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Mrs Moreau's Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names Hardcover – December 4, 2018

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 156 ratings

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.
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Cuckoo, chiffchaff and kittiwake: just three of many names based on the bird's sound.

Wheatear: nothing to do with ears of wheat, but the Anglo-Saxon for "White-arse".

Hobby: whoe scientific name,
Falco subbuteo, inspired the table-top football game.

Dartford warbler: originally found near Dartford, yet never sighted there again.

Cuddy's duck: local name for the eider, whose feathers were made into eiderdowns.

Bananaquit, festive coquette and screaming piha: the world's most unusual bird names?

Mrs Moreau's warbler: the touching love story behind the name of one of the world's rarest birds.

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.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1783350903
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Guardian Faber Publishing (December 4, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781783350902
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1783350902
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.25 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 156 ratings

About the author

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Stephen Moss
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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. I have written over 30 books, including Ten Birds that Changed the World (shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing), Mrs Moreau's Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names, Wild Kingdom, and 'bird biographies' of the Robin, Wren, Swallow, Swan and Owl. My TV credits include Springwatch, The Nature of Britain, Birding with Bill Oddie and Birds Britannia. I also teach an MA in Travel & Nature Writing at Bath Spa University.

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4.7 out of 5 stars
156 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2021
    A very enjoyable read that delves into the history of bird names and the stories of some of people the birds were named by and for. Like, Stephen Moss' other books, this one is an easy read, filled with interesting stories and for would make a nice gift for anyone interested in birds and history. It mainly deals with British birds, but, of course, since British ornithologists named birds world-wide (including the African warbler of the title) other parts of the get come coverage as well.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2019
    I try to find different library books which will challenge my brain during retirement. I checked this book out from the library and after reading it decided to purchase it and share with my friends. It includes some amazing historical facts, as well as how important birds are in our lives. So unexpected - based on the title.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2018
    I enjoyed this book although it wasn't about what I expected. I thought it was going to detail various expeditions, trips and bird-spotting habits of yesteryear, and to a degree it was. However, mostly we look at etymology, the evolution of language in Britain (from Proto-Indo-European), the folk names birds had in different regions and who got to name newly-discovered (meaning shot, when there were no good binoculars and cameras) birds. From this we proceed to look at birds named after persons - I have never seen the term eponymous used so many times. And how birds are constantly being re-classified, rearranged into sub-species and even renamed.

    The author tells us about a few of his own birding trips, including a one-day list contest of migrating birds, and a trek to search for the bird of the title, so this warbler is eponymous in two senses. I note the wry 'little brown job' bird type so commonly spotted; this is like the botanists' 'g-d-darn yellow flower'.

    The linguistics are more easily followed than some might expect - Anglo-Saxons were invaded by Vikings who brought new Germanic words to Old English. Then French speakers came with the Norman Conquest. As the author points out, the languages melded and gained equal status, which is highly unusual. So English today has many synonyms such as wed and marry, kingly and royal, pretty and beautiful. Although the author doesn't labour the point, the words I placed second are clearly French in origin, and have no similarity to the first, more Germanic words. But the birds were named by the people who saw them first, and names varied up and down the country for the same species.

    The author does take a few things for granted in his readership, such as understanding how and why the natural historians classified species and gave them Latin names. He credits them with a visual knowledge of many bird species and with reasonably good geographical knowledge, as there are no photos and no maps. Well, we can Google anything we're not sure about, and this includes pictures of birds beyond the scope of a book of birds in Northern Europe. On the other hand in the section on raptors, rather than discuss trophic levels and pesticides building up in the food web, we're treated to an explanation of why the tabletop football game Subbuteo is named after the Hobby. Great fun.

    This book would suit bird-lovers, anyone studying nature or etymology, and I recommend pairing it with Coves of Departure by John Seibert Farnsworth, The Urban Birder by David Lindo, Birding Without Borders by Noah Stryker. Notes P317 - 340 which include odd names, like the lachrymose mountain ranger. Index P341 - 357. I counted 38 names which I could be sure were female.

    I borrowed a copy from the Royal Dublin Society Library. This is an unbiased review.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2020
    Almost completely lacking in any sort of organization, and fluttering about from bird name to bird name, this eminently browseable and generally amusing book is a real hoot.

    While the blurbs emphasize expeditions, rival ornithologists, romantic gestures, and the like, (and there are lots of extended bits about all of those things), the book is mostly an exploration of language. How it evolves and changes, and how the names of birds have evolved and changed or remained constant over the centuries. The long essay about where "goose", (our oldest bird name), came from and how and why it survived is worth the price of the book right there.

    Moss is a fine and engaging companion, and avoids twee rhapsodizing about birds. His style is more along the lines of slightly disorganized and rambling enthusiasm, and when that's coupled, as it is here, with a dry sense of humor, the result is truly delightful.

    (Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Gipsy Spirit
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great for general readers and birders alike
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2019
    I’m no ornithologist, but I love history and I love words. Mrs Moreau’s Warbler is both fascinating and informative, written in a clear, engaging style. A great book for the general reader as well as for more dedicated birders.
  • Gladiator
    5.0 out of 5 stars Cooles Trivialwissen mit einem Touch Wissenschaft
    Reviewed in Germany on May 25, 2018
    Ein durchaus unterhaltendes Buch, der an einem Vogelnamen für Winifred Muriel Moreau (1891-1981) aufgehängt wurde und den Leser in die Welt des Ursprungs englischen Vogelnamen entführen soll. Beim deutschen Namen Rostkopf-Fuchssänger für "Scepomycter winifredae" würde man sich die Frage zu diesem Vogel vielleicht erst gar nicht stellen. Anders sieht es z.B. bei der "Koepckekassike" aus, die wiederum im Englischen "Selva Cacique" heißt. Nicht verwunderlich, dass mit dem lateinischen "Cacicus koepckeae" auch der Name der deutschen Ornithologin Maria Emilia Ana Koepcke geb. von Mikulicz-Radecki (1924-1971) im deutschen Trivialnamen Einzug fand. Falsch im Buch ist trotzdem eine Fußnote, die nur diese beiden Ladies als Ornithologinnen anerkennt. Florence Augusta Bailey geb. Merriam (1863-1948) war ebenfalls Ornithologin und ihr Name findet sich zumindest im lateinischen Namen "Poecile gambeli baileyae" wieder. Es gab auch Margaret Morse Nice (1983-1974) mit "Melospiza melodia niceae" und "Thryomanes bewickii niceae". Ich bin mir ganz sicher es würden sich noch weitere Beispiele finden.
    Stephen Moss macht es sich aber nicht so einfach nur Namen zu erklären, die im Zusammenhang mit Menschen stehen. Dafür gibt es schon "The Eponym Dictionary of Birds" oder dessen Vorgänger "Whose Bird?: Common Bird Names and the People They Commemorate". So zeigt er z.B. dass es ein Irrtum ist, dass Wheatear (=Steinschmätzer) von wheat (= Weizen) oder ear (= Ohr) abstammt. Das Wort stammt viel mehr vom angelsächsischen Wort "wheteres" ab und bedeutet so viel wie "weiße Ärsche". Es wird erklärt, dass "blackbird" früher auch mal "ouzel" hieß, was unserem Wort Amsel doch schon sehr nahe kommt. Leider wird der Ursprung für Amsel wiederum nicht erklärt, obwohl die Ringdrossel im Englischen "Ring Ouzel" heißt. So finden sich im Buch viele kleine Anekdoten, vor allem rund um etymologische Fragen aus dem englischen Sprachraum. Natürlich deckt der Autor nicht alle Vogelnamen ab, denn kaum wäre er damit durch, würde wieder ein Vogel neuendeckt, eine Unterart als eigene Art abgesplittet oder eine Art einfach nur umbenannt, weil sich beispielsweise das Verbreitungsgebiet durch neue Beobachtungen erweitert hat und der alte Name deshalb keinen Sinn mehr macht. Was wäre z.B. wenn der Ecuador-Andenkolibri plötzlich auch in Kolumbien vorkommen würde?

    Dem Autor ist es gelungen seine Passion für Vögel und für Sprache in einem unterhaltenden Buch zu vereinen. Während Wissenschaftler gerne Namen standardisieren wollen, findet Moss auch gebräuchliche Alternativnamen spannend. Ich würde mir solch ein Buch auch für deutsche Vogelnamen wünschen. Was ist der Ursprung von Amsel, Drossel, Fink und Star und der ganzen Vogelschar?
  • Ivan Purcell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read - loads of interesting facts
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2024
    Loved it, great read. Loads of information, definitely will be revisiting it. I'm a pure novice, just love all things birds - found it very approachable book. He's a great writer. Enjoy....
  • Phil Ball
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great wide-ranging book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 28, 2019
    I've always been fascinated by how birds were named, which is the main focus of this book, but there is so much more to this work, taking in history, linguistics and general ornithology. Very well written.
  • N. Greenwood
    4.0 out of 5 stars Educational
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2019
    Excellent insight in the history of ornithology