The Bird Biography Series
by6 books in this series
#1 - The Robin
A beautifully illustrated celebration of one of Britain’s best-known birds: the familiar, friendly yet fiercely territorial robin – the perfect gift for nature lovers.
With its vivid orange-red breast, dark eyes and delicate song, the robin is among the most instantly recognisable visitors to our gardens. It has enchanted generations of writers and artists, inspired myths and nursery rhymes, and become an enduring emblem of Christmas, despite being one of Britain’s most aggressive small birds.
Trace the robin’s life across a calendar year: from courtship, nest-building and egg-laying to the hatching and fledging of its speckled young, then on through moulting, migration and the defence of its winter territory. Discover its feeding habits, remarkable tameness around humans, year-round song and enduring role in literature and folklore, in this essential addition to any birdwatcher’s bookshelf.
With its vivid orange-red breast, dark eyes and delicate song, the robin is among the most instantly recognisable visitors to our gardens. It has enchanted generations of writers and artists, inspired myths and nursery rhymes, and become an enduring emblem of Christmas, despite being one of Britain’s most aggressive small birds.
Trace the robin’s life across a calendar year: from courtship, nest-building and egg-laying to the hatching and fledging of its speckled young, then on through moulting, migration and the defence of its winter territory. Discover its feeding habits, remarkable tameness around humans, year-round song and enduring role in literature and folklore, in this essential addition to any birdwatcher’s bookshelf.
#2 - The Wren
From the bestselling author of The Robin: A Biography
The wren is a paradox of a bird. On the one hand wrens are ubiquitous. They are Britain's most common bird, with 8.5 million breeding pairs and have by far the loudest song in proportion to their size. They also thrive up and down Britain and Ireland: from the smallest city garden to remote offshore islands, blustery moors to chilly mountains.
Yet many people, particularly a younger generation, are not sure if they have ever seen a wren. Perhaps because the wren is so tiny, weighing just as much as two A4 sheets of paper, and so busy, always on the move, more mouse than bird.
However if we cast our eyes back to recent history wrens were a mainstay of literary, cultural and popular history. The wren was on postage stamps and the farthing, it featured in nursery rhymes and greetings cards, poems and rural 'wren hunts', still a recent memory in Ireland particularly.
With beautiful illustrations throughout, this captivating year-in-the-life biography reveals the hidden secrets of this fascinating bird that lives right on our doorstep.
PRAISE FOR STEPHEN MOSS:
'A superb naturalist and writer' Chris Packham
'Inspired, friendly and blessed with apparently limitless knowledge' Peter Marren
'Moss has carved out an enviable niche as a chronicler of the natural world' Daily Mail
The wren is a paradox of a bird. On the one hand wrens are ubiquitous. They are Britain's most common bird, with 8.5 million breeding pairs and have by far the loudest song in proportion to their size. They also thrive up and down Britain and Ireland: from the smallest city garden to remote offshore islands, blustery moors to chilly mountains.
Yet many people, particularly a younger generation, are not sure if they have ever seen a wren. Perhaps because the wren is so tiny, weighing just as much as two A4 sheets of paper, and so busy, always on the move, more mouse than bird.
However if we cast our eyes back to recent history wrens were a mainstay of literary, cultural and popular history. The wren was on postage stamps and the farthing, it featured in nursery rhymes and greetings cards, poems and rural 'wren hunts', still a recent memory in Ireland particularly.
With beautiful illustrations throughout, this captivating year-in-the-life biography reveals the hidden secrets of this fascinating bird that lives right on our doorstep.
PRAISE FOR STEPHEN MOSS:
'A superb naturalist and writer' Chris Packham
'Inspired, friendly and blessed with apparently limitless knowledge' Peter Marren
'Moss has carved out an enviable niche as a chronicler of the natural world' Daily Mail
#4 - The Swan
From the renowned naturalist Stephen Moss comes the must-have gift for bird lovers this Christmas.
'Wherever there is a stretch of water for them to find food and make their nest, you will come across swans'
With beautiful illustrations throughout, this eye-opening biography reveals the hidden secrets of one of Britain's best-known birds.
The Mute Swan is not so much a bird, as a national treasure: the avian equivalent of Sir David Attenborough or the Queen. These huge and stately creatures are part of our urban and rural landscapes, a constant presence on lakes, rivers and ponds throughout Britain. Yet despite their familiarity, they are often misunderstood; and while many people love swans, others fear them.
Swans also feature in myths and legends, art and literature, dance and music, not just in Britain but all around the world. Stephen Moss delves into the facts and fiction about these charismatic birds, describes their seasonal life cycle and examines their central role in our history and culture. He also includes stories about 'wild swans' - Whooper and Bewicks - that visit us in winter; and the Black Swan of Australia.
'A superb naturalist and writer' Chris Packham
'Moss has carved out an enviable niche as a chronicler of the natural world' Daily Mail
'Wherever there is a stretch of water for them to find food and make their nest, you will come across swans'
With beautiful illustrations throughout, this eye-opening biography reveals the hidden secrets of one of Britain's best-known birds.
The Mute Swan is not so much a bird, as a national treasure: the avian equivalent of Sir David Attenborough or the Queen. These huge and stately creatures are part of our urban and rural landscapes, a constant presence on lakes, rivers and ponds throughout Britain. Yet despite their familiarity, they are often misunderstood; and while many people love swans, others fear them.
Swans also feature in myths and legends, art and literature, dance and music, not just in Britain but all around the world. Stephen Moss delves into the facts and fiction about these charismatic birds, describes their seasonal life cycle and examines their central role in our history and culture. He also includes stories about 'wild swans' - Whooper and Bewicks - that visit us in winter; and the Black Swan of Australia.
'A superb naturalist and writer' Chris Packham
'Moss has carved out an enviable niche as a chronicler of the natural world' Daily Mail
#5 - The Owl
Following his bestselling biographies of some of our favourite birds - The Robin, The Wren, The Swallow and The Swan - author and naturalist Stephen Moss now turns his attention to a group of birds we rarely see, occasionally hear, yet are always on our minds: the owls.
Owls are among the most mysterious birds in the world. Their hauntingly beautiful calls at dusk and nocturnal habits have long captured our collective imaginations - inspiring more superstitions, folktales and myths around the world than any other group of bird. The 'magnificent seven' most famous species of owl - the tawny, little, barn, long-eared, short-eared, snowy and eagle owl - can all be spotted in th UK and each have vast ranges spanning multiple countries and continents where they have lived alongside people for thousands of years.
With this book, Stephen Moss takes us on a journey to discover the secret lives they live between twilight and dawn, from the moment they first hatch, to their nightly hunts and how they raise the next generation, weaving together his insights as a naturalist, international folklore and history, his experiences encountering these birds in the wild and some tips for how - with a bit of luck - you can catch a glimpse of them yourself.
Owls are among the most mysterious birds in the world. Their hauntingly beautiful calls at dusk and nocturnal habits have long captured our collective imaginations - inspiring more superstitions, folktales and myths around the world than any other group of bird. The 'magnificent seven' most famous species of owl - the tawny, little, barn, long-eared, short-eared, snowy and eagle owl - can all be spotted in th UK and each have vast ranges spanning multiple countries and continents where they have lived alongside people for thousands of years.
With this book, Stephen Moss takes us on a journey to discover the secret lives they live between twilight and dawn, from the moment they first hatch, to their nightly hunts and how they raise the next generation, weaving together his insights as a naturalist, international folklore and history, his experiences encountering these birds in the wild and some tips for how - with a bit of luck - you can catch a glimpse of them yourself.
#6 - The Starling
Discover the fascinating lives of some of the most brilliant musical minds and master choreographers in the avian world.
Even with its beautiful iridescent plumage and magical gift to mimic both human and natural sounds, this common garden bird can often be overlooked. But as they come together in their thousands to display their unique ability to perform dazzling aerial manoeuvres known as murmurations, starlings are nothing short of breathtaking. This is the captivating story of how starlings have shaped our world, from influencing agriculture and inspiring musicians such as Mozart and writers such as Shakespeare, to their impact as an invasive species in North America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
With beautiful illustrations throughout, and an expert guide to the most magnificent murmurations in the UK, this eye-opening biography reveals the hidden secrets of one of our most talented and luminous birds.