Language & Birds

Tuesday, December 06, 2022 | 12:00 p.m.

From the cuckoo to the bananaquit, the names we give birds are some of the most vivid and evocative words in the English language. They can carry whole stories — of arctic expeditions, pitched battles between rival ornithologists or touching romantic gestures. When he set out to write a book about bird names, naturalist and author Stephen Moss discovered his love of birds and his love of language overlapped more than he ever imagined. Join us for a lively conversation about etymology, history, science, ego, culture, and tradition, and how they all come together in the names of birds.

Moss’s book, Mrs. Moreau’s Warbler, is available to purchase through our Bookshop.org storefront.

Language & is made possible by the generous support of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation.