For the Birds (King short story)

"For the Birds" is a short story by Stephen King. It was originally published in 1986 as part of the short story collection Bred Any Good Rooks Lately?.

Plot summary

"For the Birds" is a one-page "science fiction joke". The story takes place in 1995, where pollution has resulted in the rooks that live in London dying off. Concerned that this will impact on tourism, the London City Council looks to source replacement rooks from a place with a similar climate until the pollution problem can be resolved. The Council appoints an ornithologist and sends him to Bangor, Maine where he begins incubating rooks. Impatient to see progress, the Council sends the ornithologist a daily telegram reading "Bred any good rooks lately?"

Publication

"For the Birds" was originally published in 1986 as part of Bred Any Good Rooks Lately?, a collection of "shaggy dog tales". The punchline of King's story (a pun/malapropism based on the phrase "read any good books lately?") was borrowed as the title of the collection.

Reception

Rocky Wood describes "For the Birds" as "very casual" in tone.

References

See also

• Stephen King short fiction bibliography

1. Here There Be Tygers (1968 short story)
2. The Birds (film)
3. Short story
4. For the Birds
5. Stephen King short fiction bibliography
6. Derry (Stephen King)
7. Jerusalem's Lot
8. The Labours of Hercules
9. Unpublished and uncollected works by Stephen King
10. Delta of Venus
11. The Angry Birds Movie
12. Joe Hill (writer)
13. Angry Birds
14. Hugo Award for Best Short Story
15. List of works by Rabindranath Tagore
16. The Bird King
17. Liver bird
18. Ralph Eggleston
19. The Reach
20. The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs