Mrs Moreau's Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names

by Stephen Moss

Overview

Swallow and starling, puffin and peregrine, blue tit and blackcap. We use these names so often that few of us ever pause to wonder about their origins. What do they mean? Where did they come from? And who created them? The words we use to name birds are some of the most lyrical and evocative in the English language. They also tell incredible stories: of epic expeditions, fierce battles between rival ornithologists, momentous historical events and touching romantic gestures. Through fascinating encounters with birds, and the rich cast of characters who came up with their names, in Mrs Moreau’s Warbler Stephen Moss takes us on a remarkable journey through time. From when humans and birds first shared the earth to our fraught present-day coexistence, Moss shows how these names reveal as much about ourselves and our relationship with the natural world as about the creatures they describe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783350919
Publisher:	Faber and Faber
Publication date:	04/14/2020
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Stephen Moss is a naturalist, broadcaster, television producer and author. In a distinguished career at the BBC Natural History Unit his credits included Springwatch, Birds Britannia and The Nature of Britain. His books include The Robin: A Biography, A Bird in the Bush, The Bumper Book of Nature, Wild Hares and Hummingbirds and Wild Kingdom. He is also Senior Lecturer in Nature and Travel Writing at Bath Spa University. Originally from London, he lives with his family on the Somerset Levels, and is President of the Somerset Wildlife Trust.

Editorial Reviews

Named one of Forbes 12 Best Books About Birds (2018)
"An illuminating trek through the people and encounters that led to some of the most unique names in the animal kingdom.”—Buzzfeed
"This linguistic romp through ornithology, natural history writing, and scientific discovery is enlivened by Moss' tales of searching for some of the species he writes of."—STARRED Booklist Review
"Through lively prose and numerous examples, Moss shows that the origin of bird names is fascinating and not always entirely clear, also offering insight into the way humans use language. VERDICT This work will appeal to a wide range of readers, including those interested in science, history, and/or linguistics.”—Library Journal
"Like any good bird-names book it demolishes a few false etymologies – my favorite is the one that assigns the term Isabelline to the color of a queen’s dirty underpants – and introduces some true ones that seem stranger than fiction. A good fun read for bird nerds and word nerds alike."—10,000 Birds
"This fun book explores the overlap between ornithology, linguistics and history. " —Forbes
"Certain to interest scientific readers and general audiences alike."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

10/15/2018
Noting that some bird names are intuitive—“Cuckoos do indeed call out their name”—and others more obscure, British naturalist and lecturer Moss (A Bird in the Bush: A Social History of Birdwatching) breaks down the guidelines of and patterns in how birds are named in this fascinating examination. Early chapters deal, for instance, with sounds birds made that might have influenced their names—such as “crow” and “dove”—and with how some names eventually and inevitably changed as the English language itself changed. When labels based on color (e.g., red grouse, grey heron, goldfinch) became too general to be useful, ornithologists began to use “more complex and subtle shades” as well. The more species they discovered, the more visually descriptive the names got. These include the pied flycatcher and pied wagtail, the snowy owl, and the buff-bellied pipit and buff-breasted sandpiper. Subsequent sections deal also with eponymous birds, creatures named after people, primarily men, honoring themselves or paying tribute to others. The titular warbler, for example, is “an obscure and endangered songbird” named in 1938 by Reginald Ernest Moreau, an expert in bird migration, for his wife and fellow bird enthusiast, Winnie. It is one appealing story among many in a comprehensive volume certain to interest scientific readers and general audiences alike. B&w illus. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly