The Meaning of Birds

October 15, 2017
Glowing praise for birds from the prolific nature writer and novelist, who is filled with great affection and admiration for our feathered friends. Former Times (London) chief sportswriter Barnes (Ten Million Aliens: A Journey Through the Entire Animal Kingdom, 2013, etc.) writes that these gravity-defying winged creatures of flight are what we humans want to be. Besides delighting our eyes and ears, they help to give meaning to our lives. "Birds," he writes, "more than any other group of living things, draw us into the world beyond humanity." They teach us not just about flight ("flight envy is part of the human condition"), but also about color (feathers), music (songs), time and place (annual migrations), and killing and death (raptors). They pervade our myths and stories as powerful symbols (the eagle, the dove), and they have long provided us with sustenance. Chickens, writes our knowledgeable, eloquent, and opinionated guide, tell the story of mankind, from the beginnings of civilization to the gruesome technology used by the fast-food industry. Throughout, beautiful black-and-white illustrations, many taken from a variety of 19th-century sources, complement the author's witty, conversational prose. Besides arguing that birds have helped us understand our lives and our world--e.g., the birds that clued Charles Darwin in to the idea that species could alter; new migration patterns that demonstrate climate change--Barnes writes with urgency that birds need us more than ever. In the final chapters, the author discusses extinctions and near extinctions and threatened bird populations that have been rescued by human actions. Yes, writes Barnes, birds need people, but people need birds, too. Previously published in England, the book may have greater resonance with those more familiar with the birds, organizations, and conservation efforts there, but the core message of this delightful book will appeal to birders everywhere.

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Starred review from November 6, 2017
British novelist and nature writer Barnes (How to Be a Bad Birdwatcher) infuses this playful, conversational exploration of the relationship of birds to humanity with a sense of well-informed wonder. He demonstrates patient attention to the world around him, combining thoughtful scholarship with a skill for conveying particulars in accessible language. At the book’s core is Barnes’s belief that “you impoverish yourself if you accept only science, just as you impoverish yourself—perhaps more greatly—by ignoring science.” Barnes covers a mix of bird-watching topics, including song and coloration; functional topics in human-bird interaction, such as the development of falconry; and more metaphorical topics, including musings on birds as symbol or as markers of time and place. He also ably shares personal experiences without moving the lens too far from plumage
to person. Barnes doesn’t present any individual profiles, seeing fellow bird watchers as a collective even while thinking of songbirds as unique personalities. Chapters about extinction, conservation, and species diversity express a mix of optimism and pessimism, but Barnes’s mood remains one of profound, though not overbearing, appreciation for his avian cotravelers. Line drawings from 19th-century birding guides give this book a contemplative feel. This is a generous volume in which Barnes unabashedly shares his affinity for “anyone with birding in the blood.” Illus.