Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Nature writer Moss (The Swan) surveys in this penetrating history "the long and eventful relationship" between humanity and the avian kingdom by examining the behavior, morphology, and cultural significance of 10 birds that have "changed the course of human history": bald eagles, Darwin's finches, dodos, emperor penguins, guanay cormorants, pigeons, ravens, snowy egrets, tree sparrows, and wild turkeys. Considering the emperor penguin, he explains the bird's distinctive breeding habits (males go for four months without food while incubating an egg) and warns that humans' carbon emissions are melting the penguin's breeding grounds and threatening their survival. Other entries also strike a cautionary tone, as when Moss underscores the "fragility of global ecosystems" by discussing how the dodo went extinct after humans introduced rats (which ate dodo eggs) to the bird's previously predator-free home on Mauritius. Elsewhere, he explores how the 19th-century trade in cormorants' droppings (guano) for use as fertilizer transformed European agriculture, and how Chinese ruler Mao Zedong's attempts to eradicate tree sparrows, reviled for eating from seed and grain harvests at a time of famine, backfired after locusts flourished in the absence of their natural predator and decimated the country's rice harvests in 1959. The blend of history and science highlights the deep connections between humans and the natural world, and the cultural insights enlighten ("One of the reasons eagles were originally chosen as symbols of power... was their wild nature and their unwillingness to be subservient to us humans"). This flies high. (Sept.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Prolific British nature writer/environmentalist/broadcaster/producer Moss (Dynasties: Painted Wolves) highlights 10 bird species that he says have changed human history. Noting each type of bird's relationship to people, the book says that many species around the world are in decline. Ravens are described as scavengers that are viewed as enigmatic messengers. Pigeons (doves) have long been domesticated for food and carrying messages or contraband; guano from cormorants was the first industrial-scale fertilizer. Intensive poultry rearing brings up the issue of avian suffering and abuse. The dodo of Mauritius has become an icon of extinction, killed off by the effects of European settlement; many other flightless bird species are endangered, but there are only belated human efforts to eradicate invasive rats and mice on that threaten them; the massacre of snowy egrets was the result of a fashion trend for plumage. Bald eagles were widely shot for being livestock predators, then decimated by DDT exposure. Today, melting sea ice poses a threat to emperor penguins, unless more people are willing to seriously counter climate change. Illustrated with engravings. VERDICT This well-crafted book expertly highlights global societies' treatment of birds, and it's not a flattering story.--David R. Conn
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An exploration of the deep and complex relationship between birds and human beings. Moss, a British nature writer, broadcaster, and environmentalist who has written more than 40 books and field guides, is an ideal guide to this in-depth look at 10 consequential species and the threats to their continued survival. Spoiler alert: The world-changing birds are the raven, pigeon, wild turkey, dodo, Darwin's finch, guanay cormorant, snowy egret, bald eagle, tree sparrow, and emperor penguin. The contributions of some of these birds are immediately apparent--e.g., carrier pigeons could bring messages from the front lines of battles and wars, changing the course of the conflicts. The historical roles of other birds are more obscure. The snowy egret, prized for its long, feathery aigrettes, was driven to the brink of extinction by the plumage trade, but this led to the first bird protection laws. Moss is good at sorting out the myths from the realities of these birds' places in history. Darwin's finches, for example, were not actually the inspiration for his theory of evolution by natural selection but are still one of the best demonstrations of its veracity. The author also takes note of the prominent places these birds hold in mythology and literature, such as Poe's "The Raven," but his larger theme is the threat of extinction that hovers over so many species today. As such, the centerpiece of his avian collection is the dodo, which has transitioned from a real bird to "the global icon of extinction." Its disappearance 300 years ago first suggested to the Western mind that a species could go extinct. The author's thorough and well-argued book brings urgent attention to all the species that now face oblivion due to the global climate crisis. Heidaripour's illustrations complement the engaging, sobering analysis. Take a fascinating flight into human history on the wings of 10 important bird species. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
