The Starling - by Stephen Moss (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Following his bestselling biographies of some of our favorite birds, including The Robin, The Wren and The Owl - author and naturalist Stephen Moss now turns his attention to an incredible bird that lives on nearly every continent and, despite seeming plain at first glance, takes our breath away when they take to the skies in huge flocks - the Starling.

Though it is easy to overlook a solitary starling, even with its beautiful iridescent plumage, when they come together in the thousands they take to the skies in awe-inspiring swooping flocks called murmurations. Starlings live almost all over the world - they're are common bird throughout Europe and the Palearctic to western Mongolia, and are recent residents of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, South Africa and Fiji, migrating seasonally as far North as Scandinavia. Discover how their love of fruit gets them into trouble, how they can help farmers by eating insects, how their skill for mimicry has inspired centuries of folklore and how they were brought to new continents by one man's passion for Shakespeare.

Review Quotes

Stephen Moss delights once more - lyrical and informative by turns, he conjures - with breathless eloquence - another feathered beauty of our skies.--Benedict Allen, author of 'Explorer' and 'Into the Abyss'

A murmuration of starlings is a wonder of the natural world, one of my highlights of the year. I love the way Stephen Moss writes about this fascinating bird in the engaging way he does in all his biographies.--Martha Kearney

An engrossing compilation of ornithological tidbits, cultural anecdotes, literary quotes and well chosen historical artwork--BBC Wildlife, *Books of the Year*

As I finished reading this wonderful book, I found myself more convinced than ever that the starling is a favourite bird - not least because it mirrors something of us: fallen, certainly, but capable of glimpses of a prelapsarian state--Church Times

About the Author

STEPHEN MOSS is a naturalist, author and broadcaster. In a distinguished career at the BBC Natural History Unit his credits included Springwatch, Birds Britannia and The Nature of Britain. He is the president of the Somerset Wildlife Trust and a senior lecturer in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Originally from London, he now lives with his wife and children on the Somerset Levels. His books include The Robin, The Wren, The Twelve Birds of Christmas, The Swallow, The Swan and The Owl.