If you love birds and they are an important part of your daily experience then read on. This website and blog are dedicated to an exciting and important new book project . Birds and People is a radically different book about birds, exploring not just their natural history, but their cultural significance to human societies.

Birds and People is a unique kind of book because it solicits contributions from anyone. So far over 200 people from 35 countries around the world have submitted stories and reflections. On its completion Birds and People will be a major record on the innumerable connections between humankind and birds. In total it will tell the story of a singular and universal relationship.

Meet The Team

Birds and People is a collaboration between British author Mark Cocker and acclaimed wildlife photographer David Tipling. They are supported by the eminent author and research fellow Jonathan Elphick.

 More

Get Involved with Birds and People

Book

This is a unique form of ornithological work, because it is as much about ourselves and our responses to birds, as it is about the birds themselves. A special characteristic is its inclusion of hundreds, hopefully thousands, of written contributions from people right around the world.  Anyone can contribute. So be a part of Birds and People.

How You Can Contribute to Birds and People

You can contribute in three ways:

· Send your stories by e-mail

· Send you stories  by surface post to the project at: Birds and People, C/o Random House, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 2SA, UK

· Join the Blog

After five years of work Birds and People is a book closing in on completion. It has been an enormously challenging project but we have had a fabulous response from people all over the world. To date 380 individuals of 60 nationalities have submitted many thousands of contributions on the full spectrum of ways that birds and people interact. These participants include a huge cross section of humanity, from life-serving prisoners to internationally acclaimed, award-winning poets and novelists, from Mongolian eagle-hunters to Iranian schoolteachers, and from Maya to Maoris and Masai.

Click here for a selection of public contributions from people all over the world.

Well over half of the book has been written but we still welcome contributions. The following groups of birds are all in the process of being completed and we wish to hear from anyone who has stories on these particular bird families. If you are in any doubt or believe that your story should be included no matter whether we have finished the family account or not, then please contact Mark Cocker either at the Random House postal address (bottom left) or at the dedicated email address: markcocker@randomhouse.co.uk

Bird families with texts still to be finalised for Birds and People:

What is a Contribution to Birds and People?

In short anything that illuminates our wider relationship with birds. Most contributions are less than 300 words. They can be humorous, personal, technical or informal. They can describe how birds help define our sense of place, season and even ourselves. Your story may describe a personal favourite. It may describe how a song gives meaning to a place or a part of your life. It may be a piece of folklore or surviving belief. Many communities still fear owls or the cries of owls. In Central American children still hunt hummingbirds with catapults believing that to eat their hearts will make them brave and improve sight. At Christmas friends and family tug the turkey’s wishbone, hoping their wishes will come true. Birds are part of our language, giving us place names as well as sayings. 

Here is a sister volume.

Read More