, broadcasters and wildlife television producers. His TV credits include the BAFTA award-winning Springwatch, Big Cat Diary, The Nature of Britain and Birds Britannia. He has written a number of books on the natural world, including A Bird in the Bush: A Social History of Birdwatching (Aurum 2004), Wild Hares and Hummingbirds: the Natural History of an English Village (Square Peg, 2011), and Tweet of the Day (Saltyard Books, 2014). For more than twenty years he has written the monthly Birdwatch column for the Guardian, and he also regularly contributes to the Daily Mail, BBC Wildlife Magazine and BBC Radio Four. Since 2011 he has been a Visiting Professor in the School of History at the University of Nottingham. He is on twitter as @stephenmoss_tv
Laura Hassan acquired World English rights from Broo Doherty at DHH Literary Agency.