Spellbinding new book from winning duo Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris

Here at the RSPB, we know the power of a great nature book: it can be a companion, helping you to discover wonder in the everyday. Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris’s The Lost Words did just that, and to critical acclaim. Written and illustrated to defend ‘wild childhoods’, their first book is a protest against the disappearance of words like ‘Otter’ and ‘acorn’ from children’s dictionaries and has been loved by both adults and children alike.

In their new The Book of Birds: a Field Guide to Wonder and Loss, the best-selling author and illustrator duo turn their attention to another worrying disappearance: the UK’s bird species. Through spellbinding illustrations and lyrical storytelling, it’s a reimagination of the traditional nature handbook, shining a spotlight on 49 threatened birds.

We’re delighted to share some of Jackie’s beautiful illustrations with you in this article.  

The Book of Birds gives a voice to the 49 threatened birds: ‘who’ they are, how they connect to humans, the challenges they face and what their loss means. This is a story that we know all too well.

Over 50% of bird species worldwide are in decline, and one in six species are at risk of extinction from the UK. Unless things change, illustrations in a field guide might be the closest encounter the next generation ever have with some of our much-loved species.

At the RSPB, our members, our volunteers and our campaigners have taken their sense of wonder and turned it into action. Ever since we began in 1889, they’ve been at the forefront of our work to save bird species from extinction – and that’s still at the heart of what we do.

Using our world-leading scientific research, we investigate which species need help most. Then, we identify which conservation approaches are best to take – whether that’s on-the-ground conservation, advising others or campaigning for policy change – and test those solutions. It’s an approach that’s helped some of the UK’s most iconic species to bounce back.

In 1997, only 11 males Bitterns boomed around the UK. These elusive herons, with their perfect camouflage allowing them to disappear into reedbeds, were actually disappearing entirely from our shores. Large-scale drainage of wetlands to improve the UK’s agricultural productivity pushed this bird to the brink. Thanks to our members, we were able to purchase our early nature reserves and bring reedbeds back. Our volunteers have been and still are essential in creating and maintaining those reedbeds. Now, 283 Bitterns boom in wetlands across England and Wales.

Adopted as the RSPB’s logo in the 1970s, Avocets are a symbol of hope and action. From UK extinction in the 1930s, they now breed on nature reserves all the way from RSPB Minsmere to RSPB Leighton Moss.

Meanwhile, White-tailed Eagles, once absent due to persecution, have made a remarkable return. Thanks to a reintroduction project led by the RSPB and Scottish Natural Heritage, White-tailed Eagles returned to Scotland’s skies in 1975 – and they have since returned to England’s.

This crucial work to save bird species continues.  

For many birds, including Curlews, Lapwings and Turtle Doves, we need nature to be at the heart of the way we produce our food. Many incredible farmers and crofters are already showing us the way, but for nature-friendly farming to happen at the scale and pace nature needs, it relies on government funding. That’s why, alongside our supporters, we’re campaigning to ensure targeted funding serves species and farmers alike. 

Meanwhile, our precious seabirds are under threat. Last year, we celebrated a win made possible thanks to supporters and campaigners, as the Government introduced the closure of industrial sandeel fishing in English waters of the North Sea and all Scottish waters. The protection of this critical food source was a lifeline for birds like Puffins, but there’s still more to be done. We continue to advocate for their breeding colonies to be safeguarded and offshore wind to be developed in the right way, at the right place.

Like Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, we know that inspiring people to care about nature is key to rewriting the fate of our threatened species. And it’s why we’ve developed a free schools resource pack to help bring the accompanying book, An Explorers Guide to The Book of Birds, to life for pupils of all ages.

We are sure that The Book of Birds will fly to the top of the charts and will continue to raise awareness of the plight of UK nature – birds and beyond. Together, through science, habitat restoration and campaigning, we can meet their rallying cry – there’s still time to reverse these declines.

Great things happen when we work together. Across the UK, RSPB volunteers are helping to save some of our most vulnerable species. Many are part of the Species Volunteer Network, a people-powered movement of more than 800 volunteers who help protect birds like Swifts, Curlews and Little Terns.

Take a look to see how you could be part of something special.