Skip to main content
Charles Darwin's life with birds

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Publication Year: 2016

Binding: Hardback

Page Count: 517

ISBN Number: 9780190240233

Price: £ 45.99

Charles Darwin's Life with Birds: His Complete Ornithology

There are numerous titles ending in ‘ist’ that could be used to describe Charles Darwin; as Clifford Frith notes, he was a ‘biologist, zoologist, entomologist, botanist, geologist, volcanologist, anthropologist, ethologist and more’. Whilst there have been many publications written about Charles Darwin that cover a good many of these topics and more besides, this book concentrates purely on Charles Darwin the ‘ornithologist’. The most obvious, and most famous, association between Darwin and birds are the Galapagos finches (now widely known as Darwin’s finches). Although ornithology was by no means Darwin’s primary interest, these little birds are merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of Darwin’s ornithological studies.

In this meticulously researched book, Clifford Frith presents a ‘review, assessment and discussion of Darwin’s entire published ornithology…in respect to every bird species and ornithological topic or consideration published by Charles Darwin’. If this sounds like a daunting task, that’s because it is; in his publications, Darwin referred to over 600 bird species and over 100 ornithological topics. The book is written chronologically, according to the date in which the works being discussed were written or published.

Following Darwin from being merely a bird watcher in his youth, through his almost five-year journey aboard HMS Beagle, to his life and studies back in England not only helps to chart Darwin’s thought processes about topics such as sexual selection but also tracks his progression as an ornithologist. The book also debunks some well-established myths about Darwin. For example, according to Frith, it is untrue that Darwin understood the significance of the restricted island distribution of the different Galapagos finches (which aren’t actually finches, but tanagers) whilst he was on the Galapagos (as is widely believed today); this realisation actually came much later when Darwin was back in England.

An incredibly detailed, 150 page appendix lists every ornithological reference in Darwin’s publications. Appendix 2 lists all birds named after Darwin whilst appendix 3 lists the birds collected by Darwin on the Beagle, stating when and where they were collected as well as their current location, if known. All together these form an incredibly useful resource for anyone studying, or merely interested in, Darwin’s ornithological work. The book also discusses Darwin’s connection to other eminent ornithologists of the time, including John Gould, and the final appendix addresses recent claims that some of John Gould’s work was published as propaganda against Darwin’s theories on the origin of species.

For anyone interested in Darwin, birds, or the history of ornithology, this book is not just a reference but a fascinating read. Although detailed, it is very readable, interesting and insightful about not only the work of Charles Darwin, but also the ‘modest’ ornithologist himself. 

Book reviewed by Ruth Walker

buy this book

Related content