The Kurdish Wheatear (Le Traquet kurde) by Jean Rolin is an impressive work. Published in January 2018, the book begins with the unexpected observation of the Kurdish wheatear (Oenanthe xanthoprymna) at the summit of Puy de Dome in France during the spring of 2015. This event profoundly affects the narrator – the bird is rarely seen in that part of the world – leading him on a journey to trace the story of this rare bird.
The story spans from the meadows of Hertfordshire in England to the mountains of northern Iraq. Along the way, the narrator recalls notable figures of the British Empire, such as T. E. Lawrence (popularly known as Lawrence of Arabia), St. John Philby (the father of spy Kim Philby), and explorer Wilfred Thesiger. Thus, the book merges ornithology, history, and geopolitics, offering a richly reflective narrative shaped by serendipity while exploring the author’s intellectual world.
Rolin’s vivid descriptive abilities powerfully draw readers into this extraordinary journey, presenting a multi-layered narrative based on birdwatching but enriched with profound historical, geographical, and political dimensions. The central premise of the novel is the observation of the Kurdish wheatear, typically native to Kurdish geography, on Puy de Dome. This remarkable incident transcends a mere ornithological discovery, enabling the author to construct a narrative enriched with field research into the bird’s natural habitat and historical inquiries.
The first dimension of the work focuses on the Kurdish wheatear’s biological and geographical context – that is, Eastern, Northern, and Western Kurdistan – which functions not only as the bird’s habitat, but also as a symbolic representation of the Kurdish geography. As the author examines the bird’s presence in these regions, he simultaneously asks questions about the region’s social and political structures. For instance, the author’s use of the term “Eastern Anatolia” instead of “Turkish Kurdistan” highlights the ongoing political debates over the nomenclature of the area.
The second dimension of the work interrogates the relationship between ornithology and colonialism. While examining British ornithological collections, the author adopts a critical perspective on how the British Empire reinforced its dominance through the study of birds. In this context, the acquisition of rare species like the Kurdish wheatear for scientific collections is portrayed not merely as a scientific endeavor, but as an epistemological tool of the colonial era. For instance, the fact that Iraq’s first British governor, Percy Cox, was an ornithologist, or that General Allenby engaged in birdwatching demonstrates how the collection and documentation of such species could also be read as a display of power.
Another noteworthy aspect of the work reevaluates the historical significance of ornithology through the roles of individual figures in the narrative. Characters such as Major Richard Meinertzhagen, who stood at the intersection of science and colonial representation, unveil the connection between ornithology and violence through colonialism. Meinertzhagen’s presence in the narrative highlights the intersection of science and power, while intersecting accounts of historical figures like Lawrence of Arabia reveal that ornithology was not merely a natural science, but also a colonial practice.
Le Traquet kurde uses the unexpected appearance of the Kurdish wheatear in France as a starting point to offer a multi-layered analysis integrating natural science, history, geography, and politics. The bird’s habitat, unique to Kurdish geography, becomes an allegory for the region’s cultural and political context, while the practice of ornithology is scrutinized at the crossroads of imperialism and scientific knowledge. In this sense, the work is not merely a story about birdwatching, but a multifaceted cultural and historical examination.
Elif Gun is a PhD student at National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations(Inalco), Partis.
