Bar talk with Stephen Moss – The Starling: A Biography

Join us for a bar talk about Stephen Moss’ new book The Starling, following on from his best selling biographies of other famous birds, to discover more about this fascinating bird and how it has influenced the world around us.

Numbers are limited, so we ask that you prebook your free ticket via the link below.

Wednesday 13th November, 9 – 10am, Roth Bar

The Starling

Discover the fascinating lives of some of the most brilliant musical minds and master choreographers in the avian world.

Even with its beautiful iridescent plumage and magical gift to mimic both human and natural sounds, this common garden bird can often be overlooked. But as they come together 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.

Stephen Moss

Stephen Moss is one of Britain’s leading nature writers and broadcasters. Now based in Somerset, he was born in London, and read English at Cambridge before joining the BBC.

His TV credits include the BAFTA award-winning Springwatch, The Nature of Britain and Birds Britannia, while his books include ‘biographies’ of the Robin, Wren, Swallow, Swan, and Owl, and Ten Birds that Changed the World. His latest book, The Starling: a Biography, is published in October 2024.

He writes a monthly ‘Birdwatch’ column for the Guardian, and is President of the Somerset Wildlife Trust.

After leading the MA Nature & Travel Writing at Bath Spa University, he is now a Visiting Research Fellow there, and also a Special Visiting Professor at the University of Nottingham.

He currently works as the Global Consultant for Netvue Technologies Ltd, a company making bird feeder cameras and other related products.

A lifelong naturalist, Stephen has travelled to all seven of the world’s continents in search of wildlife.