Raptors of the World (Helm, 2001) is the definitive handbook to this most popular group of birds. This new field guide uses all of the plates from Raptors of the World, with a concise, revised text on facing pages, to create a conveniently-sized, lightweight field reference covering all 340 raptor species. Several of the plates have been reworked and repainted for this guide. The book also has an updated colour distribution map for each species. Much of the extensive introductory material has been retained in this guide, with the addition of a complete species list containing all subspecies and brief details of their ranges. Armed with this guide, birders will be able to identify with confidence any raptor encountered anywhere in the world.

The aim of this book is to give a general overview of the whole subject of bird migration. After a chapter describing the Earth's climate and ecosystem, the book is divided into three main sections. The first presents the life histories and migratory habits of nine different ecological categories of birds. The second section deals with the course and timing of the flight journeys, flight behavior, fuel economy, flocking, and the hazards from disorientation and predation. The final section covers the ways that birds navigate and shows that this process is still by no means fully understood.