The Twelve Birds of Christmas by Stephen Moss

The Twelve Birds of Christmas by Stephen Moss

Naturalist Stephen Moss digs beneath the surface of some of our most popular Christmas carols in an ornithological celebration of the Festive Season.

Using the structure of the carol as a jumping off point, he explores the place of twelve fascinating British birds in our history, culture and landscape. Some of the birds are obvious, there's the swan and of course the partridge. Other chapters are loose interpretations of a verse: for drummers drumming he delves into the woodpecker's distinctive drumming tap. Woodpeckers, he explains, have special padded skulls to mitigate against using its head like hammer drills. They carefully select dead trees for the most hollow, sonorous sound.

With brilliant anecdotes and insights, Stephen Moss weaves history, culture, bird behaviour and folklore into a compelling narrative for each species, tracing its fortunes over the past two centuries.

'A superb naturalist and writer' Chris Packham author of Finger in the Sparkle Jar

'Moss has carved out an enviable niche as a chronicler of the natural world' Daily Mail

A compelling narrative for each species, tracing its fortunes over the past two centuries * The Week *
[A] delightful book… [and] a seasonal treat * People's Friend Special Series *

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. His books include The Owl, The Wren, The Robin, The Twelve Birds of Christmas, The Swallow and The Swan. He is the outgoing President of the Somerset Wildlife Trust and a Visting Research Fellow at Bath Spa University. Originally from London, he now lives with his wife and children on the Somerset Levels.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781529110104
ISBN 10	1529110106
Title	The Twelve Birds of Christmas
Author	Stephen Moss
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Vintage Publishing
Year published	2019-10-31
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.