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

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

Uncover the life of starlings through this beautiful guide to these majestic and gregarious birds from the bestselling author of The Owl, The Robin, The Wren, and The Swan.
Even with its exquisite iridescent plumage and magical gift to mimic both human and natural sounds, this common garden bird can often be overlooked. But as they unite in their thousands to display their unique ability to perform dazzling aerial manoeuvres known as murmurations, starlings are nothing short of breathtaking. This is the captivating story of how starlings have shaped our world, from influencing agriculture and inspiring musicians such as Mozart and writers such as Shakespeare, to their impact as an invasive species in North America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
With beautiful illustrations throughout, and an expert guide to the most magnificent murmurations in the UK, this eye-opening biography reveals the hidden secrets of one of our most talented and luminous birds.

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.

Reviews
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 *



Book Information
ISBN 9781529908282
Author Stephen Moss
Format Hardback
Page Count 208
Imprint Square Peg
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 443g
Dimensions(mm) 206mm * 138mm * 24mm