Mrs Moreau's Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names

We use names so often that few of us ever pause to wonder about their origins. What do they mean? And where did they come from?

From the common starling to the many-colored rush tyrant, the names we have given to birds are some of the most vivid and evocative words in the English language. They can carry whole stories - of arctic expeditions, pitched battles between rival ornithologists or touching romantic gestures.

Through fascinating encounters with the bird kingdom and the rich cast of characters responsible for coming up with their names, in Mrs Moreau's Warbler Stephen Moss shows how these words reveal as much about ourselves and our relationship with the natural world as about the creatures they describe.

Author: Stephen Moss
Publisher: Guardian Faber Publishing
Published: 12/04/2018
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 8.10h x 6.30w x 1.40d
ISBN13: 9781783350902
ISBN10: 1783350903
BISAC Categories:
- Nature | Animals | Birds
- Nature | Birdwatching Guides

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. He is a regular contributor to the Guardian.