Mrs Moreau's Warbler : how birds got their names / Stephen Moss

Author: Moss, Stephen, 1960-
Additional Titles: How birds got their names
Published: London : Guardian Faber, 2018.
Copyright Date: ©2018
Physical Description: x, 357 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

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Contents

Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 Sound And Echoes -- The Origins of Bird Names -- 1.The Cuckoo's Calling -- 2.Trade Routes and Translations -- 3.Invasions and Conquests -- 4.The Nature of Birdsong -- 5.The Sound Approach -- ch. 2 Invasion And Change -- The Beginnings of English -- 1.The Ravens' Lament -- 2.Red Tails and White Arses -- 3.Sex, Chaucer and Blackbirds -- 4.Fifty Shades of Green? -- ch. 3 History And Science -- The Birth of Ornithology -- 1.Dirty Underwear -- 2.Folk and Fowls -- 3.Pioneers and Puffins -- 4.A Little Latin -- 5.A Correspondence Course -- ch. 4 Taming Nature -- The Organisation of Bird Names -- 1.A Man of Kent -- 2.Flaming Galahs and Fairy-Wrens -- 3.The Nature Poet -- 4.The Military Man -- ch. 5 Eponyms And Exploration -- Bird Names go Global -- 1.The Museum Man -- 2.Eponymous Birds -- 3.Into the North -- 4.Scotland's Forgotten Genius -- 5.Exploration and Empire -- ch. 6 Twentieth-Century Flocks -- The Names we use Today -- 1.Redbreasts and Hedge Sparrows -- 2.Tit-Willow and Willow Tit -- 3.Reed Warblers and Roasted Larks -- 4.Canada Geese and Crossbills -- 5.Eiderdowns, Cranes and Kites -- 6.Hobbies and Spies -- ch. 7 Tomorrow Never Knows -- The Future of Bird Names -- 1.Bird Names at a Crossroads -- 2.Titmice and Ring-Doves -- 3.Politics and Political Correctness -- 4.Splitting Species -- 5.New Birds, New Names.

Summary

"We use names so often, and with such little thought, that we often forget to pause and wonder about their origins. What do they mean? Where did they come from? And who originally created them? Since the dawn of mankind we have been driven by a primordial urge to name the birds and beasts of the earth and skies. It is through names that we make sense of the world around us, and through understanding these names, we can arrive at a greater awareness of our world. Many of our most familiar birds are named after people or places, sometimes after their sound or appearance, or perhaps after their quirky little habits. But sometimes a little more detective work is required to find the deeper meanings and stories behind the names. And a familiar face such as the blackbird, may not turn out to be named after its color after all.Through unexpected encounters with the bird kingdom, from the familiar sparrow to the many-colored rush-tyrant of Patagonia, Stephen Moss shows us that something as small as a name can carry a whole story - an arctic expedition, a pitched battle between rival ornithologists or the discovery of a new system of genetic hybridization. Mrs Moreau's Warbler is a journey through time, from when humans and birds first shared the world, up to the present day, as we find ourselves struggling to coexist sustainably with our feathered friends" --Publisher description.

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ISBN

1783350903 hardcover
9781783350902 hardcover

Bibliography Note

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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