Great Auk

Tim Birkhead FRS is an author and biologist. Emeritus Professor of Behaviour and Evolution at the University of Sheffield, he is one of the world’s foremost ornithologists, and a leading light in popular science communication. Tim is best known for his work on the mating systems of birds, on sperm competition, and on the history of ornithology. He has also led one of the world’s best-known long-term research projects, studying the biology and population dynamics of Britain’s auks and other seabirds.Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2004, Tim’s awards include the Elliot Coues Medal for outstanding contributions to ornithological research, the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour medal, the BOU’s Godman-Salvin Medal for distinguished ornithological work, and the Stephen Jay Gould Prize and Zoological Society of London’s Silver Medal, both for science communication.Tim’s previous books include four popular science titles published by Bloomsbury – The Wisdom of Birds (2008), Bird Sense (2012), The Most Perfect Thing (2017) and The Wonderful Mr Willughby (2018).

Mesmerising ... There’s something endlessly pleasurable in listening to a person talk about a subject on which they’re both an enthusiast and an authority, and Tim Birkhead has both qualities in abundance.