“Mrs Moreau’s Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names” by Stephen Moss

Main Index / Reviews Index / Nonfiction Reviews Index / 2026 Reviews Index

Rating: 4/5 Stars.

A fascinating book about the etymology, or the history of the (common) names of birds. The author begins the book with what started his obsession with birds and bird names: seeing the name of a bird named Mrs. Moreau’s Warbler. The book ends with his journey to see Mrs. Moreau’s Warbler. Along the way, he traces how birds got their names in the past and in the present.

Many of the birds and names traced by the author are British birds, but this is understandable, from a historical perspective, as many bird names are in English, and the practice of finding and naming birds in the past was mainly a European (and English) pastime. Collecting birds (in the past) and bird watching (and birding) also got their start in the UK.

The author starts with birds who have been named long ago in the past. These are the birds whose name come from Old English or other languages used at the time like cuckoo, gannet and goose. The Norman Invasion would cause a split in the naming of birds, with birds favoured by the nobility (the conquerors) getting continental names, displacing the older names.

As travelling became more popular (and easier), confusion arose over the many different local names for the same birds. Books and guides start to try to provide (or impose) a single name for each type of bird. The scientific (binomial name) system was also introduced by Carl Linnaeus to give each bird a unique name that anybody can refer to.

As more and more birds were identified and given names, a way to organise them became necessary by grouping them together (land birds, seabirds, and so on), and not everybody agreed on the organising methods. Exploration would also reveal many new birds in far away lands like the Americas or Australia, leading to yet more names.

In an effort to bring some order to the naming of birds, authors proposed various systems based on location, colour, etc. Eventually, global bird organisations would impose ways to name birds. Some attempts would also be made to rename the name of old birds, but this would sometimes face opposition for groups who prefer the names as they are. Today, the naming and organising of birds still goes on. Modern day advances, like genetics, and simple good observation, have revealed new birds sometimes hiding with common ones.

An interesting book for those who are fascinated by the history of how birds got their names.

Book read from 2026/07/27 to 2026/07/31.