Christopher Bird is known for co-authoring the book The Secret Life of Plants with Peter Tompkins, published in 1973. This book documents controversial experiments that claim to reveal unusual phenomena associated with plants, such as plant sentience and the ability of plants to communicate with other creatures, including humans. It explores philosophies and progressive farming methods based on these findings. Despite its popularity, the book was heavily criticized by scientists for promoting pseudoscientific claims.

Later editions of the book were published with the subtitle A Fascinating Account of the Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Relations Between Plants and Man.