Is Bonaparte's Gull named after Napoleon Bonaparte? Is the Pallas' Sandgrouse named for the same individual as the Pallas' Warbler? This entertaining book provides for the first time a mini-biography of every person after whom a bird has been named in the English vernacular---some 1,400 individuals. Featuring 150 illustrations, Whose Bird? is arranged in the style of an encyclopedia with entries indexed both by relevant individual and by bird. The book concentrates on the people---heroes, romantics, fanatics, and many others. Entries explain who the people were, when and where they traveled, what else they did and were famous for, with whom they were connected, what they wrote and published, and how birds came to be named after them. Filled with fascinating stories about the lives and times of naturalists over the centuries, this accessible reference volume will intrigue readers at every level of interest in ornithology.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Something of interest and value for anyone who enjoys birds."
From the Publisher
A copublication with Christopher Helm/ A & C Black
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Reference,
By
This review is from: Whose Bird?: Common Bird Names and the People They Commemorate (Paperback)
If your a birdwatcher, natural science historian, or just someone who's wondered about those whose names are immortalized in the common names of birds, WHOSE BIRD? will provide a lot of answers. The authors provide brief biographies of 1124 people associated with bird names. Many of those names are no longer current (e.g., Grinnell's Chickadee is now known as Mountain Chickadee), but it's still interesting to learn something of Grinnell and see a list of the birds baring his name.Biographies range from a single sentence to more than a page, with most approximately a paragraph long. In addition are sidebars scattered throughout the book on such subjects as Nationalities (how many birds are named for citizens of Denmark/England/India etc.); Shot (a discussion of the number of ornithologists/collectors who met their demise as a result of gunshot wounds); and Aristocrats (which birds were named for the aristocracy, and why). Black and white reproductions of photos and paintings depicting those described pepper the text. It's obvious that the publisher's goal was to limit the number of pages, with the unfortunate result of small type, overly long line lengths, and thin margins. Book design is usually easy to ignore, but the poor design exhibited here seriously detracts from an otherwise interesting and valuable reference. That complaint aside, I would not hesitate to recommend this work to anyone with an interest in birds or the history of natural science.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Providing in effect a mini-biography of every person,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Whose Bird?: Common Bird Names and the People They Commemorate (Paperback)
Beo Beolens and Michael Watkins' Whose Bird? surveys common bird names and the people they commemorate, providing in effect a mini-biography of every person after whom a bird has been named in English. Add over a hundred illustrations to an encyclopedia with entries by bird and individual and you have a scientific reference which is also easily accessed by lay readers.
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The project that led to the compilation of this book started off as a bit of fun. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, New Guinea, New Zealand, British Museum, South America, National Museum, South Africa, Weaver Ploceus, New York, Sunbird Nectarinia, East Africa, Smithsonian Institution, Zoological Museum, Zoological Society of London, North America, East India Company, East Indies, Costa Rica, Linnean Society, Laughing-thrush Garrulax, British Natural History Museum, Des Murs, Hermit Phaethornis, Rock Ptarmigan, West Africa New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The project that led to the compilation of this book started off as a bit of fun. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, New Guinea, New Zealand, British Museum, South America, National Museum, South Africa, Weaver Ploceus, New York, Sunbird Nectarinia, East Africa, Smithsonian Institution, Zoological Museum, Zoological Society of London, North America, East India Company, East Indies, Costa Rica, Linnean Society, Laughing-thrush Garrulax, British Natural History Museum, Des Murs, Hermit Phaethornis, Rock Ptarmigan, West Africa New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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