The Birdwatcher's Handbook: A Guide to the Natural History of the Birds of Britain and Europe: Including 516 species that regularly breed in Europe ... parts of the Middle East and North Africa - Softcover

Ehrlich, Paul R.; Dobkin, David S.; Wheye, Darryl

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0198584075 ISBN 13: 9780198584070

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1994

Synopsis

For millions of Americans, birdwatching is nothing less than an obsession. For enthusiasts, the excitement of sighting a rare species, the pleasure of watching a bird in flight, and the satisfaction of being able to spot and identify different birds constitute a burning passion that travels with them wherever they go. The Birdwatcher's Handbook provides a marvelous resource for these dedicated hobbyists, offering a compendium of information about European birds that will be a delight to armchair readers and vacationers alike.
In The Birdwatcher's Handbook, authors Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin, Darryl Wheye, and Stuart Pimm provide in-depth information about British and Northern European birds not found in standard guides. Unlike quick-reference spotter's guides, this volume combines helpful identification aids with thorough descriptions of the birds' behavior and characteristics. Here you can find out where a bird nests, what type of nest it builds, and which partner builds it; how many eggs it lays, what they look like, which parent incubates them, and for how long; how it cares for its young, what it likes to eat, and its foraging habits. This comprehensive volume also provides details about displays, mating, wintering and migration, conservation status, and guides to further reading. For the dedicated birdwatcher on the go (in one of the most popular vacation destinations for Americans), this information will constitute invaluable help for locating and following different birds, and for identifying them by their behavior as well as their appearance. And both bird-loving travelers and homebound enthusiasts will delight in the comprehensive background this book provides on 515 separate species--including 150 short essays on avian natural history.
Bird-watchers form a remarkable group, dedicated to following their passion from the backyard to the most distant places. The Birdwatcher's Handbook provides the information they need for both at-a-glance reference in the field and hours of reading pleasure at home--the perfect companion to a trusted identification guide.

About this title

About the Author:

About the Authors:
Paul R. Ehrlich is Bing Professor of Population Studies at Stanford University. David S. Dobkin is Director of the High Desert Ecolocial Research Institute in Bend, Oregon. Darryl Wheye is a freelance writer and artist. Stuart L. Pimm is Professor of Ecology at the University of Tennessee.

From Booklist:

This extensive guide to bird-watching lists 516 species in Britain, Europe, and adjacent parts of the Middle East and North Africa. Each of the 516 entries is divided into three parts: heading, summary line, and text. The heading consists of the species' common name, scientific name, and a reference to recent editions of standard field identification guides, directing the bird-watcher to a guide containing color drawings or photographs. (This handbook has no color plates of birds.) The pictorial summary line--using symbols, words, abbreviations, and numbers--gives information on the bird's nest location and type of nest, a description of the eggs, the number of eggs and the number of broods each year, and data on hatching and caring for the young, diet, and foraging techniques. (To get an idea of how comprehensive this book is, there are 18 entries under foraging techniques.) The text gives more details on the species' breeding habitat, displays, nesting, diet, and wintering and conservation habits. In addition, there are 82 essays--everything from classifying birds to copulation to breeding-site tenacity. Some of the essays are illustrated with line drawings. This is a remarkable work, but most bird-watchers may need their Peterson guides with their drawings in color. George Cohen

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0198584075
• ISBN 13: 9780198584070
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 704
• Illustrator: Naeem Shahid