Mrs Moreau's Warbler cover art

Mrs Moreau's Warbler

How Birds Got Their Names

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Mrs Moreau's Warbler

By: Stephen Moss
Narrated by: Stephen Moss
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About this listen

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.

©2019 Guardian Faber Publishing (P)2019 Guardian Faber Publishing Birdwatching Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science
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Most relevant
Lots and lots to take in. For me I will need to listen more which I have I will keep listening to this educational book

Lots and lots to take in. For me I will need to listen more which I have I will keep listening to this educational book

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Probably not for everyone, but definitely for me. A rich, witty and fascinating collection of connections between the science of ornithology and the science of etymology. Many names marvel at and conjure with. A pleasure.

Deliciously Pedantic

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