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Ten Birds That Changed the World

by Stephen Moss

Human history through the lives of birds

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Human history through the lives of birds

Stephen Moss uses ten bird species to trace the many ways birds have shaped human life across all seven continents. The subjects range from Odin’s ravens and Darwin’s finches to the wild turkey and emperor penguin, linking natural history with mythology, religion, food, resources, and artistic inspiration. The book’s broad historical frame makes the human-bird relationship its organizing thread, while the selection of species connects cultural practices with changing views of the natural world, including the emperor penguin’s role as a symbol of the climate crisis.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • For readers interested in birds and natural history.
  • For those curious about the connections between animals, human culture, and history.
  • For readers seeking a wide-ranging account spanning species from all seven continents.

Themes

Human relationships with birdsBirds in mythology, religion, and ritualDomestication and exploitation of birdsBirds as inspiration for art and musicClimate crisis symbolism

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

The natural history of humankind told through our long relationship with birds.

"Moss is a captivating storyteller." --Wall Street Journal

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.

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.
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