Book Summary: Ten Birds That Changed the World
Ten Birds That Changed The World by Stephen Moss
Book Summary
Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?
Sir David Attenborough
Ten Birds That Changed The World tells the story of our long and eventful relationship with birds. Humans have used birds for food, fertilizer, fun, and fighting. Their songs have touched us. Their ability to fly awed us and led us to dream. Birds are rich with meaning.
Stephen Moss, the author of over forty books and guides, has selected ten birds that provide a diverse sample of how our avian friends played an important role in human history. The ten birds are the raven, pigeon, wild turkey, dodo, Darwin’s finches, cormorant, snowy egret, bald eagle, tree sparrow, and emperor penguin. The history spans from Noah’s Ark to the 21st Century.
The raven played a significant role in the myths of ancient cultures. Noah released one along with a dove to determine if it was safe to land. Turkeys became a cultural icon, the family dinner for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Cormorants provided guano (bird poop) that served as fertilizer. Emperor penguins teach us about the dangers of global warming.
Each chapter provides a fascinating account. We learn about the birds as well as how humans interacted with them. The book is a mixture of zoology, history, and a touch of philosophy. Stephen Moss uses our relationship with birds to teach us about ourselves.
The book ends with a warning about global warming. Our history with birds underlines the importance of careful stewardship of the environment. The world continues to change. Not always for the better. Check out this book to help understand all about this. Chirp chirp!
Why I Liked This Book
Stephen Moss combines science, history, and advocacy. He does this by using ten nifty case studies filled with fascinating details. They span the seven (or eight!) continents.
Moss does this by combining a down-to-earth and engaging writing style. He brings decades of experience as a leading British nature writer, broadcaster, and environmentalist. Moss knows his stuff. Detailed end notes also show he did a lot of research.
Each chapter, which serves as an independent case study, provides basic descriptions of the bird’s appearance, life, and times. Then, the chapter explains how the birds played a role in our lives and history. The reader should not expect a comprehensive study of each bird.
Each section begins with a picture of the bird and an introductory vignette. The book does not contain color photos of the birds or maps of the diverse environs discussed. Moss provides enough details and clarity that this is a minor gripe. Nonetheless, they would have helped.
I am a fan of footnotes and end notes. The book includes footnotes, which provide asides throughout. You know who you are that likes that.
Mistaken History
One British fabulist wrote “Just So” stories that told entertaining fables about why things happened. Unfortunately, historical accounts over time can have this character.
For instance, Stephen Moss refutes the belief that Charles Darwin had an eureka movement involving evolution and natural selection when he observed very similar finches had different beaks adapted to their food supply. “Darwin’s finches” are an excellent example of natural selection. Nonetheless, Darwin did not give them too much significance.
Moss provides information on how other scientists learned about and studied these questions. Good history refutes falsehoods and teaches us the truth of the matter.
Chairman Mao vs. the Tree Sparrow
Mao Zedong, the absolute ruler of Communist China, promoted a political and social crusade known as the Great Leap Forward. The crusade shows the tragic consequences of extremism, including the deaths of millions of people. Fewer people know about the sparrows.
Mao believed that the “four pests” (mosquitoes, flies, rodents, and sparrows) were enemies of the state. Tree sparrows eat grain. Grain that would otherwise feed the Chinese people. Therefore, it was the duty of everyone to kill as many sparrows as possible.
An esteemed Chinese ornithologist discovered that there was a flaw in this plan. The sparrows spend a significant amount of time eating insects. If you kill the sparrows, the insects will threaten your crops. The authorities punished him for using logic to challenge Dear Leader.
In time, the authorities ended the campaign. They probably were influenced by science but refused to admit to being so. If they did so, the people might begin to distrust their leaders.
Stop That Pigeon!
When I was growing up, there was an amusing cartoon about Dick Dastardly and Muttley (his sniveling dog) trying to stop a messenger pigeon during World War I. The cartoon relied on the fantastic homing ability of pigeons. My dad raced pigeons based on the same ability.
Pigeons from ancient times were essential tools during wartime. Julius Caesar used them to send messages between different parts of his army. Parisian citizens trapped by a siege used pigeons to carry messages in and out of the capital. Pigeons brought intel out of Nazi Germany.
Animals such as dogs, oxen, horses, and cats (to fight rats) have provided essential services to human civilization. Pigeons have also provided a prime resource.
The Dark Side Of the Bald Eagle
Eagles are a widely admired symbol of authority. The bald eagle (not bald; it’s a white patch) is our (basically) national bird. The Mexican flag has an eagle. It was the standard of the Ancient Roman Army. The book lists many more examples.
The eagle has a dark side. Benjamin Franklin once wrote that he favored the turkey as the national bird. Franklin argued the eagle was a scavenger. Eagles stole the food of other animals. Franklin might have had his tongue firmly in his cheek. Nonetheless, he had a point.
The Romans united under the standard of an eagle to terrorize their opponents. Nazis used a black eagle. The eagle faced right (toward Soviet Russia). The U.S. eagle faces left.
When Donald Trump adopted the black eagle as a symbol, his eagle faced right. Experts convincingly noted that it was a racist, anti-semitic dog whistle.
Canaries In The Coal Mine
A different type of dark side arose when human development threatened the bald eagle.
Humans threaten the habitats of animals, including by competing with them for food. Chemical pesticides, including DDT, are a fatal threat to bird life. Global warming also is a grave danger.
Bald eagles recently have been in good shape. Threats remain. Other birds are much more endangered, including the wondrous emperor penguin, which survives frigid Antarctica. They require thick ice for successful breeding. Global warming threatens their survival.
Stephen Moss examines various threats to bird life. Moss argues they are a type of “canary in the coal mine,” the proverbial warning to humans of danger ahead.
Birds not only serve many functions, including as wondrous creatures. Birds are part of a wider biodiversity necessary for a healthy environment. Harm to birds is a warning sign of difficulties likely to affect humans. Check out this book for this and other lessons birds can teach us.
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