A certain native glamour helped ravens coast into human mythologies as helpful companions. Photograph: All Canada Photos/Alamy I am one of Britain’s leading nature writers, broadcasters and wildlife television producers, specialising in birds and British wildlife. A lifelong naturalist, I am passionate about communicating the wonders of the natural world to the widest possible audience. My TV credits include Springwatch, The Nature of Britain, Birding with Bill Oddie and Birds Britannia. My latest book, Mrs Moreau's Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names, is published by Guardian/Faber. I also teach an MA in Travel & Nature Writing at Bath Spa University. I have reviewed several of Stephen Moss’s books here ( Tweet of the Day (with Brett Westwood) 2014; Natural Histories(with Brett Westwood) 2015; Wild Kingdom, 2016; The Twelve Birds of Christmas, 2019; The Accidental Countryside, 2020; The Swallow, 2021; Skylarks with Rosie, 2021) and enjoyed them all. They vary in depth and scope but are consistently well-written and provide reliable good reads. This latest book is, arguably, and that is what I would argue, the best of the lot.

Ten Birds that Changed the World | Goldsboro Books Ten Birds that Changed the World | Goldsboro Books

This book focuses on ten species of birds through the lens of their interactions with humanity. In some cases, like the dodo, the bald eagle, the snowy egret, and--most recently--the emperor penguin, the book denotes how humanity pushes species toward extinction. What about training a bird to do what humans can't/won't, as in the case of pigeons who took messages into enemy territory? The pigeon chapter was especially enjoyable. There are thousands of bird species on earth, but with a very well-chosen ten, Moss provides a panoramic look at how the feathered ones have influenced human mythology, science, politics, and even self-understanding. These interconnections are as fraught as they are beautiful in this complex time of climate crisis when so many birds, after influencing our culture for so long, now depend on humans for the possibility of survival in an uncertain future. Moss is a knowledgeable and companionable guide throughout this riveting volume, which inspires a love of birdlife that is more essential than ever.” Taking a numerical approach to the natural world – as in Simon Barnes’s History of the World in 100 Plants, for example – is a handy way to carve off a manageable slice from a potential plethora of examples. There are, for instance, nearly 10,000 bird species worldwide. In his new book, naturalist Stephen Moss wisely chooses just 10, but in doing so tells the story of the long relationship between birds and humanity – and it has mostly been a disastrous one.Moss writes with the scope of a scholar and the confidence of a careful observer, finding fresh and fascinating insights into the lives and legacies of ten iconic birds. A thoughtful, thought-provoking, and thoroughly enjoyable book.” For the whole of human history, we have lived alongside birds. We have hunted and domesticated them for food; venerated them in our mythologies, religion and rituals; exploited them for their natural resources; and been inspired by them for our music, art and poetry.In Ten Birds that Changed the World, naturalist and author Stephen Moss tells the gripping story of this long and eventful relationship through ten key species from all seven of the world’s continents. From Odin’s faithful raven companions to Darwin’s finches, and from the wild turkey of the Americas to the emperor penguin as potent symbol of the climate crisis, this is a fascinating, eye-opening and endlessly engaging work of natural history. Ten Birds That Changed the World by Stephen Moss – eBook Details Soon, birds were not just providing food but spiritual and social nourishment, too. Without the sustenance the wild turkey provided for the early European settlers of the Americas, it is likely that the colonisation of the New World might never have come about. It soon became the centrepiece of Christmas feasts in Britain and Europe, and Thanksgiving in North America. Dodo

Ten Birds That Changed the World by Stephen Moss review – our

The key turning-point in the rise of science came when Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859. Although Darwin’s finches of the Galápagos islands are often said to have provided him with the “eureka moment” for his revolutionary theory of evolution by natural selection, in reality he showed little interest in these curious birds. It was not until long after his death that scientists realised their importance – they revealed that evolution can take place in a much shorter timescale than was once thought. Guanay cormorant The 10 species are chosen to be vehicles for good stories, told typically well by the author, but also, and importantly, to highlight important aspects of our lives, as the rather portentous title suggests. On Saturday 13 December 1958, the People’s Republic of China declared war on a bird. Mobilisation was total: 600 million enlisted for the fight. Their target was a tiny songbird, between five and six inches long: the Eurasian tree sparrow. It might seem like overkill, writes Stephen Moss in his history of human-avian relations, but in the eyes of China’s leaders the sparrows more than deserved it. An estimated 1.5m tonnes of grain disappeared down the gullets of said feathered gourmets each year. China was short on food – and short on patience. Peace was never an option. For the whole of human history, we have lived alongside birds. We have hunted and domesticated them for food; venerated them in our mythologies, religion and rituals; exploited them for their natural resources; and been inspired by them for our music, art and poetry. About the Author Stephen Moss is one of Britain’s leading nature writers, broadcasters, and environmentalists. Author of over forty books and guides, he is an award-winning wildlife television producer for the BBC Natural History Unit. He lives in Somerset, England.In Ten Birds That Changed the World, naturalist and author Stephen Moss tells the gripping story of this long and intimate relationship through key species from all seven of the world’s continents. From Odin’s faithful raven companions to Darwin’s finches, and from the wild turkey of the Americas to the emperor penguin as potent symbol of the climate crisis, this is a fascinating, eye-opening, and endlessly engaging work of natural history. At turns entertaining, fascinating, informative, and horrifying. Stephen Moss is a great storyteller. I didn't agree with everything he said, especially about the bald eagle, but it definitely got me thinking. Also new to me was Mao's Sparrow campaign--how did I never hear of that? For the whole of human history, we have shared our world with birds. We have hunted and domesticated them for food; worshipped them in our religions; placed them at the heart of our myths and legends; poisoned and persecuted them; and celebrated them in our literature, art and music. Even today, despite a very worrying disconnection between ourselves and the rest of nature, birds continue to play a role in our lives. The raven – the world’s largest species of crow – is at the heart of creation myths all around the northern hemisphere, from the First Nations of North America through Norse culture to the nomadic peoples of Siberia. It is also the first bird mentioned in the Bible, when Noah sent one out from the ark to discover if the flood was finally over; true to this bird’s independent character, it failed to return. The raven still resonates with us today: when Game of Thrones author George RR Martin wanted a species of bird able to see into the future, he chose the raven. Pigeon

Ten Birds That Changed the World - Hachette Book Group

A] penetrating history…The blend of history and science highlights the deep connections between humans and the natural world, and the cultural insights enlighten….This flies high.” We often assume modern agriculture began after the second world war, when chemical fertilisers massively increased crop yields. Yet a century earlier, droppings harvested from vast colonies of the guanay cormorant, off the coast of South America, provided the phosphate needed to launch a boom in intensive farming. This altered the landscape of North America and Europe for ever, and hastened the decline of farmland wildlife. Snowy egret In Ten Birds that Changed the World, naturalist and author Stephen Moss tells the gripping story of this long and eventful relationship through ten key species from all seven of the world’s continents. From Odin’s faithful raven companions to Darwin’s finches, and from the wild turkey of the Americas to the emperor penguin as potent symbol of the climate crisis, this is a fascinating, eye-opening and endlessly engaging work of natural history. Stephen Moss mentions both Poe and the Mad Hatter in “Raven,” the first chapter of “Ten Birds That Changed the World,” but mercifully doesn’t attempt to solve the riddle. A BBC broadcaster and prolific author, Mr. Moss has made a career out of explaining British birds to a wider readership. In this book he traverses a much larger terrain, starting out close to home, with the ravens in the United Kingdom, but ending as far away as he can get, with a visit to the emperor penguins of Antarctica. In Ten Birds That Changed the World, naturalist and author Stephen Moss tells the gripping story of this long and eventful relationship through ten key species from all seven of the world's continents. From Odin's faithful raven companions to Darwin's finches, and from the wild turkey of the Americas to the emperor penguin as potent symbol of the climate crisis, this is a fascinating, eye-opening and endlessly engaging work of natural history.The story of China’s Chairman Mao is a salutary one: he took on nature and lost. Mao’s war against the humble tree sparrow for eating grain seed resulted not just in the bird being wiped out, but the deaths of millions of his own people, too, in a terrible famine: the worst human-made disaster in human history. Crops were left vulnerable as the sparrows had controlled the insect population, particularly locusts. Emperor penguin This was an informative and decent book about birds until the author bizarrely decided to insert political commentary during the chapter about bald eagles. This is a journey into an extraordinary world—an outwardly familiar world, but one that has been shaped and contoured by birds in ways we can only begin to imagine. Through the stories of those birds, Moss shows us how our lives owe so much to them, and why we should care for their kind a little more.”

Ten Birds that Changed the World by Sunday book review – Ten Birds that Changed the World by

This look at ten species is the writers' choice, and not all species are still in existence. The dodo is not; while it was eaten, he explains that the rats and pigs introduced by seafarers did away with most of the nests. Surprisingly he does not say that a tree native to Mauritius was dying out in recent years, its seeds refusing to germinate, until a botanist had the bright idea of feeding its seeds to domestic poultry to replace the dodo. The seeds passed through and germinated. Other birds endemic to the island were, fortunately, preserved and revived in numbers.Moss, a British nature writer, broadcaster, and environmentalist who has written more than 40 books and field guides, is an ideal guide to this in-depth look at 10 consequential species and the threats to their continued survival. Spoiler alert: The world-changing birds are the raven, pigeon, wild turkey, dodo, Darwin's finch, guanay cormorant, snowy egret, bald eagle, tree sparrow, and emperor penguin. The contributions of some of these birds are immediately apparent—e.g., carrier pigeons could bring messages from the front lines of battles and wars, changing the course of the conflicts. The historical roles of other birds are more obscure. The snowy egret, prized for its long, feathery aigrettes, was driven to the brink of extinction by the plumage trade, but this led to the first bird protection laws. Moss is good at sorting out the myths from the realities of these birds' places in history. Darwin's finches, for example, were not actually the inspiration for his theory of evolution by natural selection but are still one of the best demonstrations of its veracity. The author also takes note of the prominent places these birds hold in mythology and literature, such as Poe's "The Raven,” but his larger theme is the threat of extinction that hovers over so many species today. As such, the centerpiece of his avian collection is the dodo, which has transitioned from a real bird to “the global icon of extinction." Its disappearance 300 years ago first suggested to the Western mind that a species could go extinct. The author’s thorough and well-argued book brings urgent attention to all the species that now face oblivion due to the global climate crisis. Heidaripour's illustrations complement the engaging, sobering analysis. For the whole of human history, we have lived alongside birds. We have hunted and domesticated them for food; venerated them in our mythologies, religions, and rituals; exploited them for their natural resources; and been inspired by them for our music, art, and poetry. He makes the point early on not to anthropomorphize birds--they always only act in their own self-interest. I agree with this but when does "birds as symbols" (say, the bald eagle, either as a Nazi symbol or a symbol of American democracy/power, the two of which he discusses at length) cross over into anthropomorphizing?