The Story of Birds is just that – a chronological pass through the evolutionary history of birds – from their origins in the Jurassic, their diversification in the Cretaceous and explosion in the Tertiary. If The Story of Birds was a BTO Strategy Action Area, it would certainly be ‘Charting Change’. 

Steve Brusatte is presently one of the foremost palaeontologists working in the UK and has a skill in making this subject exciting and engaging. And he has history; this is the third in a series of books – all in a similar format – looking at the evolutionary history of a vertebrate group. First it was Dinosaurs (Brusatte’s particular area of expertise), then Mammals and now Birds. 

Whilst Dinosaurs and Birds being in separate books might give the impression that these are entirely separate groups, the central tenet and opening chapters of the book dispel any doubts you might have. Brusatte makes it abundantly clear that ‘Birds are dinosaurs’. That Blackbird pulling up worms in the park is the descendent of small, feathered Theropod dinosaurs. Indeed, and as an example of the personal and warm nature of Brusatte’s writing where stories of friends, colleagues and family are woven in throughout, Brusatte’s young son – when asked “what is your favourite dinosaur?” – replies “a penguin”. He has been well trained. 

And well trained you will feel when you read this book. After ‘Birds are dinosaurs’, one is taken through the origins of flight (chapter 2), the earliest bird groups (including the wonderfully named ‘Confusiornithids – chapter 3). Chapter 4 deals with the explosion of bird diversity and Chapters 7 and 8 – arguably the best – cover some truly remarkable birds; three metre tall, 700 kg ‘Demon Ducks’ and seabirds with a seven-metre wingspan and ‘false teeth’ just scratch the surface. The book ends with a nod to the troubled present (including BTO datasets) and a look to the future. 

There is little not to like about this book. It is meticulously researched, and anyone tempted to skip the ‘Notes’ section should think again – therein you will find the most up to date sources at the cutting edge of the subject. One small gripe I have surrounds the use of images. For a subject that is as much about relatedness as it is about the origin of bird-defining features, there is just one drawing of a family tree or ‘phylogeny’. The book could also have benefited from some high-quality colour plates, particularly given how some of the figures are some of the most important fossils ever discovered (the ‘Berlin specimen’ of Archaeopteryx no less). But perhaps this is a case of “ain’t broke, don’t fix it” – Brusatte’s other two books in the series do the same. 

On the subject of “ain’t broke”, the author is from Illinois, USA, and the language used is unashamedly American. If you don’t like your birds to be “awesome” and the evidence to be a “slam dunk”, then you might find this book a little grating. But if you can put that aside, you will be in for a real treat. As a former/failed palaeobiologist myself, I was really looking forward to reading The Story of Birds and it certainly didn’t disappoint. So much so, I have already started on another of Brusatte’s books: The Rise and Reign of the Mammals.

Reviewed by

James Heywood