About Stormbird Press

Stormbird Press is part of a tight, focused group of small, niche publishers who exist for something more than commercial success—we share a mission to change the world by publishing hardworking, diverse authors, who address topics of enduring importance—gender, race, politics, religion, and nature.

All species have an ecological niche within an ecosystem. Stormbird is a flagship species that defends nature and empowers communities through the power of story. We live and breathe this purpose, in every word, every hour, and every day.

Our stories spring from observations and experience, profound insight, and wisdom of generations of scientists, philosophers, and brave thinkers who passionately communicate reverence, wisdom, and inspiration about our shared home—Earth.

But why Stormbird?

When we were founded the name stormbird felt like a natural fit. We had a sense the world was changing and that messages of warning were needed.

Storm birds, also known as rain birds, or koels, are large glossy blue-black birds with a striking red eye and a long tail. Females are slightly smaller, with a black face, chestnut throat, and an olive-green beak. They spend their time in the leafy, fruiting trees on the fringes of woodlands, rainforests, streams in the spring throughout eastern Queensland in Australia before heading to similar habitats in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia in the Austral fall.

When the summer rain comes in Australia, so does the distinctive call, echoing across valleys that rain is in the air. You can hear them day and night, but their call seems especially haunting after dark, in that liminal space where dreams and ideas float in the mind.

There are storm birds or rain birds in mythology all across the world. Some are terrifying, powerful beings. Others are benevolent harbingers of change. For us, they signal a connectedness between animals and earth, between living beings and planetary climate.

Whether mythological or natural, storm birds bravely project their information out for all to hear, just like our authors.

WildAmbience has a beautiful example of the wild, connected storm bird call.