The origins of the song The Twelve Days of Christmas is unknown, and there’s a possibility it was mistranslated. This is the basis for Stephen Moss’s idea that the twelve days relate to twelve birds.
From this he goes on to delve into a description of each bird, their habitats and history, and ecological status. I never really realised how much of a problem bird shooting was (through ignorance or lack of knowledge) until my boyfriend described it to me. This book just hammers home that whole species have been decimated by the practice.
Anyway, the books is fascinating if like me you know little about birds and want to know more. It contains fabulous illustrations from historical books on birds. Festive and educational!