The Twelve Birds of Christmas

"On the first day of Christmas, Derek Mooney gave to me

A fascinating documentary!"

Here at Mooney Goes Wild we have a strong tradition of yuletide documentaries to mark the festive season, and this year is no exception. Here in Ireland, one of our favourite Christmas songs is The Twelve Days of Christmas. We all know it well, but have you ever stopped to wonder just why it is so bird-heavy?

Of the twelve different gifts given to the writer by their "true love", no fewer than six are kinds of bird: namely the seven swans-a-swimming, the six geese a laying, the four calling birds, the three French hens, the two Turtle Dove and – who could forget? – the famous partridge in a pear tree.

With this in mind, we thought that it might be fun to make a special programme all about these six birds, along with some more which are suggested by the other gifts in the song. Indeed, as we shall here, there is a theory that all twelve of the different gifts listed in the song actually refer to birds . . . The Twelve Birds of Christmas.

In this special festive programme, Derek Mooney and Niall Hatch, along with expert contributors, discuss the various birds mentioned in the song, as well as the French origins of the composition, the suitability or otherwise of the creatures as gifts, why on earth a ground-dwelling partridge would be in a pear tree and even whether the song qualifies as a Christmas carol or not.

For more information about the Grey Partridge, visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/grey-partridge/

For more information about the Turtle Dove, visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/turtle-dove/

For more information about the Red-legged Partridge (which is the original "French hen"), visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/red-legged-partridge/

For more information about the Blackbird (the original "calling bird" or, more correctly, "colly bird"), visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/blackbird/

For more information about the Greylag Goose, visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/greylag-goose/

For more information about the Mute Swan, visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/mute-swan/

For more information about the book The Twelve Birds of Christmas by Stephen Moss, which is featured in this programme, visit https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/439841/the-twelve-birds-of-christmas-by-stephen-moss/9781529110104