This title focus on the southern hemisphere using African examples. Ornithology for Africa has been specially written for users on the southern side of the equator and puts Africa in the lead in this regard. It is based on a series of lectures on the biology of birds, which the author has presented over the years to adult audiences throughout southern Africa. The text is aimed at the informed layperson as well as at the senior undergraduate student. The style allows the lay reader not only to learn about birds, but to enjoy ornithology as a pastime or even as a more serious occupation. The nine chapters cover the origin of birds, flight, feeding adaptations, zoogeography, ecology, migration, behaviour and breeding biology.

Eastern Africa is becoming an increasingly popular destination for people who want to see first-hand the abundant widlife of this vast continent. 'Birds of Eastern Africa' is the only field guide to feature over 450 species found in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia (including Socotra Island). Including full colour illustrations of each bird, key features on habitat, songs and calls, and distribution maps for each species, this guide contains all the information needed to quickly identify the birds found in this vast region. Comprehensive and easy-to-use, this book is a must for all those visiting the region.

A practical working handbook for both the beginner and the advanced aviculturist, Tarsnane draws on more than twenty years of experience to offer concise and informative data about all the water-fowl of the world. Describing modern management and breeding techniques, the book also surveys aspects of the natural history, ecology and conservation of several species. This impressive treatise is filled with spectacular colour photographs, often of rarely seen waterfowl. If you are just interested in finding out more about the common City Park Mallard or need to know the specifics about the nesting requirements of a Burmese Spotbill -- this is for you.

Jim Emerton is one of the most respected figures in pigeon racing, having bred and raced birds for 40 years and had birds return to the loft from as far as 879 miles away. Now he writes on the subject for magazines and websites, sharing his expertise and his musings with all who enjoy this absorbing hobby. This comprehensive collection of his writings on pigeons covers everything from feed regimes and choosing stock to his experiences with racing from many exotic locations around the world. "We are a motley crew of mad monks, illuminated by a shared dream...It is an extension of the old, traditional values, of the old sage, pipe in mouth, corn tin in hand, sunning himself in a deckchair in his rose garden. That is how the iconic birds in folklore and history were raced."

An enthralling exploration of the biologically richest island on Earth, featuring more than 200 spectacular color images by award-winning National Geographic photographer Tim Laman In this beautiful book, Bruce Beehler, a renowned author and expert on New Guinea, and award-winning National Geographic photographer Tim Laman take the reader on an unforgettable journey through the natural and cultural wonders of the world's grandest island. Skillfully combining a wealth of information, a descriptive and story-filled narrative, and more than 200 stunning color photographs, the book unlocks New Guinea's remarkable secrets like never before. Lying between the Equator and Australia's north coast, and surrounded by the richest coral reefs on Earth, New Guinea is the world's largest, highest, and most environmentally complex tropical island-home to rainforests with showy rhododendrons, strange and colorful orchids, tree-kangaroos, spiny anteaters, ingenious bowerbirds, and spectacular birds of paradise. New Guinea is also home to more than a thousand traditional human societies, each with its own language and lifestyle, and many of these tribes still live in isolated villages and serve as stewards of the rainforests they inhabit. Accessible and authoritative, New Guinea provides a comprehensive introduction to the island's environment, animals, plants, and traditional rainforest cultures. Individual chapters cover the island's history of exploration; geology; climate and weather; biogeography; plantlife; insects, spiders, and other invertebrates; freshwater fishes; snakes, lizards, and frogs; birdlife; mammals; paleontology; paleoanthropology; cultural and linguistic diversity; surrounding islands and reefs; the pristine forest of the Foja Mountains; village life; and future sustainability. Complete with informative illustrations and a large, detailed map, New Guinea offers an enchanting account of the island's unequalled natural and cultural treasures.

The growing group of bird enthusiasts who enjoy feeding and watching their feathered friends will learn how they can expand their activity and help address the pressing issue of habitat loss with 100 Plants to Feed the Birds. In-depth profiles offer planting and care guidance for 100 native plant species that provide food and shelter for birds throughout the year, from winter all the way through breeding and migrating periods. Readers will learn about plants they can add to their gardens and cultivate, such as early-season pussy willow and late-season asters, as well as wild plants to refrain from weeding out, like jewelweed and goldenrod. Others, including 29 tree species, may already be present in the landscape and readers will learn how these plants support the birds who feed and nest in them. Introductory text explains how to create a healthy year-round landscape for birds. Plant photographs and range maps provide needed visual guidance to selecting the right plants for any location in North America.

When such questions arise, birders turn to the "Cornell Lab of Ornithology", the world's leading authority on birds and an information clearinghouse for bird-watchers of all levels. Now, the lab's most often-asked questions about bird behaviour are answered in a concise, friendly volume, "The Bird Watching Answer Book", by the Cornell Lab's science editor, Laura Erickson. This handy little reference answers real life questions that have been sent to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology by birders of all levels from across North America. Erickson's expert answers give readers the companionship of a professional ornithologist as they observe their avian companions. The book's tone is friendly and accessible, even as the answers demonstrate a tremendous depth and breadth of knowledge. Many questions help birders keep their feathered friends safe and healthy - from the baby bird found lying on the sidewalk, to the flocks whose migration patterns can be disrupted by human activity. Some questions address bird quirks and curiosities, while others get to the truth about common myths, such as whether throwing rice at weddings is harmful to birds or whether albatrosses can actually stay airborne for two years. For every question, Erickson provides an answer that is practical, engaging, entertaining, and astute.

Japan is home to a spectacular and diverse range of birds, and this up-to-date text covers the identification, voice, habitat, behaviour and range of all the species and subspecies found across the beautiful and fascinating Japanese archipelago. The authoritative text is accompanied by superb full-colour plates painted by an expert artist and covers all major plumage variations. Birds of Japan will ensure that this top birding destination is made accessible to all. - The essential field guide to the region, covering 738 species and subspecies - 187 superb colour plates with detailed identification text and accurate colour distribution maps - Detailed illustrations of distinct subspecies, sexes, ages and morphs

Get the New Edition of Louisiana & Mississippi's Best-Selling Bird Guide Learn to identify birds in Louisiana & Mississippi, and make bird-watching even more enjoyable. With Stan Tekiela's famous field guide, bird identification is simple and informative. There's no need to look through dozens of photos of birds that don't live in your area. This book features 146 species of Louisiana & Mississippi birds organized by color for ease of use. Do you see a yellow bird and don't know what it is? Go to the yellow section to find out. Book Features: 146 species: Only Louisiana & Mississippi birds Simple color guide: See a yellow bird? Go to the yellow section Compare feature: Decide between look-alikes Stan's Notes: Naturalist tidbits and facts Professional photos: Crisp, stunning full-page images This new edition includes more species, updated photographs and range maps, revised information, and even more of Stan's expert insights. So grab Birds of Louisiana & Mississippi Field Guide for your next birding adventure-to help ensure that you positively identify the birds that you see.

"Birds are my almanac. They tune me into the seasons, and into myself." So begins this lively collection of essays by acclaimed filmmaker and novelist Priyanka Kumar. Growing up at the feet of the Himalayas in northern India, Kumar took for granted her immersion in a lush natural world. After moving to North America as a teenager, she found herself increasingly distanced from more than human life, and discouraged by the civilization she saw contributing to its destruction. It was only in her twenties, living in Los Angeles and working on films, that she began to rediscover her place in the landscape -- and in the cosmos -- by way of watching birds. Tracing her movements across the American West, this stirring collection of essays brings the avian world richly to life. Kumar's perspective is not that of a list keeper, counting and cataloguing species. Rather, from the mango-colored western tanager that rescues her from a bout of altitude sickness in Sequoia National Park to ancient sandhill cranes in the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, and from the snowy plovers building shallow nests with bits of shell and grass to the white-breasted nuthatch that regularly visits the apricot tree behind her family's casita in Sante Fe, for Kumar, birds "become a portal to a more vivid, enchanted world." At a time when climate change, habitat loss, and the reckless use of pesticides are causing widespread extinction of species, Kumar's reflections on these messengers from our distant past and harbingers of our future offer luminous evidence of her suggestion that "seeds of transformation lie dormant in all of our hearts. Sometimes it just takes the right bird to awaken us."

Get the New Edition of Washington's Best-Selling Bird Guide Learn to identify birds in Washington, and make bird-watching even more enjoyable. With Stan Tekiela's famous field guide, bird identification is simple and informative. There's no need to look through dozens of photos of birds that don't live in your area. This book features 138 species of Washington birds organized by color for ease of use. Do you see a yellow bird and don't know what it is? Go to the yellow section to find out. Book Features: 138 species: Only Washington birds Simple color guide: See a yellow bird? Go to the yellow section Compare feature: Decide between look-alikes Stan's Notes: Naturalist tidbits and facts Professional photos: Crisp, stunning full-page images This new edition includes more species, updated photographs and range maps, revised information, and even more of Stan's expert insights. So grab Birds of Washington Field Guide for your next birding adventure-to help ensure that you positively identify the birds that you see.

Behold the power of nature with this illustrated field guide to recognizing and understanding the messages that the universe sends us through the birds we see in our daily lives. Birds are all around us-pecking at the sidewalk, perching on a nearby tree branch, flying in the sky above our heads. But have you considered the possibility that there is a deeper meaning behind each blue jay sighting or the call of a hawk? The Hidden Meaning of Birds can help you decipher the special message your avian oracle is trying to share. The Hidden Meaning of Birds isn't just your typical field guide to birds. In addition to a physical description of a variety of common bird species, it also includes the folklore and unique symbolism associated with each to help you understand the changes these mystical creatures want you to make in your life. A blue jay may be urging you to examine your communication habits. A cardinal may be telling you to stand up for yourself. The list goes on. The illustrations and descriptions are easy to follow along, and it includes beginner terms for both spiritual guidance and bird identification. With this enlightening volume as your inspiration, get ready to reexamine your life from a bird's eye view-one robin, crow, and hummingbird at a time.

Tracks & Signs of the Birds of Britain and Europe contains a wealth of fascinating material for any field naturalist. This unique guide enables the reader to find, interpret and understand field marks left by a variety of birds throughout Britain and Europe, and to use these to identify the species in question. It covers subjects including tracks and trails, feeding and other behavioural signs, nests, pellets, droppings, feathers and skulls, habitat types and field analysis methods. All European bird families are featured, with numerous individual species being described in detail. Fully revised and updated, this third edition contains a great deal of new material, including 19 new colour plates and hundreds of new photographs, line drawings and diagrams. Tracks & Signs of the Birds of Britain and Europe is an indispensable addition to any feather-finder or track-watcher's backpack - the ultimate resource for anyone wanting to identify a bird species from the sometimes subtle clues they leave behind.

The Texas coast offers rich avian treasures for expert birders and beginners alike, if only they know where to look. For those familiar with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's maps to the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, this book on the Upper Texas Coast offers more - more information, more convenient and detailed maps, more pictures, more finding tips, and more birding advice from one of the trail's creators, Ted Lee Eubanks Jr., and trail experts Robert A. Behrstock and Seth Davidson. For those new to the trail, the book is the perfect companion for learning where to find and how to bird the very best venues on this part of the Texas coast.In an opening tutorial on habitat and seasonal strategies for birding the Upper Texas Coast, the authors include tips on how to take advantage of the famous (but elusive) fallouts of birds that happen here. They then briefly discuss the basics of birding by ear and the rewards of passive birding before turning to the trail itself and each of more than 120 birding sites from the Louisiana-Texas border, through Galveston and Houston, to just south of Freeport.While not intended as a field identification guide, the book contains more than 175 color photographs of birds and their coastal habitat, giving readers an excellent feel for the trail's diversity and abundance. Whether you are making your annual spring pilgrimage to Texas, leisurely traveling with the family along the coast, or wondering what to do during a layover in Houston, using this book as your guide to the trail will greatly enhance your birding experience.

A BIRDING JOURNEY AT HOME AND BEYOND It began with a flutter of yellow feathers flitting through the trees, casting beams of sunshine and promise that burst through her kitchen window. This was her sign to look up. As a licensed therapist, Tammah Watts knew that she needed to seek and accept hope, love, and support to overcome her chronic pain and cultivate resilience. But she could not predict that the little yellow bird would put her on the path to healing by fostering a powerful connection with birds and the experience of birding. Tammah shares her emotional journey of finding comfort and inspiration from her feathered friends, while providing practical tips and tools to help you: Explore the practice of birdwatching from the comfort of your own home and community Increase your self-awareness, mindfulness, and concentration Find acceptance and alignment with the spirit and beauty of birds Right outside your door flies just what you’ve been looking for to help ease symptoms of stress, pain, depression, and anxiety. All you have to do is look up, take notice, and open your heart and mind. No matter where you are, what you look like, or what you're going through, you can create sacred space and connection with birds and begin to heal.

The ultimate field guide to the birds of Ghana, an indispensable companion for any traveller to the region This spectacular new edition of Birds of Ghana is the ultimate reference to the birds of this rich and varied corner of Africa. Now fully revised and expanded, this guide is essential for researchers, birders and conservationists alike. This authoritative book covers all 773 species recorded in Ghana and neighbouring Togo, including details of all residents, migrants and known vagrants. Over 150 stunning colour plates depict every species and also comprehensively cover all the distinct plumages and subspecies likely to be encountered. Concise species accounts describe key identification features, status, range, habitat and voice with fully updated distribution maps for each species.

The first field guide to all of the world's major land habitats-richly illustrated and packed with essential information to help you get the most out of your outdoor adventures Accurately identifying and understanding habitats in detail is essential to any birder, naturalist, outdoor enthusiast, or ecologist who wants to get the most out of their experiences in the field. Habitats of the World is the first field guide to the world's major land habitats-189 in all. Using the format of a natural history field guide, this compact, accessible, and comprehensive book features concise identification descriptions and is richly illustrated-including more than 650 color photographs of habitats and their wildlife, 150 distribution maps, 200 diagrams, and 150 silhouettes depicting each habitat alongside a human figure, providing an immediate grasp of its look and scale. Each major habitat has an illustrated "climate box" that allows easy comparisons between habitats. Thirty other illustrated boxes present clear explanations of complex phenomena affecting habitats-from plate tectonics and mountain formation to fire regimes and climate change. Requiring no scientific background, Habitats of the World offers quick and reliable information for anyone who wants a deeper understanding and appreciation of the habitats around them, whether in their own backyard or while travelling anywhere in the world. Covers 189 of the world's major land habitats Provides all the information you need to quickly and accurately identify and understand habitats anywhere in the world Features concise text, more than 650 color photographs of habitats and their wildlife, an up-to-date distribution map for each habitat, and hundreds of helpful diagrams and illustrations

Where to Watch Birds in Africa is a field guide designed to help birders and general wildlife enthusiasts organize the most enriching trips possible throughout this great continent. From Morocco to Madagascar, this book presents over 200 bird-watching sites in detail and describes the species endemic to Africa. The traveler will find practical information on climate, transportation, accommodations, health, and safety as well as advice on a number of strategic questions: Where can we see birds that epitomize the continent? Which country supports the best cross-section of species and the most endemics? How many sites must be visited to see most of these birds? How much time do these trips take and when is the best time to go? Featuring over one hundred maps and fifty-one line drawings, this book is not only a guide but also a handy reference. Following a chapter on how to use the book, there is an introduction to the continent and its birds. The countries, archipelagos, and islands are then dealt with alphabetically. General introductions to each country are followed by site details, which include bird lists; a list of other wildlife present, if applicable; and the latest information on where to look for the best birds. Originally published in 1995. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

'Birkhead has combined ingenuity and perseverance to produce an evocative portrait of a great pioneer in the scientific study of birds' Literary Review

Francis Willughby lived and thrived in the midst of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. Along with his Cambridge tutor John Ray, Willughby was determined to overhaul the whole of natural history and impose order on its complexity. It was exhilarating, exacting and exhausting work. Yet before Willughby and Ray could complete their monumental encyclopaedia of birds, Ornithology, Willughby died. In the centuries since, Ray's reputation has grown, obscuring that of his collaborator. Now, for the first time, Willughby's own story and genius are given the attention they deserve.

Tim Birkhead celebrates how Willughby's endeavours set a standard for the way birds and natural history should be studied. Rich with glorious detail, The Wonderful Mr Willughby is a fascinating insight into a thrilling period of scientific history and a lively biography of a man who lived at its heart.

"An important new step for world ornithology" – Professor Osor Shagdarsuren Mongolia lies in the heart of Asia, bridging the vast Siberian taiga forests of the north and the world’s coldest deserts to the south. It encompasses great mountain ranges, extensive steppes and deserts, and pristine rivers and lakes. Large and sparsely populated, Mongolia harbours a rich avifauna including an array of globally rare and local species. - First-ever field guide to the birds of Mongolia - Covers 503 species, including all residents, migrants and vagrants - 113 superb plates depicting every species and many distinct plumages and races - Authoritative text covers identification features, along with voice, habitat, behaviour and status - Accurate maps for every species

This book introduces some 75 species of wetland birds to readers through the eyes of Kate Humble. As she freely admits herself, Kate is still learning her birds, so to find out more she contacted Martin McGill of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust to act as her guide. Their birdwatching sessions together form the basis of this book. As Kate learns the difference between a Canada Goose and a Barnacle Goose, which ducks dive and which ducks dabble, and how to tell apart those little brown jobs that warble from the reedbeds, so she passes on the information to the reader as she goes. The effect is not dissimilar to the Last Chance to See series, in which Mark Carwardine and Stephen Fry scour the world for endangered species. The difference between Canada Geese and Barnacle Geese? Just remember that the C-anada goose has a C-hin-strap. The Teal is the Ziggy Stardust of the duck world, while the Shoveler feeds as though it's dropped its contact lenses. Each species takes up approximately two pages, complete with photographs and illustrations to bring out the key identification and behavioural points. The birds are divided into simply titled groups - large waddling birds, little brown jobs, and so on. Other chapters in the book cover topics such as basic equipment, clothing, hide etiquette and more, each written for the beginner in Kate's style. WWT centres: Slimbridge (Glos), Arundel (Sussex), Wetland Centre (Barnes), Welney (Norfolk), Washington (Tyne & Wear), Caerlaverock (Dumfries), Martin Mere (Lancs), Llanelli (Wales), Castle Espie (N Ireland).

Get the New Edition of Florida's Best-Selling Bird Guide Learn to identify birds in Florida, and make bird-watching even more enjoyable. With Stan Tekiela's famous field guide, bird identification is simple and informative. There's no need to look through dozens of photos of birds that don't live in your area. This book features 146 species of Florida birds organized by color for ease of use. Do you see a yellow bird and don't know what it is? Go to the yellow section to find out. Book Features: 146 species: Only Florida birds Simple color guide: See a yellow bird? Go to the yellow section Compare feature: Decide between look-alikes Stan's Notes: Naturalist tidbits and facts Professional photos: Crisp, stunning full-page images This new edition includes more species, updated photographs and range maps, revised information, and even more of Stan's expert insights. So grab Birds of Florida Field Guide for your next birding adventure-to help ensure that you positively identify the birds that you see.