When There Were Birds: The forgotten history of our connections

By Roy Adkins (Author) , Lesley Adkins (Author)
Format: Paperback / softback 496 pages, 20 b/w pictures.
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Imprint: Abacus
ISBN: 9780349144474
Published: 30 Mar 2023
Weight: 418g
Dimensions: 127 x 198 x 35 (mm)

A landmark book that charts humanity's changing relationship with birds - from the ancient Egyptians to the twenty-first century.

No other group of animals has had such a complex and lengthy relationship with humankind as birds. They have been kept in cages as pets, taught to speak and displayed as trophies. More practically, they have been used to tell the time, predict the weather, foretell marriages, provide unlikely cures for ailments, convey messages and warn of poisonous gases.

When There Were Birds is a social history of Britain that charts the complex connections between people and birds, set against a background of changes in the landscape and evolving tastes, beliefs and behaviours. It draws together many disparate, forgotten strands to present a story that is an intriguing and unexpectedly significant part of our heritage.